#3 "Neon Bible" - The Arcade Fire

The Arcade Fire are a couple of things that I love and hate about bands, but almost all of which has nothing to do with their music. This is a pretty weird statement for anyone who is not an enormous music nerd, and given that the only person that I know of who actually reads this is my buddy Casey in Korea, who is also a huge music nerd, then I think my reader will understand. The Arcade Fire's music, which I will get to in a moment has everything I like about a band: they push the boundaries of what is conventional pop, they use different instruments and arrangements, and they are not overtly reliant on one formula for song writing that allows you to identify them a mile away. Though you would be hard pressed not to pick an Arcade Fire song out of a lineup. So what bothers me about these guys? Well, they do, I suppose. More to the point, what people (including the band itself) think of the Arcade Fire bothers me. In any interview I've read with them, they are serious people. Serious in an incredibly unfunny, uninspiring way. For a band that makes "inspiring" music and takes themselves seriously enough to think they can change things "with music" they are amazingly uninspiring, to the point of apparently lacking emotions and personalities. Perhaps they leave it all on their records, and therefore can't be bothered to have things like a sense of humor or basic social graces in the real world. Who knows? I know that people are going to disagree, and i have read interviews that would seem to contradict this point, but over all, the impression of the band i get is that they may be a group of self-serious musicians who really want to inspire you with their awesome music and bland personalities. And so the fans...............
The problem I have with the people who rave about Arcade Fire is that they are not nearly as good as people are trying to fall all over themselves to convince the world that they are. They are a great band. Soon, i will actually write about how much I like their music, but they are not the future of Rock and Roll, or the great saviours of music. They are an exceptional band making exceptional music, but they aren't some modern day musical messiahs. They will no more "save" or "re-invent" music in general and rock an roll in specific with pipe organs and hurdy gurdy than Radiohead did when they decided to make everything with bleep, blips, and robot voices. Its interesting music, even great music. But genre saving? Doesn't happen.
So after all that, what about the music of "Neon Bible?" The theme of this blog seems to be that I am writing about the band or artist and what i think of them and their place in music, or my relationship with their music, more so than i am actually writing about the music itself. If i were a record reviewer, I would probably be fired. So the music:
"Neon Bible" is the follow up to "Funeral" which was an unexpected hit, and "Neon Bible" was that much more hit-ier. And for good reason. It's an album that opens strong, and pretty much stays strong throughout. The album has an ominous feeling to it that kicks off during the opening track "Black Mirror" and never really recedes, just shifts around, like the uneasy feeling you get in your stomach when you know something is wrong, but you don't know what. After the ominous mood, the next thing I noticed about the album was how much it reminded of Bruce Springsteen. So much so that when i heard Arcade Fire had opened for him and played with him on his last tour i thought that it made a lot of sense. The leader singer, Win (Wyn?) Butler sounds a lot like the Boss if the Boss were more Boho than Hobo. Listen to "Keep The Car Running" and especially "(Antichrist Television Blues)" to see what I mean. Both great tunes. I haven't read much about the album, except for scattered reviews, so I'm not sure if the band were trying to create a concept album or just focus on a particular theme, but there is a definitely a theme to this record. What it is I change my mind about almost every time I listen. Sometimes I think its about the erosion of small towns, especially through the eyes of children and adolescents in those towns, or maybe its just about being a young adult and all the bullshit that goes with that. Who knows? (unless someone actually does know and would like to enlighten me in the comments) The last two things i will say about the album are: The fourth song, "Intervention" may be one of my favorite songs of the last five years. A pipe organ? Oh, Arcade Fire, how did you know my weakness? The pipe organ is almost guaranteed to get me to love a song, but the whole structure of "Intervention" appeals to me. Its like a sprawling U2 anthem, but incredibly dark (and possibly about sexual abuse in the Catholic church). Its an anthem that appears to be an anti anthem. The last point? The female singer of the band, i believe she is a french Canadian from Montreal, I was happy that she only sings lead vocals on one song, and its a two parter. But i cant listen to her part. That was my main problem with "Funeral." Her voice is just too cutesy, it drives me bananas, as both back-up but especially when its thrust out into the lead. It makes my skin crawl, so the fewer vocal contributions from her the better.
So that's my take on Arcade Fire and "Neon Bible." A great band who are not as great as everyone wants them to be. I don't think its really possible for a band to be that great now that most things have been done. When i get to the Beatles, i will probably explain this when i write about them, Elvis, Dylan and a few others who i think of as "Originators." Its very difficult to do now, and the Arcade Fire are just not in this category. They do, however, make incredibly lush, intricate, layered music that really plays with the notions of what is possible in a pop song.

*Final Thought: I am also really bothered by the people who say the Arcade Fire are Canadian. As a fairly proud Canadian, it bothers me when we reach for these things. The two driving forces in the band, the brothers Butler are Texans. They may have adopted Montreal as a creative home, and married one of very own lovely lasses from la belle Provence, but that still makes them no more Canadian then I think Neil Young is American. Why cant we be happy that Montreal is such a kick ass place that it nurtures these kinds of creative pairings, why do we have to attempt to make bands that really aren't Canadian? Are we that desperate? I hope not.