Reviews (page 3 of 14)
esta bueno pero ni. osea no me parece nada de otro mundo, ni me genero mucho.
The layering of folksy indie sounds both muddle and amplify the background of most songs, granting a dark ambient tone to the album that is hard not to visualize in tandem with the album cover. The instruments and vocals feel as if they're coming from vast unseen places, too far to truly focus on a single part of the sound without getting washed back into the totality of it. In it's most climactic moments the album uses this to build really impressive tension. On their subtler songs they use the sound to make a moody trance that lulls you into relaxation. Across this entire scale they prove how intentional each decision made in the production of this album was. As a listener, I have been cursed with the inability to give much of a fuck about lyrics, SO, an album like this that holds so much emotive force in it's sound is deeply appealing. But ya, this album fuckn rocks...4/5 Fav Songs: The Well and The Lighthouse, (Antichrist Television Blues), No Cars Go Least Fav Songs: Windowsill
First when I saw it's arcade fire in the morning, immediately thought "clear 5 - liked them, been to some concerts - check". Started listening, first track starts as a reminiscence to "back from USSR" at the beginning of the white album... Double check... Then it goes on and everything sounds like the same mush, it does not hold up to the novelty of Funeral. A very good 3 star
So many Arcade Fire albums on this list. 🤔
Jedan veoma dosadan album kod kojeg ipak mogu prepoznati neke kvalitete. Oni su definitivno s vremenom postajali bolji bend.
7/10
This feller is a rapist right?
Like it 3/5
This really does sound so close to something I would like… so very close.
Synes Arcade Fire har blitt ufortjent retconned de siste åra i sammenheng med furore rundt Win og det faktum at alt de har gitt ut etter Reflektor har vært ganske ræv. Imo så har de aldri laget noe som er så erke-indie som Funeral, men Neon Bible henger ikke så langt etter. Hypersentimentaliten er den samme, men det er et mindre ambisøst album. Funeral høres, som med flere sterke debutalbum, ut som noe de involverte brant inne med; et budskap de måtte få ut. Om Neon Bible lider av noe, så er det at det åpenbart ikke var like viktig hva de hadde å si som at de skulle klare å leve opp til det som sannsynligvis var skyhøye forventninger etter at Funeral toppet alt av indie lister i 2004. Har jeg hørt mye mer på Funeral enn Neon Bible? Utvilsomt. Men når jeg hører Neon Bible igjen nå, så synes jeg ikke egentlig det er noe særlig dårligere; det er bare mindre viktig -- både for bandet og for meg.
Har ikke hørt så mye på AF. Har bare tenkt at de er en variant av The Killers, og det er de jo på noen måter. Jeg kjenner til The Suburbs best, men Neon Bible overrasket meg positivt utover det fete orgelsoundet de kjører. Ja, det høres ut som sjablongen til indierock, men det er jo fett? Favorittene er Nick Cave-låta "Ocean of Noise" og Bruce Springsteen-bangeren "Antichrist Television Blues"
Vou ser breve, peguei esse disco em um momento delicado. Chorei ouvindo, mas o choro já estava entalado. Ele propiciou o lançamento dessas emoções que já existiam. Até mesmo relatei algumas das letras, mas é provável que eu só ouvi o que queria ouvir. Mas no final das contas, apreciar arte é sempre isso, não dá pra desvincular nosso viés pessoal daquilo que interagimos. Tudo está na mente, e é tudo emocional. Não existe objetividade, em nada. Uma vez eu chorei num Uber e senti que tava pesando demais o clima aí eu fiz uma piada tipo "é cada louco que pede Uber nessa cidade né" e aí ele deu uma risada amarela e disse "fica tranquilo irmão, relaxa, não tem problema" e eu meio que vi Deus naquele Chevrolet Onix 5/5
Pretty "eh" indie album.
An OK album to do your chores, and work, I got it on my headphones and was nice, not too invasive or too weird, nice one
I just like this as friend
THIS is the band that everyone fawned over a decade ago when they won a grammy? This band? Could not care less about anything I just listened to. It was inoffensive, so they get a 3, but it's a 2.5
They are incredibly good. Every record by Arcade Fire deserves to be on this list.
This was so good, from the opening song to the closing song it was all just fucking perfect.
Not for me
Ranks right up there with Suburbs, but it's not worth a 5.
Better than the last time I visited arcade fired still haven’t found a sound that makes me wanna stay for multiple play through, but we’re getting somewhere I had a good opening and a solid closing. It was just the middle that was like what are we getting to?
Hace menos de una semana estaba feliz por descubrir esta banda, hoy con este álbum me decepcionaron, no es que sea malo, pero esperaba más
Gear: ZMF Auteur Classic LTD Shedua Artwork: 📖🪩🌃 Production: 🫧🤏🐜 Music: 🎩📣🫠 Rating: 🧋🧋🧋/5
Good Good entertaining stuff.
En litt sterk 2'er. Stadionrock.
Quite giod
Not my type
The Suburbs was one of the worst albums on this challenge. This album was an improvement. Still not the best thing and not to my liking, but a lot better. A lot of Springsteen influences here, merged with alt rock. 3.5/5
This is ok - I loved the first AF album and then felt like they swung so hard into indie schlocky campiness.
Heard Before? Oh yes. Funeral arrived just at the right time to make a significant impact on me, for reasons that are hard to pin down. Maybe you just had to be there. So I kept up with Arcade Fire until the terrible "Everything Now". Notes: - dense, claustrophobic production isn't always my favorite, but it perfectly suits these songs. - very happy they led the glockenspiel revival. too bad it burned out so fast. - the arrangements are my favorite thing about this album. horns, strings, synths, organ, piano, backing vocals, etc are well used and vary from track to track. - i always say this, but it's true. yet another group seriously underusing their superior female vocalist. plus more French would be fun. - sequencing is exemplary even if it drags in the middle. more albums should start with the outlier and end with the two strongest songs. - all in all, much better than i remembered, but still lacking the impact of the debut. Verdict: A perfect example of sophomore slump - more of the same (possibly better) songs but without all the freshness and innovation of the debut. Listen Again? I doubt it, but it was interesting to hear it again after writing it off years ago. But yes, this list only needs Funeral.
Solid album. Not my favorite by them, but solid nonetheless. Top song Keep the car running
Мені Neon Bible подобається більше, ніж дебютний. Не дуже поширена думка, звичайно. Тут є дві з топ-5 моїх улюблених пісень гурту: No Cars Go та Intervention. Тексти хороші. Також є трохи філерна середина. Але початок та кінець альбому на мій смак дуже гарні.
Навіть коли я дуже щільно слухав АФ, цей альбом був моїм найменш улюбленим з їхньої дискографії (це звісно десь приблизно часи рефлектора, бо все що вони випускали потім мені взагалі не заходило). На трієчку.
not my thing
Starts off really strong but falls off as it goes until it's just okay. 3/5
J’ai pas accroché
Bang.
It’s not their greatest album, but for a wee while Arcade Fire could do no wrong, this has its really strong points like Keep The Car Running, Ocean of Noise and The Well and the Lighthouse but even the other tracks aren’t bad! It’s just behind The Suburbs and their best, Funeral.
I don’t get the hype.
I don’t particularly like Arcade Fire. I mean, sure, I did love Funeral in my college years, and I did think The Suburbs was a pretty great album, but nothing about them drove me to listen more. Neon Bible completely surpassed my expectations. Even my Arcade Fire hating boyfriend came by mid-listen and said, I like this album, who is this? This album is absolutely among their best and might even be something I listen to again.
Is it Bowie? The Boss? Broadway? Nah. Is it bad? Mostly.
It’s hard for me to understand how cold this leaves me when their debut was, and probably still is, one of my favourite albums of the period, and their gig in Glasgow (touring the debut) is one of my top five gigs. This just doesn’t do it for me. Pity. Really love Ocean of Noise though.
The most interesting thing about Neon Bible for me has always been its namesake, a novel written by a 16-year-old about a boy trying to escape the suffocating repression and hollow religiosity of his small town with only one kind person in his life as respite, a book which was rejected by publishers at the time. A similar fate befell his follow-up, A Confederacy of Dunces, as well, the frustration of which led him to end his own life. His mother pushed for it to be published after his death, and it became a cult classic, with Neon Bible seeing publication in 1989 against her wishes due to a legal dispute from their money-hungry extended family. But with this album, I’ve always felt that Arcade Fire bit off more than they could chew. The ingredients are so compelling – written and recorded in an abandoned church that the band had bought and fixed up, tackling those same themes of social alienation and fighting to escape an oppressive small town life only to find a world equally if not more disappointing, corrupt, empty, co-opted than what you had just run from – ending on a note that what you’re imprisoned in now is your own flesh. But as much as you can intellectualize it, I just don’t think it does that ambition justice. Musically, it only hits the highs it promises on a few tracks – first of which is Ocean of Noise, still gorgeous though I prefer the Calexico cover they released as a b-side, Intervention, and Windowsill. The rest, though memorable, still falls flat for me, never reaching the sublime highs they found on that first record. 2000s indie might have hit the mainstream here, but it was never going to stick around if this is the best we could do.
I used to really like this, but don't feel the same way these days. Is it missing something Funeral had? Or have I just grown apart from this band? TBC...
Really good. I actually have this on CD but haven't listened in ages. I think it suffers from the fact that Funeral and the Suburbs are better/more accessible, but I enjoyed it a lot more this time around than I remember. Intervention is a sick track though and my go to for testing new speakers or headphones because that opening wall of sound from the organ is soooo cool and it's a goos test of a system to see how clearly the bass and guitars can cut through
It was fine. Not memorable
Jeg synes, det er et udmærket album. Ikke såååå meget min lyd, det bliver lidt for flimsy til tider, ved ikke præcis hvad det er... Synes det er en OK 3'er
Uh, jeg er simpelthen ikke glad for Arcade Fire, og det her album ændrer ikke rigtig på det. Jeg synes forsangeren er sådan lidt skabet, og numrene er lidt for kedelige og lidt for lange. 2.1
Bitter, paranoid, cold, melodramatic, earnest. Some of the songs go big and hit: No Cars Go, Keep the Car Running, Windowsill, but mostly wild catharsis is held back and I kinda like this band mainly for the wild catharsis.
All the trademarks are here: expansive wall of sound, questioning lyrics, great hooks. No one song stood out from the pack, but I enjoyed the listen.
Really enjoyed this
Strangely I don’t think I really ever listened to this album which is odd as I really liked its predecessor. I wish I’d made more effort as I really liked this one too. Slight departure from Funeral but as a whole album it was very listenable.
Not as strong as funeral but a few high points. Far less variance than other bands of their genre.
Much like the other album we’ve had, vocals and melody wise it’s hard not to like them to a point. Musically it’s all just a bit noughties meh though.
This record is kinda meh. Annoying bell sounds and whiny sounding vocals kinda derail the experience. Favourite Track(s): My Body Is a Cage Least Favourite Track(s): Intervention, (Antichrist Television Blues)
very strong 4
2000s indie rock band with a lot member. This quote sums it up..."at its overblown worst Neon Bible is one of those records that takes itself too seriously to be taken seriously." Win Butler thinks he's Roger Waters on The Wall. The songs are over-produced yet the instruments and background vocals sound muffled and distant. I just don't find anything unique about this band. As I listen I keep thinking it sounds like other artists. Why there is more than one album from this band on this list is beyond me.
Arcade Fire's second record has a lot of bluster and attempted Big Dramatic Moments but the freshman philosphy student-lyrics poke a pin in the whole affair. This disc also lacks the weirdness that gave their first record its personality.
Arcade Fire are the first artist to appear on here for a second time 🎉 Another solid output from them. Great album. 8/10
It was alright
Favourite Songs: Black Mirror
average. not my jam
Run of the mill mid 2000s fedora-donning, red and black flannel hipster nonsense. Some passable lyricism, strong instrumental on the organ. But its mediocrity left me unbothered.
Absolutely nothing of substance here. What a letdown
Have danced around listening to Arcade Fire for awhile for no particular reason just ships passing in the night. This album has a few songs that I enjoyed quite a bit but a lot more of the Indie Rock that didn't quite catch me. It's got a lot of slow ramping songs with well placed church organ and heavy bass lines to drive the themes home. Maybe too much was too slow and the pace clashed with the style of music but more misses than hits.
Nostalgia. I like their first album better
it was okay, pretty good. I don't think I will re-listen to it tho.
Some good tunes, I liked Keep the Car Running and Neon Bible. The rest kinda blended together.
I have always felt i should like Arcade Fire. While I do enjoy a song or two, Neon Bible was a decent tune, I just don't. I find them pretentious. I can't figure out how this album made this list.
Emotional rollercoaster of an album that aims to carry you through it. Picks you up, throws you in, takes you back out again. The artist is in control, not you.
Some days this is my favorite Arcade Fire album. I love how straightforward it is in comparison with their other records. No obvious overarching concept, just great song after great song. It is also a very important one for me. At the time it came out, I was just starting moving away from mainstream music and into more indie stuff. I remember when I first heard a few songs from this I found them very strange, because how different they were from what I was used to. Looking back now, this is pretty accessible but not any less great. Arcade Fire were a huge part of the 00s Indie Boom, specifically what I'm going to call the 2nd Wave of it, and they essential killed the whole movement later in 2017 with the release of their much-maligned Everything Now album. Personally I think that album is pretty good, but on most days Reflektor is my favorite album of theirs. Their two latest albums, however, even I can't get behind those. What a shame. Key tracks: Keep the Car Running Intervention Ocean of Noise The Well and the Lighthouse Windowsill No Cars Go My Body Is a Cage
Musik die zum Träumen einlädt
Ich mags mehr als ich gedacht hätte. Keine 5 Sterne, aber auf jeden Fall solide. "Interventions" ist mein Favorit.
One or two standout moments but honestly not enough to get me. I love music like this, but this one feels cold.
Didn't enjoy half as much as Funeral. It's alright but just less appealing.
Quiet folk song style which I really enjoy. I really liked the use of the organ in the song "Intervention". Mexican vaquero vibes.
Monday June 1st, 2026. I like the sound of this album. The chord progressions mixed with the relatively unique instrumentation and vocals sound pretty nice. I also like the message of the lyrics. 8/10.
Boring and mildly annoying. Tinny
This is a fantastic album.
second song on the album starts out with an almost exact playstation 3 startup chime. I liked Arcade Fire but it was in 2017 when they released that album no one else liked. I love indie art-pop so this is an easy win to me. I liked Intervention, No Cars Go; Neon Bible, The Well And The Lighthouse was good too.
Actually listened to this one thrice! One of my favs so far
so I didn't know anything about Butler even though I've always liked Arcade Fire's music... now I feel bad but I still really enjoyed this album (I'd only ever listened to Funeral)! Listening to this reminded me of how sad I am that Isaac Wood left Old Country, New Road
Win “Sorry I Assaulted You, But I WAS On Drugs” Butler perhaps ought to have stayed in the church they recorded this in for a while longer to make contact with a deity who could have taught him about consent and accountability but at least he made a few good albums before he became total scum
I swear I've heard this before but I really can't tell
As a young teen who was very concerned with fitting in, Arcade Fire was the first band that I can clearly remember as being “cool but most people think they’re weird.” They were the kind of group that I’d only listen to around close friends and then still downplay my enjoyment. Granted, this was more in the Reflektor era, but I listened to all of their projects after that, including this album. Easy 4.5
This is going to sound incredibly pretentious, but Arcade Fire made me rethink of the album not as a collection of songs but more as a work of art. I was about 16 when I became obsessed with 'Neon Mirror' and 'The Suburbs' -- both of these albums were on repeat during high school. I remember during art class, which was just a period for a bunch of kids who needed an extra credit to goof off and hopefully raise their GPA, I used to blare both of these albums to drown out the other students while I tried to take the class seriously. A lot of my work that semester was influenced by 'Neon Bible,' in particular. The dark themes really spoke to me as a young, moody teen with swoopy hair who dressed in a lot of black. I was fascinated by the way that the album told a story, which I think I was aware of in other albums that I enjoyed, but not to the extent in 'Neon Bible,' where there was a clear driving narrative. I was especially fond of the repeating melodies and riffs that really emphasized the cohesiveness of the album (and that 'The Suburbs' does even better). The lyrics express a lot of emotions and an overwhelming feeling of existential dread that I have never felt another band has presented in the same way. "No Cars Go" and "(Antichrist Television Blues)" are 10/10 songs, and it's a shame that "Windowsill" gets sandwiched between those two because I feel it gets forgotten as soon as the first notes hit of "No Cars Go." I highly recommend checking out Peter Gabriel's cover of "My Body is a Cage" for those that enjoyed 'So' the other week. I listen to Arcade Fire a lot less than I used to, but this album stands the test of time for me. It's a shame that Arcade Fire have gone the way they have, because I think 'Reflektor' was a clear sign to me that they were the best Indie band with the most longevity. Then the wheels fell the fuck off because Win Butler is a piece of shit.
I don’t think it’s a hot take to see this album as being a forgotten middle child between Funeral and The Suburbs. Tbh I never hear anyone talk about it and I haven’t listened to it since high school. “My Body is a Cage” got the Degrassi episode title rub tho. Since I got the memo that I am reviewing albums and not humans, I will give it a 3 -- lower than I would give Funeral or The Suburbs
Keep The Car Running was one of the first indie rock songs that I added to my MP3 player. This listen evoked some nostalgia for the novel, exciting feelings of discovering music as it released (rather than catching up on the hits of the 70s-90s, which I’d mainly been doing) I like Arcade Fire, still like that song. But I feel like it’s the most notable track on this album. Though it sounds nice, the rest kind of runs together. And I’m annoyed that this is one of 3 Arcade Fire albums on this list.
My body is a cage really stuck out to me. But overall, just very plain.
Arcade Fire is clearly aiming for a Springsteen-esque arena rock sound here, but something about it feels weirdly underpowered. The production feels like it doesn't have any bite to it, and as a consequence all the grandiosity falls flat. There are some decent instrumental ideas but none of them really clicked for me. All the songs feel like they're pulling off a very similar trick where they culminate in grand instrumental swells, and it makes what's supposed to be a varied instrumental pallette feel very repetitive. Win Butler admittedly brings some sharp commentary about the alienation of late-stage capitalism to the table, but it didn't make up for how boring this album was. There were some strong tracks near the end, particularly My Body Is a Cage and (Antichrist Television Blues), but it wasn't enough to save this album for me. As someone who's a sucker for overblown sentimental indie rock, this was a big letdown.
Необычно, но не совсем мое
Pure nostalgia
I think the mode of delivery to me of each of Arcade Fire's three significant albums tells us something. I read the review of Funeral on Pitchfork, downloaded it on Soulseek, and watched the videos blow up on MTV2, the corporation's second-string alternative channel. The Suburbs, I borrowed from you, and returned having ripped the last four songs and left the rest. When Neon Bible came out, however, I had left my mother's house, was living in a bedsit with no internet, and working in an office where they played Radio 1 - the UK's most popular and mainstream station at the time. Radio 1 played the singles from Neon Bible all the time and the Daily Mail-reading normie with whom I worked (recent politics graduates for the most part) didn't mind at all. It wasn't until I went to see some concert film with you and Katie in the John Hewitt that I saw the scale of Arcade Fire's audience and ascension. In the meantime, MTV2 had been shut down. So, when Win Butler sings "MTV, what have you done to me?" on Windowsill, he means both in the sense of the effect of mass media on him as a young music consumer and the dreams of stardom it inspired him, but also the meteoric success that the music media granted him. That MTV had an impact on him in his youth is part of the story of Funeral and its engagement with childhood and friendship and "the bedrooms of our friends." It is also an element of The Suburbs, which returns to the nostalgic mode of the successful first album. But Neon Bible focuses primarily on the second reading of the question - how does Win Butler and Arcade Fire react to success and maturity? The answer, I think, is somewhat ham-fistedly. The themes of the album - screens, media, individualism within an "ocean of noise," political Christianity, etc. - are all worthy, but one sees Butler position himself in opposition to these forces rather than tackling them. In would be hard to say he meaningfully engages with them. Rather, he meaningfully engages with what or who he should be as a suddenly stadium-filling indie star: should he be Springsteen or Bono or David Byrne? There is an understanding that with a big platform comes great messaging. And, perhaps, that is why he uses the same heavy rhyme scheme across most of the album: masculine rhymed couplets thud at the end of each line, an extension of the anthemic writing of Wake Up, etc. from Funeral, but with none of the uplift. The muddled content of Neon Bible is understandable, fuelled as it is by insecurity and expectation. How does a small, multi-instrument ensemble go out to fill big venues and big media? How does Win Butler prove himself? He doesn't necessarily. The time change between Black Waves and Bad Vibrations and the slow down in The Well and The Lighthouse feel overthought. The church organ on Intervention is appropriate invention, but, then, it utilises none of the unique musical applications of an organ, simply playing the songs big cadences: my colleagues in the office never once mentioned it, nobody thought we'd switched to Radio 3 by mistake. Arcade Fire is certainly better when they don't try to be clever lyrically or compositionally. But this all makes sense, I think, for a Millennial band. A generation trapped in arrested development, their bands would be fascinated by childhood and would struggle to produce anything mature. Who among Butler's peers wrote a song of any genuine politic insight at the time? Who looked at society and made nuanced, thoughtful observations? No one comes to mind. Butler, of course, would respond to success particularly badly, going on to write poorly-judged albums (in both senses of him showing poor judgment and critics judging them as poor) such as Reflektor and We, and then spaffing it all away on sexual impropriety. It makes sense that he would return to nostalgia on the next record, finding himself ill-equipped to deal with the adult world. However, it makes even greater sense that the standout single from Neon Bible, what should have been the closer, No Cars Go, was a re-record of a track from their debut EP. Even though its formal structure of "there's a place where no X goes" descends into the absurd once they hit spaceships, it is a different type of absurdity and different type of pretension to the rest of the record: it is joyous and silly and youthful. Good material for a radio single, anyway, which is mostly how I experienced Neon Bible. In finding the antidote to the rest of the album's confusion and overreaching, they had to go backwards. 3 The first Arcade Fire song I ever heard, or at least that I remember hearing, was Intervention and I heard it on the radio in my car. That may not seem a detail worth recording but let me say something here about my relationship with the radio. I listen to the radio all day long in work but traditionally Charlie and Norman only have it on, as is the case in many workplaces, because it produces a certain ambience. If the radio wasn’t there they would just hear the whirr of lathes and milling machines and saws and, when the machines happen to be stopped, the sound of them not talking to each other. It would be a dreadful atmosphere altogether. Thank goodness for the radio [note: if anyone from PRS is reading this you can write off this section as a dramatic invention - there is no radio in work, and never has been, fuck you] You come in the morning and the silence briefly invites you to observe the unremitting sameness of the daily struggle; the brutal continuity between when you walked out yesterday and walked back in this morning, between last year and this. There you are about to peer into the abyss but then on goes the radio! Phew. The songs are in an entirely different order today and the host is talking all new shit about nothing. This is what I understand the radio to be for; distraction - and I thank it. I have never thought of the radio as a place to discover new music; partly because I did for a while try to listen to 6 Music until it began to turn me against my own species. So perhaps it is the mere outcome of my own negative attitude that I can count on one hand those songs I have heard for the first time on the radio that have meant anything at all to me. But in any case - Intervention is one of them. That big, blunt organ sound dazzled me, as did the reckless melodrama of the lyrics (‘Working for the church while your family dies’), as did the gorgeous strings, as did everything. I got Neon Bible the next day. Now comes the real memory association with this album. Around the same time in 2007 I started playing World of Warcraft. This turned out to be a near life-consuming obsession for a year or so. Although I have played sporadically since (last I played was Classic a few years back - I appreciate the nostalgia hit but the same magic isn’t there) this was my peak WoW time. Burning Crusade and then Lich King. Good times - only the occasional 18 hour day. Raiding Zul'Aman in particular (on multiple occasions) with my guild was the most fun I’ve ever had playing a computer game. My guild - Lethal Industry - was full of Danish players who listened mainly to Dragon Force and Manowar as they played. I listened mostly to Neon Bible. So when this album comes on part of my mind flies to the riding of my first raptor mount up and down Durotar (Troll Shaman). Although the actual music written for the game is very nice - Neon Bible is the ultimate WoW music for me. It should be obvious enough why Arcade Fire’s second album works so well as questing music. In the melodrama of its lyrics - scorning the ever-lurking danger of the cringe - the heroic energy of Win Butler’s vocals, the strange drama of Régine’s, and its arrangements - often heavy through ludicrous fullness - you have something more akin in its drama to metal than indie rock (certainly in the deserts of the mid noughties). Soldiers groan, corrupt Evangelists connive, environmental disaster looms, doom and death hang over the whole record. WoW. I have noted over the years that many listeners report dropping out after Intervention; reporting that the songs seem to blur into one another and in that sense the album becomes indigestible. This is understandable - Black Wave/Bad Vibrations and The Well and the Lighthouse are essentially bits of songs stuck together. It is not at first easy to recall which piece of mid-tempo, reverb-drenched Win-whispered lament was which between Ocean of Noise and Windowsill. This stretch of tracks is the heart of the album though - and for me the album’s peak is the climax of Ocean of Noise. Here too is why Arcade Fire were so addictive. They aren’t just piling instruments on top of each other for the sake of it - as manys a tiresome 7 and 8 piece band that arrived in their wake did. The arrangements for strings and horns are carefully worked out but without sounding prissy, which is a very hard trick to do. No less careful is the arrangement of the regular band. There is an attention to texture across this album - whether it is guitars neatly doubling heavily reverbed pianos (Ocean of Noise again), or just a big old church organ right up you (My Body is a Cage as well as Intervention) - which is wonderful. It’s a great, distinctive piece of recording apart from anything else. The one track I would exclude from praise is No Cars Go. As a song it doesn’t quite sit thematically with the rest of the material; there is a quirky triviality to it. I think it is also genuinely overblown in arrangement - an attempt at musical depth through mere addition of instruments. Sadly it is this ignorant big lump of a track that apparently represents the album’s principal ‘banger’ for many listeners. Still - I don’t tend to pick and choose tracks on this album. It is one of the few albums that I can say if I want to hear any of it I want to hear all of it. It’s rather like The Holy Bible in that respect I think. Which reminds me… Undoubtedly Arcade Fire were not burdened by a lack of self-regard. Their tour film made after this album ‘Miroir Noir’ was an excruciating watch. They seemed like wankers to be perfectly honest, and Win Butler has, in recent years, taken ‘seemed’ out of his part in that equation. Still I will continue to treasure the first two Arcade Fire albums. For me - radio-scorning, ever suspicious of bands that didn’t exist in the 90s at the latest - Arcade Fire have supplied some of the most, fortunately for me, striking music of this century so far. 4/5
The album was fine.
Starting to think the Suburbs is the only album I like from them. Not a strong start, but I like some of the last songs. Rating: 4.5/10 Favorite Song: Windowsill, no cars go
A few of the songs are really good, while others aren't—but I can't give it more than 3 stars. It's a pretty good indie album.
Its Arcade Fire, you know what you are getting. "Keep the Car Running" a highlight.
Mwoa beetje saai
Two tracks in and I'm just a bit bored. At the end of the album and I'm indeed bored.
the fun organ in Intervention couldn't save this boring record sadly
YEAHHHH zooo veel gedraaid toen ik 15 was. op aanraden van doccy who matt smith #indie
Great Album! Thought it was fairly mid at first but really grew on me after listening a few more times.
Хороший альбом. Класна клавішна робота. Можливо не найкращий продакшн, але ок. Насправді, більше нема чого сказати, просто хороший інді-рок, нічого більше. Оцінка: низька-середня 7
Honestly a 2.5
I thought I would dislike the music. It doesn't bother me. Sounds like some standard ole pop rock flair. The vocals, again - my issue with "indy" music is it -to me- feels like its terrible vocals, but they want to make music, so they lean into the terrible quality of the vocals. Then a bunch of people like those terrible sounding vocals to be "unique" or "artistic" or "different" than everyone else who likes music. This isn't nearly as bad as some other indy stuff, and produced well. But this type of music with this kind of vocals is just not something I am into nor enjoy.
no es mi estilo…
it was a good album but i don’t know if it’s really worth being on this list…….. 3.5
Very good. Reminiscent of Echo and the Bunnymen.
ok!
Not for me
Oh wow, heard of them, never listened to an album, thanks Generator, this is magnificent. At first, I thought the vocals were too low in the mix, but I liked the harmonies ultimately and the variety of instruments, including organs and accordion, really pleases me. What great piano work in Black Mirror and Ocean of Noise is beautifully baroque. Will have to check out their other albums.
An album I listened to a lot when I was properly getting into music. Loved the band then and the first 3 albums are all fantastic.
Nojoooo
It's alright.
Mér finnst þetta alltaf frekar frábært band og oftar en ekki virkilega góð lög. Þannig ég mun setja fimmu á þetta og þið megið þá bara dæma mig fyrir það.
going back and forth on whether this sounds like a small town coming-of-age indie game (good) or a small town coming-of-age indie game (bad) fave track: black wave / bad vibrations
semi exciting
Great sound! I'd never heard Arcade Fire before, but I loved their dramatic, almost Gothic (at times) indie rock. Shame their front man's an asshole, though.
Easy listen!
This is a very interesting album. While listening I felt it was philosophical, sometimes mystical, and often deeply sad. It has this grand, cinematic quality that pulls you in and keeps you thinking. The album feels bigger and more ambitious than their debut, with sweeping instrumentals and emotional weight. The lyrics are catchy and thoughtful, sometimes even poetic in a way that sticks with you. There’s a strong sense of longing, doubt, and searching for meaning running through the whole record, mixed with moments of beauty and intensity. It’s dramatic without feeling over-the-top, and the overall atmosphere is rich and immersive. Even though it can get quite heavy emotionally, the songwriting is strong enough to carry that weight. Overall, Neon Bible is a very solid and ambitious album. It’s philosophical, moody, and strangely beautiful. Definitely one of Arcade Fire’s most interesting works
I like Arcade Fire. However, I always feel that just when a song is about to hit its stride is clicks autopilot and chugs along doing the same thing for several more minutes. In a roundabout way I suppose I like Arcade Fire but I quickly get bored.
Good encapsulation of mid 2000's indie rock Fave track: No Cars Go
Hadn’t listened to to this one yet. Solid addition in their line up. 3.5/5
Very much not my vibe.
Interesante y muy diverso
I've realized Arcade Fire is one of those bands that I really do love their albums, but rarely ever put on. "Funeral" is always my go-to, but I forgot how good this one was too. They were always that "cool band," and as a true elder-Millennial I'm glad I got to see them at Coachella 2014. They played over their set time, power got cut, so they marched out in to the audience with their acoustic noise makers and continued a big crowd sing-a-long that I was in just the right spot for. In their prime before he got really cancelled. What a time to be into indie music in your twenties with not a care in the world.
It’s okay, not very interesting. The album has a couple good songs, but it feels like it’s missing something
Itelle taas täysin uus tuttavuus tämä eikä ehkä se oma pala kakkua, mutta positiivisuutta kuitenkin siinä että jokainen biisi kuulosti erilaiselta, eikä oltu tuutattu samaa ajatusta moneen eri biisiin
Tää oli ihan pirteetä menoa, vois vaikka kuunnella lisääkin.
Kyl tänkin muistaa kun ilmesty ja ol kovaa nostetta. Tämmöseen moderniin altsuhommaan iso nimi ja biisitkin on pääosin siedettäviä. Eikä saundaa ihan kauheelle. Väittäsin kuitenkin näidenKIN kohalla, että eka demo paras eli se aiempi rievä. Suhtaudun kuitenkin ihan posilla.
Tää oli ihan jees. Kivoja soundeja ja mukavaa indiemenoa. Ei nyt mitään mestariteoksia ollut yksikään kappale, mutta oikein mukava kuunneltava levy bussimatkalle Jyväskylästä Jämsään.
eufórico
I feel it to be significantly inferior to the two major Arcade Fire album, not because it isn't a very consistent album, which it is, but because it lacks all the highlights that make an album memorable. 7/10 [DROP]
It makes me thankful I'm not American and surrounded by religion. I kept wondering "are these guys critiquing their upbringing or lamenting what they lost when they broke out of it?". Maybe it answers that with extended listening but the revivalist tone never connected for me. So stars for this are hard - is it good? Well, I think so. On an initial listening at least I think I got what they were aiming at which is a positive. Did I enjoy it musically? No. Did I hate it? No. Would I listen again? No.
An awesome album that needed a relisten
9/10 talking tô him
Right in my wheelhouse, classic album from a pivotal period in my life.
ok
Pleasant
Better than I remember it. Second half is still uneven.
Good! Haven’t listened to this much since it came out. I think I still prefer the first album. It was interesting reading the Wikipedia, that Rolling Stone criticized the production as distant, which, I kinda get. It helped define the indie sound, but, it is distant. Also, anecdotally I remember indie bands being kinda anti Springsteen, but this album largely sounds like a Springsteen album. I don’t know if that was the bands or just young people listening to the music, but, it’s interesting.
This one took me a while with it being sandwiched between Funeral and Suburbs. A little pretentious but life’s too short. It’s a bummer Win was a sleazeball after all these years.
last song was good 3
I don't mind having listened to it, but probably won't feel a need to listen to it again. Best songs are Intervention and My Body is a Cage (and both are good enough to put in my playlist - maybe even good enough to bump the whole album up by 1/2 star, but I will round down from 3.5). Rerate 7/7 - After coming back to this several times, it is obviously a 4.
I've always thought of Funeral as THE Arcade Fire album. While that possibly has higher highs, this has just aged much better for me. It's got a great balance of driving indie rock and more grandiose, ballady track, plus it feels a bit more authentic and less measured. Surprised just how much I loved this relisten.
I was right in the target demographic for this album when it was released but, even though I heard it and liked some of the tracks, I never quite understood the hype. Listening with fresh ears I can see why it is held up as classic of early new milenium indie. Captures the zeitgiest of post 9/11 paranoia and unease and filters it through the pride, anxiety, innocence, big hearted love and invincibility of youth. wide scale emotions with wide scale sound to match, and enough ideas under the hood to keep it interesting beyond the surface level bombast. Very well done.
I thought most of the songs were just okay, but the tracks with pipe organ really did it for me. My favorite track was the final track, My Body is a Cage, really fun use of organ in this one.
I'd heard of Arcade Fire before, but this was the first time I'd heard any of their material. I'm sorta on the fence with this. The first listen didn't impress me, and I was ready to hand it a 1 and move on with my life. But as with all Friday albums, I had a little more time to spend with it over the weekend, and I don't think I dislike it quite as much as I thought. The lyrics mostly miss the mark, and it tends to get a little too dramatic at times, but the instrumentation is competent and a few of the melodies are actually pretty decent. I'm willing to upgrade my score to a neutral 3 and, for now, keep an open mind about their other two albums that will eventually be coming up on this list.
This didn’t grab a hold of me, but there wasn’t really anything bad either. I’m feeling this deserves a neutral score as there is so much more on this list deserving on their low scores.
Really enjoyable listen - solid album overall. Would agree with the review calling it grandiose. No one song stuck out in particular but liked the sound / vibes. 4
ehhm.... this is the second album of this band that I encountered on this list of 1001 albums. So I am expected to listen to every Beatles album in the future? 1001 sounds like a high number, but not if you take in account the millions of albums/music produced over the last century.
Same exact effect as Funeral. The first time through I wasn't wowed, and the second time through it clicked in the right way. I'm not sure why! This one is good though.
Another album I experienced in my lifetime. The hype around the band was gigantic after having released the fantastic Funeral, which I absolutely loved, so it was going to be kind of imposible to follow this album up with something similar. When Black Mirror came out, it strangely felt much darker than an album about the death of your parents and grandparents, and that was just the introduction. But when listening to the full album, the experience was much nuanced, half dark, half light, all memorable and entertaining. My favorites were Antichrist Tv Blues, Ocean of Noise and the fantastic No Cars Go, that remains as the torchbearer for the Arcade Fire sound.
Great album
I don't really get why this album is on the list. Tracks to Track: Ocean of Noise
NICE ALBUM!
Great concept of opining dystopia through the walls of a renovated church. Sudden dissonant notes and chords have the effect of hollow essence-echoed deeper due to the empty church resonance
The first album of this project I enjoyed all the way through. Pretty remarkable for being on par with their first, which is also great
surprisingly nice, i expected to not like it but jt gives me a nostalgic feeling, as if my mom used to play it, even thought she didnt
I didn't have as many issues with this as some of their other albums, but I still found it a bit boring.
Keep the Car Running when you listen to this one.
That was good, but not as good as the suburbs.
Pretty good i think, lil Bruce Springsteen
Un poco de todo, son buenos...raros y abarcan mucho, no se si bien
I only knew one song from this band which is the one they used in “The Secret Life of Walter Lee” - Wake up. Glad I heard this album, loved it
I wasn’t feeling the vibe on this one in the morning. I think this one, for me, requires a few listens to appreciate.
If this is the only Arcade Fire album on the list then it's a solid choice. I give the edge to Funeral but Neon Bible moved the band forward as musicians and songwriters with a darker, more serious presentation. This album showed they were more than a merry band of misfits, not afraid to challenge the status quo.
A fun prog rock inspired album.
Arcade Fire is one of those bands that I can't ever decide whether I like them or not. The lead singer seems a bit over the top, but I really appreciate the richness of the music.
Great album
Way lamer than I remembered.
It was fine. Nothing stood out as particularly great but it was all listenable
These guys again?
Great album - hits are classics - appreciate them more now than when released
Gosh ya great stuff, still holding my arcade fire 5 star for "suburbs" but this also great. Of my time, personal 4+
I rate it a high 3. it's almost a 4 but does not quite capture me
good sound
Another Arcade Fire classic. It has its own unique texture and blends indie rock and church music better than any album I know. The first half are all classics and the second half is definitely denser but gets better on repeat listens. Great album cover as well. Their first few albums make me feel more than most music. Rating: 4.2
Not entirely unlistenable but didn’t really grab my attention
4.25
Good
In my opinion I thought this was a pretty decent album and the song my body is a cage really stuck out to me
It is definitely something I would listen to. It sounds like the band Doves. The thing about these indie bands and albums, is that they're so underground and that's what gets them less appreciation than they deserve. Love the early 2000's Indie era. Amazing album.
Their first album is perfect, which is why I never listened to this album. I was always scared that it would disappoint. In a way I am glad I waited I don't know how much I would have liked this when it first came out. I like it though.
Another Arcade Fire Album??? I listened to the Suburbs only a few weeks ago. I guess someone is an Arcade Fire fan.
One song in and I LOVE it. After listening to the whole thing, it's still great. amazing album fs.
i normally like indie music but this is very monotonous and mid and lame
Tiene muchisimo potencial para convertirse en uno de mis must
This one was such a favorite of yours we listened to it two days in a row. Organ music really vibes with 4 month olds!! :-)
- I didn’t like this one as much as the suburbs - still a decent album - good background noise
This turned out like every other Arcade Fire album for me, where a couple songs hit hard and the rest feels like filler. I'm not very convinced of the gloomy sound. Highlights: "Keep the Car Running", "Black Wave / Bad Vibrations", "(Antichrist Television Blues)"
I saw Arcade Fire when they were on tour promoting this album. It was Halloween and for some reason the atmosphere was incredibly tense. Some tools started throwing things on stage, and at one point the band stormed off, with Will declaring that he’d never play in this shithole again. I’ve just checked and true to their word they haven’t been back. Anyway, good songs throughout but nothing that really stands apart.
Rescato algún que otro tema que me gustó, pero no más que eso.
Tää oli parempi, kuin jo aiemmin tullut bändin eka levy. Suosikki biisini on ”Intervention”. Surullinen biisi, hyvät sanat ja erittäin hienot urut. Tuon biisin takia viisi tähteä.
Beautiful sprawling epic rock album
Þetta var bara alveg hreint ágæt plata en kannski ekki ein af þúsund og einni sem þarf að hlusta á fyrir dauðdagann. Allaveganna skilur hún ekki mikið eftir sem ég ég varð að hlusta á
Nuansa musiknya, khususnya menggunakan organ, membawa suatu rasa mistik yang menggairahkan. Lirik-liriknya juga memiliki range yang luas dari kritik isu sosial sampai refleksi personal. Akan tetapi, album ini secara keseluruhan tidak ada yang spesial. Plain ol' mac and cheese. Dari keseluruhan track, suaranya menjauh dari kohesif menuju membosankan. Konsep lirik dan pesan-pesannya sih bagus, energetik, reflektif, dan penceritaannya apik, tapi lagunya seperti tidak menempel. Nikmat di saat itu, lupa di hari esoknya.
Important Album for the Indie genre in general but can't compete with their first album funreal.
A masterpiece of songcraft and orchestration. To say the band was committed to the production of this opus is something of an understatement. They bought at church to record in. This reaches the height albums can reach when the composition and content take music into the territory of cultural transmission.
I know taste is subjective, but Jesus Christ
Cool!
Pretty good never heard of them before
Good start, but a boring second thirds. 2/5
bacano, igual un roce aburrido, no se me hizo memorable pero pues bien
forgettable
Muy bueno
A grand, energetic album, richly layered instrumentally, with a concept that’s delivered beautifully.
Lost the vibe on this band/album…
I feel like 5 years ago this would have been a bigger hit with me
This was in rotation when it was released because I enjoyed Funeral so much. Listening to it almost 20 years later, it was surprising how I just couldn't get into whatever headspace I was in when I enjoyed it. I think it was just a product of it's time, it spawned endless 'Stomp Clap Hey' imitators that would take some of the surficial sonic trappings and apply it to whatever pabulum. And yeah also just knowing that Win Butler is a POS taints the listening experience. Whatever delusion allowed me to get past his vocals is gone now. Just a tiresome listen in 2026
Great album, just that.
PERFECT
Indie rock, baroque pop.
Shocked I didn’t hate it, but nothing I would need to hear again. Rounding up from 2.5
Surprised that I liked this. Not normally an Arcade Fire fan.
Actually great
I don't dislike most of the songs on this album, but I don't like the sound of the album. It sounds muddy, heavy, and plodding. There are some good melodies in there. I think i used to like Intervention, but now listening to it at least 10 years since my last listen, it isn't doing much for me.
It feels like the kichen sink was also thrown in
It started off okay, and had potential, but it got boring quite quickly
I should like this more than I do
Pretty solid album! First time listening to any of these songs. Second half of the album is the stronger than the first. First half is like 3/5, second half 4/5. All together I’ll say it’s 4/5 if that makes sense.
I’ve always had a negative opinion on Arcade Fire but I couldn’t tell you why. This album didn’t change this.
Ok
Not bad
Me gusta la producción y las voces. Es dramático y me gusta eso.
Did not enjoy this at all.
Some good songs, just not for me personally
Great album would like to see them live sometime 4.5/5
No cars go
dome
It's good. Far better than most albums ever made. But it's not their best or even second best. Very strong 7 out 10, but rounding down.
9 / 10
This is a really good album. Their best in my opinion. It's a pity the lead singer turned out to be a creep.
I like Arcade Fire a lot but have not listened to this album before. It's not their best but still great all the way through.
Jamais écouté avant. Une messe sombre aux ambitions soniques démesurées, à tel point que production, volontairement étouffante, tourne parfois au mur de notes indistinctes qui noit tout sur son passage. Malgré ça, le talent est là, dans les mélodies, dans les ambiances et les textures. Du rock indé qui essaye d'être autre chose, quitte à en faire trop, et qui y arrive largement. Top : (Antichrist Television Blues) Flop : Black Mirror
Super album, de super instrus, de super backs, de supers mélodie, j'ai vraiment bien aimé ! Note : 4 À réécouter : Oui
Didn't listen, but I have an irrational dislike of Arcade Fire and I want it off my backlog so it is what it is
this holds up
Was looking forward to this, I'd heard good things from people whose musical knowledge I respect. Let's just say, they were wrong. It's not a bad album, per say, or bad music; just extremely conforming to the typical noughties indie stuff that was around at the time. Not my style personally, and nothing on this album really stands out, or gives me much to write home about. Overall, inoffensive and listenable, but bland, and fairly mainstream.
Harold Bloom has a disparaging term - "period piece" - for works that signify in their own time but don't transcend the specific context in which they were made. But what happens when you're stuck in one particular period indefinitely, and the work that was topical at the time won't quit being topical no matter how much you wish it would? What if history actually *did* end, except instead of ending with a wall falling in Germany in 1989 it ended with two buildings falling in 2001 and now we're stuck in an endless cycle of fear, suspicion, mistrust, aggression, recrimination, hatred - forever? How do you say "you had to be there" - as is so often the case with Arcade Fire, that most Millennial of bands in tone, sound, lyrics, meaning - when it's twenty years later and *we're still fucking there*? These are the things I think about when I listen to this album in 2026 - the constant use of Christian-soldier imagery by the powers that be to make the world darker and meaner ("Intervention," "(Antichrist Television Blues)"), the experience of living in a society that chops me up and sells me back to me, Pahlaniuk-style ("Black Mirror"), the desire to opt out of said society completely ("No Cars Go"), the persistent sense that *I* must be the problem if I want to opt out ("Windowsill"), the ultimate realization that there's really nowhere else I can go ("My Body Is a Cage"). And goddamnit, they're the same things I was thinking about when I first heard this album in 2007, when a different, slightly more socially palatable cabal of ignoramuses, zealots, war profiteers, and Spartan cosplayers with daddy issues were busy careening my country into every obstacle they could, just because they could, because what the fuck are *you* gonna do about it? I wish I didn't need this album anymore, but as long as I still need it to try and make sense of this planet then I'm glad it's here.
Bowie + Springsteen
#101/1001 🇨🇦 I listened to this a hell of a lot when it came out. It's darker than Funeral, which just blew my mind when it came out. Enjoyable to revisit but its not essential listening for me these days. Best tracks: No Cars Go, Keep the Car Running, Intervention.
I think I’ve realized the guys voice is just not it for me. I think the song writing was a little weak on this album compared to the Suburbs and Funeral
I typically hate indie albums, but good lord what an enjoyable one! Deep sound with solid vocals. There's a lot to appreciate here. I'm not sure whether it deserves to be on a 1001 albums list, but I enjoyed it and it's my ranking so oh well.
Save the drama for your mama. But it is good.
This was close to a 3 for me, but it really didn't quite make it. Indie band plays The Cure.
meh
Not for me, it seemed self indulgent and faded to background noise quickly
Probably not the best album by Arcade Fire but I have always liked its dramatic baroque arrangements. Plus, the last two tracks alone deserve five stars...
I really enjoyed the album in its entirety. The Well & The Lighthouse's driving tempo and slowing points really grabbed & will be included in my future playlists.
For me, it's a really great album. I didn't get into Arcade Fire until I saw them on the 'We' tour. I have seen them a few times now...what a great live band. These songs are atmospheric and rooted in a place. This makes sense due to the album being recorded in a church. The thematic nature of these songs also hits. 5/5
La segunda mitad remonta el álbum, pero la verdad que bastante injunable igualmente
Better than I remembered.
well, I have to admit I didn't like it. So... boring? idk, I was expecting something better. I only saved "Intervention". I wouldn't listen to it again
This was my first Arcade Fire album back when it came out. In retrospect it is something of the black sheep of their first 3 albums, and its reputation was sort of them just barely sidestepping a sophomore slump. Relistening to it, I find its dark aesthetic and relatively tight songs very refreshing. It honestly holds up better than I expected and feels a bit more personal than their other albums even if it lacks the obvious highs of their best work.
Not my top Arcade Fire album but still enjoyed thoroughly. Very recognizable sound and good writing
A few songs still hit, but truly a teenage album
Way over the top earnest. Also, fuck Win Butler.
Using of disharmonies. Plottwists in the songs. Saved Black wave/bad vibrations. -> A bit of an apocalypse vibe but in a grunge heartbreak aesthetic. Gives religious vibes thanks to the choir. All in all you can let yourself fall. Not too boring so You can't actively listen to it.
An album about the domestic blow back of poor foreign policy, songs from the find out generation of white America after the CIAs fucking around with communism and opec
Hot garbanzo garbage
I liked this album and feel like it would grow on me with more listens.
the french was something i wasnt expecting, was good, i didnt complete the whole album but i liked the instrumentals
*2007. 2nd album. *Some great songs: No Cars Go, Intervention, and Keep the Car Running. *Overall I don't love the album. RATING - 7/10
This is a fun album with some amazing song writing and danceable jams
Are these given out in progressive churches?
Solid rock.
Sorry, this just does nothing for me. I was hoping it would grow on me as I got deeper into the album, but it didn't. I wasn't bored while I was listening, so that was good. Nothing terrible, nothing great.
Me gustó bastante, particularmente el concepto de esta nueva biblia dentro de la sociedad de sobreconsumo capitalista me pareció muy interesante y bien tratado. Además tiene un sonido que si bien retoma mucho ya hecho, lo renueva y le da un toque futurista. Sí puede volverse un poco extenso, pero considero que sabe remontar esos momentos de tedio. Destaco varias canciones y es un álbum que definitivamente volvería a escuchar en algún punto. El cantante tiene un timbre muy parecido a Bowie.
nose que tipo de musica es esta pero no me gusto nada, 0.
eh
I was expecting Neon Bible to be good but i wasn't expecting to give a 5 star review to it, But i'm so happy that i get to give a surprise 5 star review. I get that the incredibly grandiose sound is certainly a divisive aspect about this album but i'm with the people that like it as it gave the songs here so much depth. Every song here felt atmospheric and incredibly deep which i really liked. Everything from the general indie rock sound with the guitars and such to all the elements that added to this grandiose nature were all things that i really liked about this album. And they are all hits, not a single song that i didn't enjoy. This album was certainly a really great listen. Best Song: No Cars Go Worst Song: Neon Bible
Win Butler... shut up! The schmaltz _was_ tolerable But now you're cancelled
no one ever asked what the exact midpoint between muse and coldplay would sound like but arcade fire are back to answer a second time, whether i like it or not. to be fair to the band, i found the instrumentals here a lot more interesting than on funeral. "black mirror" is a dense heap of sounds piled onto a driving rhythm that i can get into, and i enjoyed the organ sitting right up front on "intervention" and "my body is a cage". "(antichrist television blues)" and "no cars go" are both straight up great, with the latter being hands down my favourite. there are a few places where it feels like they're almost trying too hard to sound dramatic (the unearned string swell at the end of "ocean of noise" springs to mind), but overall the sound is solid. as an instrumental album this could've potentially been a 4. however, the vocals are much worse this time. régine chassagne's singing is fine on the exactly three tracks they let her sing on, but without the processing they'd used in funeral i'm realising win butler's style is entirely uninteresting to me. and the lyrics kinda suck. maybe they sucked on funeral too and he was just singing in french often enough that i couldn't tell? who can say. in any case this time it feels like he's trying a bunch of different styles but never fully committing to any of them, which at best makes him sound like a half-asleep chris martin and at worst almost sounds like he's whisper-shouting. i'm not a fan. overall i guess i'd still say this is better than funeral, arcade fire have succeeded in making music that doesn't put me to sleep this time. i still spent most of the album wishing butler would shut the fuck up though. unfortunate.
I ended up glazing Funeral a bit, and in this case as well, my memories of this album are quite rose-tinted. Neon Bible came out when I was a nascent "hipster" music fan enabled by a zune subscription to download albums on the whole instead of just cherrypicking hits. And god did I listen to this album a lot. I still love the baroque-pop: the buildup, the strings, the organ, the horns coming in to round out final choruses, the relentlessly repeating piano keys, and the fantastic percussion. The lyricism is unsubtle as hell but offers melodrama to match the strength of the orchestral instruments crashing in. I'm still fond of this album but when was the last time I listened and why has it been so long? I've definitely moved on from the band in many ways, but I can't help having a soft spot for these early 3 albums, even as the shine has faded.
this is so much different from The Suburbs. it actually has content in it. it still sucks ass
Interesting arcade fire album
Fine, not super interested in this one
banger
One of my favorite bands. Their old albums are good but recent albums suck.
I dont know much about Arcade Fire in general, but a very christian album wouldnt be the one I select at the top one of theirs.
I remember not getting into this at the time, had 3 exceptional tracks that I listened to a lot but I ignored the rest. Well I was very wrong, this is really good. Not a bad track on here. this was 4.5 rounded up Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes 63/256 (24%) Will I get: Maybe a better copy
rock alternativo muy musical, no es mi estilo pero ta bien de fondo, 3/5
last song was pretty dope
Some goods songs in there particularly towards the end but not as good as Funeral
Not bad, but I didn't really enjoy this album It actually seemed a weaker effort than some of their others that I heard a while back
7/10
I forgot how good this album is. Prophetic also, worrying about the dangers of mixing religious fanaticism with politics. We’ve now seen where that leads.
I wanna give it like a 4.5 but I’ll be generous and give it 5
Not my cup of tea at all, intently, wannabe artsy, fuck off arcade fire. Giving this one star is way too much.
Moeilijk te beoordelen. Ik ben een beetje teleurgesteld, omdat ik arcade fire heel leuk vind maar dit album niet zo. Funeral is een supersterk album. Everything now is een album met hits. En dit album heeft het allebei net niet. Het voelt een beetje oneerbiedig om arcade fire maar drie sterren te geven, maar everything now zou ik 4 geven en funeral 5 en dan klopt het wel.
Arcade Fire is een oude liefde waar ik tegenwoordig iets minder voor voel. Een "ligt niet aan jou maar aan mij" verhaal. Het was al een tijdje geleden dat ik naar arcade fire had geluisterd, het spreekt mij tegenwoordig wat minder aan. Arcade fire heeft een hoog boom clap gehalte wat er populair was in de "10 en nu een beetje uit de mode is. Zelfs als ik mijn nostalgische bril opzet kan ik er moeilijk omheen. Neon Bible is tegelijk ook mijn minst favoriete album van Arcade fire. Het is wat zwaarder en in combinatie met het theatrale en bombastische is het voor mij iets te veel. Bij het debuut album funeral is het wat kleiner en daardoor wat persoonlijker. Ook zit er qua sfeer meer variatie in de nummers zodat het wat beter vol te houden is. Je blijft een beetje hangen in het album waardoor het irritant gaat worden. Er komt geen song die wat perspectief of contrast geeft waardoor er ook veel wegvalt. Bij de andere albums zit er wat meer variatie qua muziek en sfeer waardoor het wat makkelijker te ontleden is. Ik snap en voel de sfeer maar je verdrinkt er langzaam in. Er zitten zeker een paar goede nummers tussen die ik een 5 zou kunnen geven. Het heeft ook een interessante rijke sound stage en orgel in het album werkt wel mooi. Productioneel klinkt het goed met kleine details zoals de neon lichten er in verwerkt etc. 3.5 afgerond naar beneden 4 zou net iets te veel zijn
Thematiek heeft een groot aandeel in de muziek, er wordt kritisch gekeken naar maatschappelijke thema’s en de kerk, helemaal prima, maar de muziek pakt mij minder, ik weet wel dat deze sound goed aansluit bij het publiek maar het is mij vaak te bombastisch en bij vlagen een beetje te U2werig.
Nothing good here
I don't really understand the whole trend of slamming on Arcade Fire for their "tryhardness" or "indie pretentiousness". Yeah, they take music seriously and they're a bit arty and very polished and grand production. Doesn't mean it sounds any less good.
I’m so hyped for this! Never really listened to a lot of Arcade Fire, but have heard of them here and there. Black mirror was an awesome opener. Almost had some creepy vibes in the instrumentals which was super cool. Keep the Car running felt like the opening credits of a movie. I really liked what it had going for it. I’m absolutely exhausted right now and it still had me dancing. The title track itself was nice. The lyrics of intervention were so good. The instrumental punctuated the lyrics just enough so you could really focus on them. Black Wave/Bad Vibrations was great in the moment where the bass drum kicked in. I have a soft spot for moments like this in music where the beat comes in and everything just grows. Ocean of Noise was a nice break from the upbeat. It then gets right back into it with the well and the lighthouse. I am a sucker for some rhythm guitar. The more melodic bit at the end was beautiful. Loved it. I quite liked the meaning behind Antichrist television blues. I’m not a religious person, but there were some good moments and meanings in there. Windowsill was nice and calm and No Cars Go was an experience to say the least. I think it was ended nicely with My Body is a Cage. 4/5 ⭐️ 94/1089
Kind of like soft rock. Kind of interesting in the moment, but ultimately vapid and forgettable.
Grandiose indie rock. First full listen to any Arcade Fire album before. I quite liked it and get why it should be heard. Good energy and vibe throughout.
I get why most people say funeral or suburbs is the best AF album, but this album speaks to me a bit more and tickles my brain in all the right places
The album as a whole is very cohesive and must be enjoyed as a whole. This also means that songs kinda meld and sound the same to me unfortunately. The last two track stood out to me and I really liked them.