Arcade Fire

Neon Bible

[4/5] How do you follow up what has quickly become one of indie rock’s landmark albums? Well, if you’re Montreal pop consortium Arcade Fire, you just do what you did before, only this time, you throw in a little pipe organ. Neon Bible, the band’s sophomore disc, is an effortlessly creative offering running from upbeat jangle-pop (“Keep The Car Running”) to understated, stripped down arrangements (the title track) to the Pixies-influenced “Ocean Of Noise” to monstrously epic pipe-organ-driven numbers (“Intervention,” “My Body Is A Cage”), all retaining the intrinsic off-kilter melody frontman Win Butler has fast become known for.

While devotees of Funeral, the group’s first album, will surely enjoy Neon Bible, the album does have a decidedly different feel than its predecessor-mainly, there seems to be less of an emphasis on choruses. While most tracks off Neon Bible lack the instant recognition power of “Crown Of Love” or “Wake Up” from Funeral, the album is still strongly memorable, running the emotional gamut through Butler’s wavering tenor-and occasionally wife Régine Chassagne (their duet on “No Cars Go” is riveting).

Isaac Brock, Colin Meloy, Ben Gibbard-these men are today’s indie rock Board of Directors. If Butler continues to craft intriguing, original pop like this, it won’t be long until he is sitting at the head of the conference table. (MERGE) Scott Heisel

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