I don’t envy the Arcade Fire these days. We’re all looking at the band to inject life into Canada’s fading music scene, and that’s no small order.



The Montreal band released Funeral to critical and commercial acclaim in 2004 – the time when a new wave of talented Canadian groups started to gain global recognition. Acts like Broken Social Scene, Stars, Metric, Feist, k-os, and Death From Above 1979 gave indie credibility to Canada, and Montreal briefly became “the next Seattle,” as bands and fans saturated the city with music. Each of these acts in the great Canadian wave released stellar records – in most cases, they found fame with strong second albums – but faced immense pressure to keep the country’s scene alive.



In the last year and a half, most of those bands have released less-than-stellar follow-ups. Newer albums by Broken Social Scene, Metric, and k-os have lingered in lackluster. Even when the songs are decent, the magic is missing. Death From Above 1979 broke up before they could even try beating the success of You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. And Stars haven’t tried to top Set Yourself on Fire yet.



Now, with this March’s Neon Bible, all ears are on the Arcade Fire.



Right from the first track, “Black Mirror,” the band evokes the grand melancholy that they’re known for. The song works well, with sturdy piano chords, eerie strings, and drums that sound like they’re being played on a foggy hill. It’s the kind of mid-tempo track that you’d expect from the band, and Win Butler’s vocals sound as fragile as they did on Funeral. The song soars when the swirling strings begin to rise and fall quickly, like graceful acrobats twirling in the air. The track eventually dissolves into itself, fading back into the fog from the introduction.



The next song, “Keep the Car Running,” starts with a simple acoustic guitar riff. It feels innocent, like the peacefulness of a boy playing with toys in his room. Eventually, the track turns epic, with thundering drums, catchy melodies, and gang vocals. It’ll likely become one of the biggest singles of the spring.



In another catchy song, “Intervention,” the band combines rock bombast with church organs. The song maintains the listener’s interest as it switches to different keys, and when Butler starts singing in a higher octave, his passion is infectious.



The album gets less compelling after “Intervention”. Songs like “Black Waves/Bad Vibrations” utilize creative song structures, but the production feels off. The booming bass drum is so loud that you have to keep the song quiet; otherwise, it’ll blow your speakers.



The album also includes a newer version of “No Cars Go,” one of the band’s best older songs. Was it a wise choice to re-record the song? While it might introduce the track to newer fans, the 2007 version just doesn’t feel right. I’m usually a fan of atmospheric noises and multiple guitar layers, but the Neon Bible treatment doesn’t sound as genuine as the original version. Thankfully, the band does retain the song’s shouted “heys,” the rolling snare drum, and the ethereal phrase, “between the click of the light and the start of the dream.”



While the bleakness of their last album continues here – especially on “My Body is a Cage” – the band feels like they’re in a much better mood than they were during Funeral. Songs like “Keep the Car Running” and “(Antichrist Television Blues)” push the band in an upbeat-direction.



Still, backup vocalist Régine Chassagne doesn’t take the lead as much as she should – her heartbroken vocals on “In the Backseat” made it my favourite track on Funeral.



In the end, Neon Bible is worth a purchase, worth a download, and worth a listen. But it’s not as good as Funeral, and it’s not much better than a collection of Arcade Fire b-sides.



With Feist releasing an only-decent follow-up to Let it Die recently, the new wave of Canadian talent is stuck in ho-hum land. Now, it’s up to Stars to save our nation from the graveyard where Our Lady Peace, I Mother Earth, and The Tea Party lie beneath six feet of dirt. Please, make our country exciting again.





Track Listing:



1.Black Mirror

2.Keep the Car Running

3.Neon Bible

4.Intervention

5.Black Wave/Bad Vibrations

6.Ocean of Noise

7.The Well and the Lighthouse

8.(Antichrist Television Blues)

9.Windowsill

10.No Cars Go

11.My Body is a Cage