Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Release Date: 6 March 2007 (Merge)
Neon Bible is one of the best albums of 2007. It showcases diverse dynamics and instrumentation. Many of the songs consist of multiple scrolls worth of lyrics. The themes in this album are of fear and anger. Overall, the sound is a mixture of beauty and gloom. It has a pace and undercurrent that keeps it hauntingly moving forward.
“Reverend Ted Haggard stepped down from his position as pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs after being accused of purchasing methamphetamines from, and having a homosexual relationship, with a male prostitute.”
John took a sip from his bottle of Fat Tire. He asked Steven, “So what’s your new job.”
“I work at a biodiesel plant in Boulder. Testing the fuel.”
“You enjoying it?”
“Yeah. It’s not a bad job. And it’s a renewal energy that’s going to be the future. It feels good to know I’m doing my part to fuck the man.”
John and Steven often did this. They got together and talked about the issues that were shaping the world and sharing stories of affecting change. It almost always took place over a twelve pack of beer.
“The Downing Street Memo clearly states, ‘Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.’”
“Have you heard the new Arcade Fire album yet?” John asked.
“No. Is it good?”
“It’s damn good. It has some criticism of religion and war. It gives a sense of fear and seems to have an undertone to the whole album.”
“You got it? Put it in,” Steven said. “And, hey, can you get me another beer?”
“Today, President Bush acknowledged that he did authorize the National Security Agency domestic wiretapping program, but added that leaking the information to the media was illegal and not in the best interest of national security.”
The second song on the album, “Keep The Car Running,” came on. It has an addictive motion to it. It’s the most powerful song on the album. The narrator tells a paranoid tale about being chased by men coming to take him away. “They know my name cause I told it to them,/ But they don’t know where And they don’t know/ When It’s coming when It’s coming.”
“You’d think now that the Democrats were in control of Congress they’d put an end to the Patriot Act.”
“It doesn’t matter who’s in control,” Steven said. “They care more about getting elected than they do about actually making a change.”
“Yeah, they don’t seem to be making a change on any major policy. They got elected on the basis of the Iraq War and they still haven’t done anything to make any changes about it other than issuing that nonbonding resolution.” The beer was starting to get to John’s head. He stood up and pushed the next track on the CD player until it moved to “Intervention.” “Listen to this song.”
With its references to “fighting as a soldier on their side” and “Working for the Church while your family dies,” it’s not obvious what the song is about. But as the song ends, by repeating the lyric “Hear the soldier groan, ‘We’ll go at it alone,’” it seems to directly or indirectly echo the words of President Bush.
“Germany’s neo-Nazi National Democratic Party won enough of the vote in the northeast state of Mecklenbrug-Vorpommern to win seats in the regional assembly.”
“You gotta hear this song,” John said. The beer had definitely taken effect. The world-savers sat quietly and listened to the track.
“(Antichrist Televisions Blues)” started with its simple bell tones before a fast paced acoustic guitar took control of the song. The song tells the story of “a God-fearing man.” He’s asking God to make his daughter a pop star. He wants his child to be in the spotlight and to save him because he “don’t want to work in a building downtown.” It’s an onslaught of lyrics that builds to the question, “O tell me, Lord, am I the Antichrist?!”
“Fuck yeah,” declared Steven. “That song’s great.”
“Windowsill” came through the speakers. It starts mellow, but displays a great range of dynamics. The song is a wish to not “hear the noises on TV” or have “the salesmen coming after me.” More importantly, “don’t wanna live in America no more” and “I don’t wanna see it at my windowsill!”
The song brought up memories of John running from an apartment in Baltimore. One night while he was asleep, someone set the building on fire. He woke to the bright blaze of a Native American star quilt that was hanging on the wall opposite his bed.
The song made Steven think about the story a friend had told him who worked in one of the twin towers. She was able to get out of the building before it collapsed. She looked up. She could almost see her window office on the fifth floor, and saw the building start to fall before she turned and ran.
They kept listening to the rest of Neon Bible, drinking their Fat Tires, and slowly saving the world – one beer at a time.
neonbible.com
www.arcadefire.com
www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial
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