The music that tugs most at our heartstrings is often the most divisive. In one camp you have those who prefer their music served raw and doused with emotion; in the other you have vicious detractors shouting labels like “emo” and “over the top” with bitter disapproval. The Arcade Fire’s emotive debut, Funeral, won over both camps by shrouding many of its emo leanings in ambiguity and lyrical imagery. The Fire’s follow-up, Neon Bible, fails to reproduce its predecessor’s magic because it eschews this lyrical ambiguity in favor of a more blunt—and occasionally obvious—approach.
With Neon Bible’s first four songs, however, the band hasn’t missed a beat. “Black Mirror” and the title track use restraint to slowly build tension, setting up the more dramatic numbers “Keep the Car Running” and “Intervention.” The former channels both the lyrical escapism and hearty timbre of Bruce Springsteen, while the latter finds the singers struggling to be heard over a gorgeous, thundering organ.
The wheels come loose, however, with the poor melodies and bone-stupid lyrics of the ensuing songs. In “Black Wave/Good Vibrations,” Régine Chassagne puts in an embarrassingly weak vocal performance over a contrived backdrop of moody atmospherics. “(Antichrist Television Blues)” and “Windowsill” hit lyrical lows with Win Butler worrying about “when the planes hit the ground” and whining that he doesn’t “wanna live in America no more.” When it comes to political commentary, the band has a lot of learning to do.
Featuring as many duds as it does gems, Neon Bible isn’t going to silence those who believe the Arcade Fire are one-album-wonders. Luckily for devoted fans, it isn’t reason to lose all hope in the band, either.
