After Funeral there was no where for Arcade Fire to go but down. Luckily they didn't fall too far. I find Neon Bible a very different sounding album; thicker, darker production that is in stark contrast to Funeral's lighter, childlike feel. Not a bad thing in and of itself. It's the songs where Neon Bible falls short. There are still some very good songs; Keep the Car Running, Ocean of Noise, Windowsill and No Cars Go to name a couple. But the heaviness of the album makes carrying that weight a chore all the way through. That's not aided by the fact that Regine's contributions are lesser in both quantity and quality. Still a good album but one I probably would not have included on this list. 3.5 stars