The long-awaited second full length from critically acclaimed Montreal collective Arcade Fire somehow far surpasses its predecessor in sonic and emotional impact.
Formed in mid-2003, the band has already released one legendary LP, "Funeral." That album, released on tiny Merge Records in 2004, created such excitement that every single copy of the album in the label's inventory sold out. It hit the Billboard 200 charts and was named the best record of the year by countless publications.
"Funeral" is a hard act to follow, a truly landmark indie record that featured anthemic singles like "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" and "Rebellion (Lies)."
Yet "Neon Bible" is no sophomore slump.
The album's title, taken from a novel about destructive religion in a small Louisiana town, is a clue to the themes swirling throughout its lyrics.
Unlike, for example, the Thermals' hysterical "The Body, The Blood, The Machine," the band manages to sound unpretentious and genuine when decrying modern religious hypocrisy or the ludicrous excesses of American life.
"(Antichrist Television Blues)," allegedly written about Jessica Simpson's father, is an oblique but searing criticism of celebrity culture and the missteps of fatherhood.
"Intervention" is absolutely stunning, blending theatrical organ and strings with Butler's passionate laments at what sounds like the end of the world ("Every spark of friendship and life will die").
There are few missteps - "Black Wave / Bad Vibrations" shrinks in the shadow of "Intervention," and other tracks sound too much like the group's debut.
Yet even the simplest tracks are drenched in atmosphere, whether from the characteristically unconventional instrumentation (harp, xylophone, French horn, hurdy-gurdy).
Sometimes to its detriment, "Funeral" closely approximated the sound of the band's legendary live shows, gloriously messy affairs, in which every member of the seven-person-plus band screams along with front man Win Butler.
"Neon Bible" often places Butler alone, front and center in some of the album's more intimate tracks.
Luckily, Butler's voice is easily the strongest in indie today - it blends the eerie wavering of David Byrne with the desperate passion of early Bono.
There are entire worlds hidden in each of "Neon Bible's" 11 chapters, and listeners should pay close attention to the subtext - the Arcade Fire has created a modern classic.
Reach the reporter at: samuel.gavin@asu.edu.
