MARCH
      28,
      2007
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      REVI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      EW
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      °
     
    
   
   
    
     
      18
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Arcade
      Fire’s
      Neon
      Bzble
      at
      #1
      in
      Canada
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kent
      Aitken
     
     
      Reporter
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Well,
      it
      grew
      on
      me.
      And
      thank
      god
      it
     
     
      did;
      I
      was
      worried
      for
      a
      bit.
     
    

    
     
      When
      I
      heard,
      a
      few
      days
      before
      the
     
     
      March
      6
      release,
      that
      Arcade
      Fire
      was
     
     
      mere
      moments
      away
      from
      another
      full-
     
     
      length
      album
      being
      out,
      I
      was
      excited.
     
     
      Giddy
      even.
      The
      Montreal
      based
      outfit’s
     
     
      first
      CD,
      Funeral,
      was
      huge.
      Huge.
      In
     
     
      every
      way.
      The
      music
      was
      huge,
      the
     
     
      impact
      was
      huge,
      and
      the
      slowly
      building
     
     
      ripples
      stemming
      from
      Lower
      Canada
     
     
      were
      starting
      to
      make
      waves.
      Huge
      ones.
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      with
      excitement
      and
      fear
      that
      I
     
     
      first
      heard
      the
      low
      rumble
      that
      opens
      the
     
     
      CD.
      Fear,
      of
      course,
      of
      it
      not
      living
      up
     
     
      to
      the
      excitement.
      The
      first
      track,
      “Black
     
     
      Mirror,”
      lent
      more
      to
      the
      fear
      than
      the
     
     
      excitement.
      The
      music
      was
      big,
      it
      was
     
     
      important,
      it
      could
      have
      been
      the
      orches-
     
     
      tral
      soundtrack
      for
      any
      epic
      tale
      -
      but
      I
     
     
      was
      concerned
      that
      the
      vocal
      melodies
     
     
      and
      the
      lyrics
      weren't
      pulling
      their
      weight
     
     
      (although
      I
      appreciate
      both
      official
      lan-
     
     
      guages
      sneaking
      in).
      And
      this
      was
      to
      be
     
     
      the
      first
      single!
      I
      shivered,
      tucked
      mo-
     
     
      rosely
      in
      the
      fetal
      position
      in
      the
      corner
     
     
      of
      my
      toom
      as
      the
      track
      faded.
     
    

    
     
      However
      -
      and
      you
      knew
      this,
      because
     
     
      I
      gave
      it
      all
      away
      in
      the
      first
      sentence
     
     
      (“Well,
      it
      grew
      on
      me”
      if
      you
      don’t
     
     
      recall)
      -
      the
      second
      track
      took
      things
      up
     
     
      a
      notch.
      Then
      the
      third,
      the
      title
      track,
     
     
      “Neon
      Bible.”
      I
      regained
      faith.
      But
      I
     
     
      wasn’t
      sold
      yet.
     
    

    
     
      As
      the
      album
      played
      on,
      the
      music
     
     
      stayed,
      as
      I
      said,
      big.
      Really
      big.
      Hell,
     
     
      almost
      too
      big.
      Arcade
      Fire
      is
      a
      seven-
     
     
      piece
      band
      on
      the
      worst
      of
      days,
      and
     
     
      they
      recruited
      a
      pipe
      organ,
      a
      choir
      and
     
     
      an
      orchestra
      to
      put
      Neon
      Bzbie
      together
      at
     
     
      points.
     
    

    
     
      Maybe
      it’s
      simply
      the
      ambition
      of
      the
     
     
      music
      that
      set
      the
      bar
      too
      high;
      we'll
     
     
      never
      know.
     
    

    
     
      Regardless,
      playing
      out
      in
      the
      fore-
     
     
      ground
      was
      a
      constant
      string
      of
      simi-
     
     
      lar
      rhyming
      schemes
      and
      vocals
      that
     
     
      couldn’t
      inspire
      me.
      Maybe,
      if
      not
      the
     
     
      music,
      it
      was
      Funeral
      that
      set
      my
      stand-
     
     
      ards
      impossibly
      high.
      I
      was
      waiting
      for
     
     
      a
      “Rebellion
      (Lies)”
      or
      even
      a
      “Neigh-
     
     
      bothood
      #1
      (Tunnels)”
      and
      never
      quite
     
     
      getting
      there.
      Perhaps
      it
      was
      the
      lack
     
     
      of
      parentheses
      in
      their
      track
      listing
      that
     
     
      came
      up
      short.
     
    

    
     
      Fortunately,
      as
      track
      bled
      into
      track
      and
     
     
      my
      second
      listen
      into
      my
      third,
      I
      stopped
     
     
      dissecting
      the
      vocals,
      started
      getting
      into
     
     
      things
      and
      most
      importantly,
      found
      my-
     
     
      self
      skipping
      back
      to
      “Intervention”
      and
     
     
      “The
      Well
      and
      the
      Lighthouse”
      every
     
     
      now
      and
      again.
     
    

    
     
      Any
      other
      band,
      if
      they
      recorded
      any
     
     
      one
      of
      Neon
      Bibles
      songs,
      would
      have
     
    
   
   
    
     
      it
      seen
      as
      their
      attempt
      at
      an
      anthem.
     
     
      The
      subject
      matter,
      angle
      and
      delivery
     
     
      that
      this
      album
      is
      laden,
      almost
      riddled,
     
     
      maybe
      even
      inundated
      with
      is
      pure
      ambi-
     
     
      tion.
      And
      Arcade
      Fire
      does,
      in
      the
      end,
     
     
      come
      admirably
      close
      to
      nailing
      it
      -
      close
     
     
      enough,
      consistently
      enough,
      to
      main-
     
     
      tain
      their
      status
      as
      one
      of
      Canada’s
      most
     
     
      important
      bands.
     
    

    
     
      That
      doesn’t
      mean
      that
      I
      don’t
      still
     
    
   
   
    
     
      have
      some
      regrets.
      I
      would
      have
      liked
     
    

    
     
      to
      have
      seen
      at
      least
      a
      track
      or
      two
      that
     
    

    
     
      I
      wouldn’t
      be
      able
      to
      resist
      playing
      to
     
    

    
     
      death.
      The
      sheer
      stunning
      quality
      of
      Ar-
     
    

    
     
      cade
      Fire,
      in
      this
      case,
      is
      layered
      almost
     
    

    
     
      evenly
      over
      11
      tracks.
      It’s
      great
      to
      see
     
    

    
     
      that
      Arcade
      Fire
      is
      deservedly
      currently
     
    

    
     
      at
      #1
      in
      Canada
      and
      #2
      in
      the
      US.
     
     
      Don’t
      take
      this
      album,
      or
      this
      band,
     
    

    
     
      lightly.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      www.canadal23g0.ca
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