Neon Bible

Might be more boring than the actual Bible. Well done

Talented hipster bullshit. The sense of self-importance is palpable.

Man… why’d Win Butler have to go and be an abusive asshole? The first three Arcade Fire records are perfect.

Being AF the greatest band of our generation, there is an ongoing discussion about which is their best record. This one, the second of their “holy trinity” has many adepts and you can see why. I read a boomer once, in a review of this record saying he did not get Bowies fascination with the band, for him they were too dramatic and not that gifted when it came to interpreting, I found that quite funny because to me, our beloved Bowie was always more about artistry than virtuosity, to me, the connection he found is quite evident. I love this record and it is a 5/5 even If it only suffices for a third in the rank (which tells you something about the other two) but, who could resists those magnificent transitions, all that palpable emotion? They do know (or at least did back then) how to turn songs around and explode with raw emotion and feels. I think the record starts a bit slow but from the moment Intervention breaks in, it is just one magnificent song after the other, I think I was brought to tears the first time I heard that song, and it happens a lot during the length of the record, that indomitable escalation in the song with those mariachi trumpets in Ocean Of Noise is something I will always get caught up. I’m glad this was part of the soundtrack of my youth, we did know a place were no cars go back then. I think this record was recorded on an abandoned church, I guess that’s how they managed that gigantic sound in My Body is a Cage, I think we will keep finding that song in movies and tv whenever they want to musicalize the climax.

I like Arcade Fire, don't love them. Intervention is my favorite song on this album, and I like that the whole album sounds like it should be played in concert in a church or cathedral. They did a great job capturing a certain ambience. Probably a 4.5 but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt here.

Dull. Rubbish band.

DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING the parts with an organ were ok

One of my favorite albums from my college days. Such an amazing album. It was the first time I'd ever listened to them and I couldn't get enough. Hearing these songs takes me back to college and listening on my iPod while walking around campus. Every song is good on this album and I haven't hear an album of theirs that hits as hard as this one. Instant 5 for me.

Whiney and dull

man there is a part of me that really genuinely likes arcade fire's music. has it become super cliche of this era of indie music? yeah probably. is it insufferably pretentious? yeah probably. idk there's something about it that just draws me to it. but then also, win butler is an asshole. and fuck win butler.

I am not really an indie fan, but this album was fantastic. The Springsteen-esque lyricism and delivery came out strong with the very interesting style of rock, fast in tempo, heavy in synth and guitar effects, with a underlying folk style as well. Production is clearly indie but the album is scaled at something much larger. 5/5!

Arcade Fire's first three albums are a holy trinity of indie rock music, and while I couldn't definitively say which is my absolute favourite, "Neon Bible" stands out as the most grandiose. It's bleak but beautiful, orchestral but modern, has something important to say but doesn't drown you in its message - a skill Arcade Fire has unfortunately lost in their more recent releases. There isn't a bad song on this album; in fact, there isn't even a song that is merely 'good'. Every song is either great, or total perfection ("Keep the Car Running", "No Cars Go" and "My Body Is a Cage", to name just a few of the latter). Along with "Funeral" and "The Suburbs", I still listen to this album very often, and I suspect that won't change for as long as I continue to enjoy music. Standout tracks: Every single song on this album is a standout. There's nothing here worth skipping, from start to finish.

A classic.

A classic.

As a big arcade fire fan I played this a lot when it first came out, but to be honest since suburbs I have only listened to this a handful of times apart from the main hits (no cars go, my body is a cage). Was really good to listen back to this it really is a great album, but just doesn’t quite match up to Funeral or Suburbs, and I would probably rank reflector above it too. But that’s just my personal opinion, great band great album just not their masterpiece, maybe harsh but a solid 4 star album. Such a shame Win Butler turned out to be a sex pest.

the songs really got me. they are all really catchy and artistically pleasing.

Never listened to a full Arcade Fire album before. I quite liked this. Good energy and vibe troughout the album.

I'd really like a little more time with this album, but I have to move on. I'm familiar with the band, but only form 'Funeral', which I picked up soon after it was released. 'Power Out' from that album was so good the first time I heard it that I picked it up immediately. The album is very good, but didn't make it into my permanent rotation and I think of a narrow slice of time if I hear anything from it. Neon Bible is 100% new to me. It's good, not great. There are some amazing songs throughout. But more that come up short. I can't hear 'Keep the Car Running' without also hearing Eddie and the Cruisers, and it ruins the song for me. The middle of the album, from Black Wave to Windowsill, stall out. But Black Mirror, Intervention, No Cars Go, My Body is a Cage...all fantastic tunes. Love the rich, layered sound, the dynamics, the raw emotion in the lyrics. All very beautiful and worth of coming back to.

First time I've listened to an Arcade Fire album since the revelations about Win Butler. Has really changed how I hear them. The songs are great but the emotional response I had to them has gone. Really sad about it.

These early Arcade Fire albums are fantastic. On some listens these days it feels like a truly great album, on others an excellent one with moments of greatness. Either way, 5 stars.

'Indie rock' can't quite describe grandiose of this music

Love this with all my heart. Thanks Will Butler for ruining Arcade Fire

Top 5 band of the last 25 years. This album is a classic, nearly perfect and it's not even their best album. (Antichrist Television Blues), Intervention and No Cars Go are monumental and the closing track My Body Is a Cage is the perfect finish.

Så bra album? ett s.k. pangalbum!

I never got super into this band but always respected the direction they spearheaded with their indie-electro vibes. Neon Bible feels darker and more cinematic than their debut - there's a weight to it that sticks with you, even if it doesn't fully pull me in.

I've only started listening to Arcade Fire within the past year. It's not that I hadn't heard of the Canadian indie rock group in passing before, but I had never felt the desire to seek them out until recently. Their second album Neon Bible is my first full-album experience with them, and I enjoyed it for the most part. The first aspect I will credit Arcade Fire with is in the song composition, where these songs were written with irresistible catchy melodies using a wide variety of instruments. From the grand organ, acoustic guitar strumming and light xylophone motif that opens "Intervention", to the stomp-and-holler complete with the string accompaniment on "Keep the Car Running", and the lush quiet storm with the piano dirge on "Ocean of Noise", these people had a knack for creating some hooks even with the looming dread that eminates from this album. That sense of dread is there for a reason, as lyrically Neon Bible goes for the gloomy outward look at people being bought in to their obsessions. From the corporate overreach that lurks in the background in "Keep the Car Running", the addiction to electronic devices in "Black Mirror", the gripping control of organized religion in the title track and "Intervention", and the desperate escape from one's past in "Black Wave / Bad Vibrations", the group pulls from different perspectives of people who lose themselves in what they choose to take in. At various points such as on "Black Mirror", "Ocean of Noise" and "Black Wave", the ocean is used as a larger metaphor for the individual going deeper and losing their self-control. It certainly makes for a big swing at a cohesive narrative. The problem I have with Neon Bible though is that the lyrics aren't as deep as the ocean they narratively draw from. It's not that they aren't trying to make a point, but rather it comes off as more vague and trying to have universal appeal without getting visceral or damning, save for maybe "(Antichrist Television Blues)" which drew parallels from Joe Simpson's management of his singer-songwriter daughters Jessica and Ashlee to create a tale of the pious Christian father that sexually exploits his little girl. Although even that song is tonally questionable as a jaunty, Springsteen-esque tune. Also, it felt weird that the last two tracks were the anthemic uplifting "No Cars Go" followed by the dreary, contemplative closer "My Body is a Cage". Both songs are fine on their own, but the one-two succession of them left me with a bizarre sonic whiplash. Still, overall I did enjoy Neon Bible, as it was clear for their second album, Arcade Fire went for more ambitious strides. I'd consider it a nice transitory album that was hopefully followed up with a better outing.

Wow, we're on a hot streak of modernity! I didn't realise Black Mirror (the show) was partly inspired by the Arcade Fire song. So, I like indie, Canadians, and baroque pop, but somehow Arcade Fire never really hit for me: the vocals are a little too muddled in the music for my preference, I think. However, I adore 'No Cars Go'; it's one of my favorite songs (in general, not just on this album). On the strength of that track alone this album gets a '4'. Other Highlights: 'Intervention', 'Black Wave/Bad Vibrations'

Some excellent songs on this one. At its best, the album has a driving energy with plenty of big, anthemic songs. The pacing gets a little muddy in the middle — a few too many slow-moving, 5-minute tracks — but the highlights are still more than strong enough to put this in near-classic territory. I never noticed before how much “(Antichrist Television Blues)” sounds like a Bruce Springsteen song. He seems like a big influence on Arcade Fire. “My Body Is a Cage” is an incredible song. There’s no other song in Arcade Fire’s catalogue quite like it. It’s such a show-stopper.

Solid album. Standouts for me: Intervention, (Antichrist Television Blues), Windowsill, No Cars Go. Antichrist was by far my favorite track after the first listen.

For me this isn’t up there with The Suburbs or Reflektor which I adore. Kind of want to give it a 3.5

Great album. I had not listened to this all the way through in quite some time! It’s really good, cohesive. Of course my favorites are Keep the Car Running and No cars Go.

I would have gone NUTS for this in college, and I’m still kind of a sucker for this big, orchestral style of pop rock. The lyrics are painfully simple and on-the-nose at times but I really enjoyed the sound of this album.

I love Arcade Fire. They had a great run of records. This being one of them.

You can tell this album came out in the 2000s. The whole time I felt like the songs were building up to a crescendo of sort that never came, and that went on for too long. I will say "No Cars Go" did scratch that itch a bit but not enough. It should have ended with that song. Having "My Body Is a Cage" be the last song felt like it ended with a soft fart.

There are a couple of good songs here, but beyond that, Neon Bible feels pretty uninspiring. It has the grand, dramatic sound Arcade Fire is known for, but much of it just doesn’t stick. It’s not a bad album, just one that doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression.

This seems like a pretty recent addition to the list of albums (2007). I’ve heard of this group but have been unfamiliar with their music until now. The album title and the organ throughout give it a religious feel. I like a few of these tracks but not quite enough for me to give it 4 stars.

Not gonna never been a huge arcade fire fan bar the suburbs but thought this was decent. Thought it was a bit too quiet at times but I did enjoy the middle part and near the end just thought the first few songs weren’t brilliant. The couple of songs were great though. 6.5/10

Guarantee they bring a ton of energy to the performance. Versus the album, which is great, but always feels a little… restrained, and not in a way that’s helping the songs. I can see why Bowie loved these guys. His sensibilities are written all over these songs. “Antichrist Television Blues” reminds me of a Springsteen song. Just can’t place which one. Everything has this folky spoken word quality. I never quite got the vocal contrast between verse and chorus I wanted, where the verse was doing one thing and then the chorus did something that really contrasted with it. Love that the vocal isn’t perfect. Plenty of bum notes but he’s selling the shit out of it so it totally works. Where is that female vocal coming from? With all the AI vocals running around now it made me curious if it’s a real person or if it’s the lead singer’s voice pitch shifted. I wonder the same thing when I hear a female vocal in Steven Wilson’s music. “My Body is a Cage” is very strong and a GREAT close to the album.

Not bad… consistent… reminiscent of U2 without the edge.

más corny de lo que recuerdo

AF is too pretentious for me to be a big fan but I do appreciate the effort they put into making whole albums. This isn’t my favourite but it gets better as it goes along and “keep the car running”is a banger

-never heard of this album or band! -i like the bits of french in the first song -i do like the lead singers voice its very nice -this is definitely not something i would choose to listen to on my own -i do like the more rock leaning stuff on this album -most of the songs sound different from each other but its all the same vibe -not a bad thing! just not obsessed -overall its a pretty average album to me. the songs are nice to listen to but i don’t really like them

Black Mirror was a little boring, but I liked the piano melody. Keep the Car Running is one of my all-time favorite songs. Neon Bible felt similarly boring, kinda just repeating the same thing over and over. Really like the grandiosity of No Cars Go. Intervention has a great sense of progression, love the way it builds up.

I saved the last song from this album on Spotify, thats a first for any of the albums we've listened to so far! Overall this was ok. I wasn't wishing for it to end the whole time

Best Song: Keep The Car Running. I like when a song's lyrical themes match well with the feelings imparted by the music itself. Here, both the lyrics and music give a feeling of haste and urgency that works really well. Worst Song: My Body is a Cage. Overly whiny, verging on Smashing Pumpkin's "despite all my rage..." Overall: Extremely well-produced, but still lacks the soul I'm looking for. Everything feels very polished, well-thought out and constructed, but lacks some internal something necessary for me to actually care about it.

Keep The Car Running and My Body Is A Cage are the two songs I like the most. There are a couple others I like too, but the rest I could take or leave. (Antichrist Television Blues) sounds like an attempt to sound like Bruce Springsteen. This is a big drop off from Funeral and I’m fine with it being removed in later editions of the 1001 book.

Fucking hipsters

Underwhelming, was hoping for better

Fine

You will never be Bruce Springsteen win butler you ugly demon

This album is interchangeable with Funeral. Some really good songs here, but after a while, I just get quite bored with their sound. Because this album is so indistinguishable from that first one, I wonder why they chose this one and not Funeral? As that has the qualification of being first. 2.5

Did you date any pretentious, sad, morally superior, slightly-misogynistic-but-in-an-ironic-way-so-it’s-fine, “sprezzatura”, Morrissey-listeners in the early 2010s? If you didn’t but you inexplicably wish you had, then this is what it felt like. Awarding an additional star purely because I’m a sucker for a clever neon sign.

Nr. 4/1001 Black Mirror 1/5 Keep The Car Running 3/5 Neon Bible 2/5 Intervention 3/5 Black Wave 2/5 Ocean of Noise 2/5 The Well and the Lighthouse 2/5 (Antichrist Television Blues) 1/5 Windowsill 2/5 No Cars Go 3/5 My Body is a Cage 2/5 Average: 2,09 This was just kinda boring for me

Hipster butt cheeks

Now this is interesting, a bad indie rock album. Or maybe it's just me. Apparently their third best, after the debut and "The Suburbs". I already heard the latter and I thought it was decent, just a bit colorless. I described it as a plain rock album dressed up with nostalgic sounds. It's pretty neat. I also learned that Arcade Fire is a pretty popular band. I agree that this album is worse than "The Suburbs", but I don't think it's that great. It doesn't have the melancholic atmosphere of "The Suburbs". So the sound is there, in its pure, plain form. But not without special toppings though. This time, they put so much synth it turned into an '80s pop album. Not my vibe, I'm afraid.

Consider this a protest rating. Arcade Fire has 3 albums on this list and they are maybe one of the more overrated indie bands of all time - lots of hype and a little light on originality to my ears. Here’s three (four) indie rock classics that are excluded from this list and are worth your time: - Yo La Tengo’s “I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One” (even Rolling Stone recognizes this album’s greatness, ranking it #423 on their top 500 of all time - ranked higher than Arcade Fire’s Funeral at 500.) - Broken Social Scene’s “You Forgot it in People” from 2002. - Built To Spill, either Perfect From Now on Or Keep it Like a Secret. I prefer Keep it Like a Secret, but both should have been considered for this list. Another user called the first three Arcade Fire records “a holy trinity of indie rock” which…I literally can’t even. Maybe if you think that Radiohead is “like totally the best indie rock band of all time”, they would be, but that is a) untrue and b) a wholesale misunderstanding of the history of indie rock. Sorry to call you out, anonymous reviewer(s), but come on. This is a band that wears its influence on its sleeve - Springsteen and Bowie in particular on this record. I have no problem with either of those as influences, but like LCD Soundsystem, I don’t feel like this band does enough to take their influences and do something interesting or unique with them, instead they’re just paying homage. I mean, really…the Springsteen is laid on thick here - to the point that it starts to feel like parody. Getting to back the original point: there are better indie bands, there are better indie records. Neon Bible’s inclusion here ends up being at the expense of other, better music.

I love it

Already had two of these on my liked songs, cos Black Mirror and Black Wave / Bad Vibrations are bangers. I've seen a fair few of the public reviews saying they're pretentious. I don't care. Did I like the songs or nah? I did. So. Delicate, layered, but they've got a fantastic energy and voice. Plus, there's some French. Could listen to Black Mirror on repeat, honestly. Great stuff.

Wasnt expecting it to be so good

GOOD!!

Just an amazing album; indie/art rock vocals combine with lush multi-instrumentals (I love an organ) and propulsive drumming and guitar work that keeps songs feeling urgent and in no way navel-gazing. Has a lot of songs I enjoy singing along with. I thought about giving 4 stars since there are a couple Arcade Fire albums I like more, but this is good stuff, 5 stars.

That's 3 Arcade Fire albums now, and that's 3x 5 Star ratings. This is my favourite album from them so it was always gonna rate highly. I think My Body is a Cage is their best song along with Sprawl 2. But Honestly I don't think there is a bad song here. Antichrist Television Blues is so underrated. That organ on Intervention is orgasmic.

awesome stuff, Arcade Fire has been a blind spot for me for years and i think they might be a new favorite

Outstanding Loved this album

Solid follow up to their great debut album. One of my favorite bands of all time!

I genuinely loved this one, it was very well written and amazingly produced. The albums cohesiveness and concepts all produced a beautiful grandiose piece of art, which I will definitely have in my rotation for the rest of my life. I’ll be checking out the rest of the albums from these guys because they clearly have some talent. Rating: Masterpiece (Strong ☆☆☆☆☆) Favorite Tracks: All of them tbh.

Based on some recent albums this might be a 8/5. Realistically its a 4.

Arcade Fire’s first three albums create a bleak and desolate world. I love it. My favorites are No Cars Go, Keep the Car Running and My Body Is a Cage.

What a master piece.

Set aside all the orchestration and you have some great songwriting. A lot of these would work with just an acoustic guitar.

A great album

Keep the Car Running is one of my all time favorite songs.

This is still probably my favorite Arcade Fire album, which does not seem to be a popular opinion. I sometimes wonder if it was just because it was my first exposure to them. But then when I go back and listen to it I still feel like it is their overall best. Maybe the specific sound of the album just resonates with me personally.

My favorite Arcade Fire album as well as an all-time favorite.

Call me crazy, but this is like a neon, folky, techno future version Bruce Springsteen. Lots of soul and folksy charm but with a real dark side to some of the music. Really atmospheric, I really love this album.

5 Stars, Baby!

10/10. This album felt very poetic. The structure of the album is very nice, and it is an incredible listen!!! :)

1️⃣Intervention 2️⃣The Well and tge Lighthouse 3️⃣(Antichrist Television Blues) 4️⃣ Windowsill 5️⃣No Cars Go

Brilliant

Was gonna give it a 4, but I can’t help but give a 5, I love Arcade Fire.

Loved it

I love this album. Probably my favorite Arcade Fire album. It has such a full sound and no skip tracks for me.

Who would have thought crossing moody orchestral emo indie rock and with Bruce Springsteen would make for one great indie album. This albums is only surpassed by its follow up as their best work. (11 known/18 new)

Liked every song

Sounds like long lost hope Swelling from dark frantic hooks Yearning to be heard

This whole album has such a total flow and feel to it. It's interesting and meditative and sometimes it freakin slaps.

arcade fire es todo todo top

Such a great piece of art. This blew my mind when it dropped and it was great to get back to it.

One of my favorites. Too short, too sweet.

Big full sound Impactful lyrics High highs, and even lower lows

body is a cage was in house md episode where he jumps into the water after cuddy breakup intervention<3 8.5-9/10

I’ve listened to the other band’s highly acclaimed album Funeral, and actually enjoyed this more. I hesitate to rate this as highly as I do as it’s critical of Christianity, but nevertheless its artistic merit should be noted. No misses for me in this whole album. Springsteen if he was a millennial growing up in the American northwest.

Outstanding production and some great musical performances. This one was incredibly thought-provoking when I was a teenager and is slightly less so now but only slightly. Great reaction to the ascendency of mass media and most of all George Bush - probably 4.5

Soft 5. I liked this album more than "Funeral" and thought the overall composition was better. I loved the instrumentals and the vocal work was enjoyable! I'm particularly biased towards organs though. 'My Body is a Cage' was a fave from here. Honestly, I'd be willing to (and likely will) revisit both "Funeral" and "Neon Bible" at some point. Maybe even their whole discography, as they're pretty in line with my tastes.

I like listening to this album from beginning to end. 5/5

Actually better than i remembered it being. Maybe it doesn't have the emotional punch of Funeral, but the songwriting and performances are top tier. You could definitely make an argument for 'No Cars Go' being their best song.

The first album received that I actually owned, 10 days in. It is one of my favourite albums by the group, and I love the group too. An obvious 5/5 for me.

One of my favourite albums. Bought it on release day and have loved it ever since. Arcade Fires first three albums are one of the great run of albums in history.

What a perfect end to this new years resolution. I love this album so so much

Within Arcade Fire's catalogue of three albums that we talk about, this one stands as an oddity of sorts. Harvesting plentifully from their immense ambitions and soundscape engineering yet garnering fewer devotees that either albums that sandwich 'Neon Bible'. I often find myself in the minority of those preferring the dystopian haunts to the urbane folksiness of either 'Funeral' or 'Suburbs'. And perhaps it is in the approach of "no one track should be the defining moment" that I find the most encouragement to keep returning and re-experiencing this as a full album.