Root Canals and Neon Bibles

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Last Friday, I took the LIRR to Jamaica for an emergency visit to my dentist. On the train, I ran into Nicole Barry, an ex-Independent staffer—specifically, our ex-cooking columnist (don’t ask, it’s a long story). She showed me a couple of CDs she purchased for her brother—one of them was Neon Bible by Arcade Fire. The cover was a holographic red and blue book.
 
“Oh! This is so cool!” I said, while flipping the album back and forth multiple times, in awe of the 3-D image before me.
 
So last night, I couldn’t sleep because of my root canal. I decided to go on Wikipedia and browse around. You know you all do it, looking up something you barely know, clicking on related links within the Wiki article, etc. I somehow started with “time travel” and ended up many minutes later at “arcade fire,” with a related link to “neon bible,” Arcade Fire’s newest album.
 
I think this is a pretty good album. I used to ignorantly avoid Arcade Fire like the plague—their first album, Funeral, turned me off completely, what with all the “neighborhood” tracks. Despite my sister’s many attempts to get me to appreciate Arcade Fire, I just decided it wasn’t for me. I had my mind on other bands at the time.
 
Then my music blogger friend Jeremy suggested I try Neon Bible. I listened to a couple of tracks, and it was exactly what I was looking for at the time. I go through these phases with my music where at times I feel like the playlists are getting dusty and it’s time to look for something fresh. Neon Bible was exactly that.
 
Perhaps my favorite song off the album is “Black Mirror.”  It conjures up a dark and melodic mood that captures the listener’s attention immediately. The rumbling in the beginning tints the song a deliciously spooky shade, and it is fast-paced compared to the other tracks on the album.
 
Another great track is “Ocean of Noise,” a song that is slower in pace than “Black Mirror,” but very soulful. In the first eleven seconds, there is thunder, followed by a simple melody that will catch you slowly swaying your head back and forth in enjoyment. All the instruments blend well together—and on the whole, the track is lyrically powerful.
 
I could ramble on about every track on the album. I could even ramble about how this album made me come to love a few tracks on Funeral, and was the basis of my decision to buy a ticket for their May 7 show at the United Palace Theater. But…nah. I’ll just rejoice in my excitement and hope that you all choose not to be as ignorant as I once was.
 
Jeremy’s blog
Arcade Fire’s official site