THE ARCADE FIRE
Neon Bible
Merge
· Once more with feeling – The Arcade Fire rule the world (Live at Judson Memorial Church, February 13, 2007, New York City).
The first thing that hits about Neon Bible is the notion of lesser – in comparison to Funeral (the reason we’re all so hyped about this band in the first place), there seems to be a touch less going for this sophomore release. The hooks aren’t quite so sharp, at times the giant sound coming off a bit muddy and unfocused. Opposed to Funeral’s intimate reflections on death, loss and eventual redemption, Neon Bible’s all about the starving and displaced, the groans of soldiers, the dropping of bombs. It’s a striking moment when Montreal front man Win Butler sings, "I don’t want to live in a building downtown," for fear of a plane striking it ("Building Downtown (Antichrist Television Blues)"). It’s certainly a far less emotionally fulfilling song than Funeral’s opener "Tunnels #1," in which the song’s narrator digs through the deep snow to form a pathway to a loved one. Admittedly, given Montreal’s winters, it’s also a bit easier to believe.
That’s not to say there isn’t a supply of amazement on hand – the two-part "Black Waves/Bad Vibrations" (one part Kate Bush pastiche en francais, the other all Arcade Fire rumble and talk of "eating in the ghetto off $100 plates"), and the way it rolls over into the sublime heart-flutter of "Ocean of Noise" is a stunning musical passage giving ample proof that The Fire is the best band in the world. "Black Mirror" takes ’50s doo-wop into the Gothic funhouse, and it’s a ripper. "Windowsill" comes closest to Funeral’s bone-cutting imagery, while "My Body is a Cage" sings of wanting to dance with the one you love so well. It’s impossible to resist the urge of reaching out and touching that object of desire standing close by.
That said, both "Intervention" and "No Cars Go" (familiar to fans through an easily downloadable acoustic radio session, the other originally appearing on the group’s pre-Funeral EP, re-released in the behemoth’s shadow) are getting too big and crowded for their own good. The bigger they get, the harder it is to get close to the Arcade Fire as a band, and the same is becoming true for the music. In the case of "Intervention," the early acoustic run-through accomplishes so much more with so much less. As for "No Cars Go," why bother? It surely makes for one hell of a climax, but it always did, regardless of how much church organ you throw at it. The relatively minor title track sticks out so well because it’s so small. Taking on religion (one wishes for a return to the snow tunnels), "Neon Bible," is a momentary breather worth catching one’s breath with.
And so ends the first impression. Where it reforms is in seeing and hearing it all live.
The small Judson Memorial Church in Washington Square Park in New York City isn’t the most likely venue for an epic Arcade Fire Mach II rock show. However, on a stage lit by both the glow of the band’s neon-sign-Bible-page-turner logo from the album’s cover and the church’s large, golden stained-glass cross above it, everything played out in incredible clarity and force. An expanded lineup of 10 players worked excitedly through the new songs (major props to the Internet – much of the audience sang along to songs from an album still weeks from release), sounding leaps and shades above the recorded versions. Capturing that on record is pretty much impossible.
An extended "Power’s Out" melted into "Rebellion (Lies)" and the energy levels in the room were frighteningly palpable. A mammoth drumroll-driven cover of Serge Gainsbourg’s "Poupee le Coeur, Poupee le Son" tore Belle and Sebastian’s version to simpering little bits. Before we knew it, one encore came and went and they were off and gone. Five hundred New York hipsters stumbled back into Washington Square.
Funeral may have had the better songs, but when it comes to the live experience, Neon Bible can certainly hold its own.
ALBUM 4/5
LIVE 5/5
MARK HAMILTON
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