Arcade Fire's Neon Bible Is The Perfect Grower Album

In our December 2005 issue, Chart managing editor Aaron Brophy rallied against those who would prescribe "ownership" to Arcade Fire. To recap, that's when fans of the band played the "I saw them first" card when they launched into the international stratosphere. While I agree with Brophy's sentiment in principle, I understand why this happened with the band, and I fully endorse it.

You see, for all of Canada's music legends, it's been years since we had an internationally beloved artistic vanguard. This generation didn't go to Toronto clubs when Neil Young was jamming with Rick James, or when Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell were getting their starts. The '80s and '90s were barren. Broken Social Scene were the first new millennium band to get much traction with the critics in the U.S., but they've never achieved superstardom in Europe.

Then, with a single modern classic, Funeral, Arcade Fire vaulted themselves into a stratosphere of rabid admiration typically reserved for the likes of Radiohead and Bjork. And we, the Canadian club-goers, were fucking there. We knew all the songs long before Funeral was released, and we celebrated when the world started to share our enthusiasm.

Now, the band who almost singlehandedly turned a world's attention to our music scene are back. With a string of sold-out shows to the band's credit before Neon Bible even hit store shelves, it was clear that most fans were convinced it would live up to the advance billing. Unsurprisingly, they were correct.

While not as immediately heart-stopping as Funeral, the group's sophomore full-length both maintains the hallmarks of their earlier work and pushes the sound in more epic directions.

"Black Mirror" starts with a blast of wind that leads into one of the best singles of the year. The piano- and acoustic guitar-driven track reaches a chilling peak midway through when Win Butler growls, "That curse is never broken," while Regine Chassagne's backup vocals fade through in windy swirls.

"Keep The Car Running" is the first of two Springsteen-esque pop tracks, and it's far and away one of the catchiest songs on the disc. It's followed by the hushed tones of the title track, which is boosted by orchestral flourishes before fading out shortly after the two-minute mark.

From there, it's straight into the pipe organ and acoustic guitar intro of first single "Intervention," a track that is in every way representative of what the band are trying to do with the record. It's gloriously over the top, from the electric guitar wails to the emphatic backing vocals, but it somehow remains completely sincere and engaging.

Chassagne takes the lead for the first part of "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations," which is kind of the dark sister to "Haiti." The track breaks down about a third of the way through, and Butler takes over for a monumental finish. Sadly, it's one of the few tracks that does the Funeral trick of switching gears entirely. The record could, admittedly, use a few more twists. The sure future single of the disc is the sparkling "The Well And The Lighthouse." The second Springsteen wannabe comes in the form of "Antichrist Television Blues." While it works well in conjunction with "Windowsill," it's the "7 Kettles" of the LP — just passable enough to be there, but ultimately pretty mundane.

The resurrection of "No Cars Go" was a bold and inspired choice. I wish they'd take a few more tracks from their debut EP and re-record them for B-sides, but this one absolutely belongs on Neon Bible. Rounding out the disc is "My Body Is A Cage," which has all the burning power of "In The Backseat" and serves as a perfect conclusion to the LP.

The best part about Neon Bible is that it's an unstoppable grower. The more you listen to it, the more excellent pieces reveal themselves. It's not going to change the world again, but it assures Arcade Fire their seat in the pantheon of music's artistic wunderkinds.