Arcade Fire- <i>Neon Bible</i>

Before anyone heard a note from Neon Bible, fans imagined what it would be: an intricate album full of extravagant musical performances with biting lyrical content; an album that cannot be listened to casually. Upon hearing the first eight notes of "Black Mirror,” those expectations were confirmed. Neon Bible is a remarkable statement because it makes no concrete statement. If Neon Bible is a concept album — like many journalists have touted it — then the concept is more primal than narrative; words are chosen for what they represent singularly and moods are created sonically. It is musically and lyrically dense in a fashion that we can create our own back-story to every line and note. Win and Regine lovingly smother each song with vocals and chants, leaving little room for extended instrumental intros, codas or bridges. But the music is incredibly fertile and complete, akin to writing a 250-page novel to use as a prop in a film. To some, Neon Bible is a venomous attack on the Bush administration; to others, it is an entertaining, club-friendly party album. It plays as a profound and personal set of songs disguised as Aesop-like fables, or is the first great nihilistic record of this century. The appeal behind Neon Bible is simple — it is simultaneously all and of course none of the above.