Your Review
CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Through Neon Bible, the band is seemingly sending a beacon to other reasonable people forced underground by the world's insanity.
100
Could Neon Bible actually best their stunning 2004 debut? Yes. On Funeral, the band wrestled with death and its aftermath. Here, they look outward at the world from, and this is crucial, an American perspective.
100
And here’s the thing about Neon Bible. It’s a record controlled and surrounded by darkness, and maybe the group even focus in upon it and create the record around that absence of light. It certainly feels like it.
100
Arcade Fire certainly haven't keeled under pressure. They've followed up what was considered by many to be insurmountable with an album filled with tension, verve, and ingenuity that heralds their return in brilliant style.
100
Arcade Fire are that kind of band; dark and unpredictable, explosive and restrained, au fait with global warning yet immersed in their own world.
8mo
91
What sticks with you finally is not sense but sound, the wordless operatic chorale that crests over a martial drumbeat in the song’s coda - a big, dark, churning ocean of noise.
90
To criticise Neon Bible for not being perfect is as unfair as refusing to take the last, cutest dog in the pound because it has a cold nose. By any standards, excepting those which the band have, through deed, set, it’s a wondrous record.
90
‘Neon Bible’ is a climactic monolith of a record in the grand tradition of melodic transatlantic clamour rock, as extolled by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips.
90
Funeral provided context and impetus for the congregational experience; Neon Bible actually matches the live show's scope and emotion.
85
These songs are almost completely humorless, but there’s a quavering vulnerability behind Win Butler’s deep voice, a sense that each soaring chorus is sung through stifled tears. It grants the sometimes-clunky lyrics a crucial authenticity.
8mo
84
On Neon Bible, the band looks outward instead of inward, their concerns more worldly than familial, and their sound more malevolent than cathartic.
80
Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible is an album luscious of misery; it’s fully and deeply rooted in foundations rich in the dramatically maudlin and endearingly melancholic.
80
Neon Bible takes a few spins to digest properly, and like all rich foods (orchestra, harps, and gospel choirs abound), it's as decadent as it is tasty ... but there's no denying the Arcade Fire's singular vision, even when it blurs a little.
80
This is not a band entering an ‘angsty teen’ period of their existence. Or one sullenly grinding out an over-serious second effort. That catchy element that made ‘Funeral’ shine? It’s still there in exquisitely decorated bucketfuls.
80
It's hard to think of another album that rocks in such an epic manner without sounding completely ridiculous. The effect is of a kind of triumphant gloom.
75
Neon Bible isn’t quite the revelation that Funeral was; its newfound embrace of worldly concerns often borders on the embarrassing, and the reverberation threatens to swallow the songs whole. But it’s still an ambitious effort from a unique band worthy of the accolades that their fanbase heaps upon them.
70
Neon Bible is Arcade Fire from cover-to-cover. Short of a Revelation, it's the sound of a talented band finding its true genesis.
70
On Funeral, Arcade Fire tried to answer grief with fantasy and joy, with astonishing results. Neon Bible, on the other hand, is like that moment several months after your family member passes away, when the denial fades, and the real, true grief sets in.
70
On Neon Bible, the reverb is so big and black that the beat becomes boom andthe orchestral garnish, arranged by Chassagne and Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett, gets pressed to the margins.
70
As sources of modern anxieties go, celebrity culture and the influence of religion are broad, making the emotions behind most of these songs ill-defined and distant.
60
While there is much here to admire, at its overblown worst Neon Bible is one of those records that takes itself too seriously to be taken seriously. Watch it fly, though.
60
The biggest glitch is the production - the myriad elements sound cramped for space. The drums are flaccid, the strings all but buried, Butler and Régine Chassagne's vocals compressed and muffled. Too bad, cuz Butler's lyrics, which replace coming-of-age angst with poetic explorations of global anxiety, politics and an excoriation of celebrity culture, put Funeral to shame.
Arcade Fire's sophomore record saw the band facing huge expectations for a follow up from their great debut album. They seemed to manage the situation just fine, though. Neon Bible is a much more sober, darker and introspective record than Funeral was, showing an even more philosophical side of the act, with metaphorical lyrics that talked about religion, depression and existencial issues all in a clever way. It still shows the orchestral arrangement skills from the band and the memorable ... read more
Neon Bible sees Arcade Fire attempting a much more ambitious concept by incorporating more elaborate arrangements and lavish instrumentals. This is a much darker album than Funeral. The even bigger emphasis on folk guitars and strings create an atmosphere that is simultaneously welcoming and enthralling. Somehow, they managed to follow up their fantastic debut with something equally incredible.
Lyrics & Themes: 9/10
Performance: 9/10
Arrangement: 9/10
Sonic Palette: 9/10
Lyrics & Themes: 9/10
Performance: 9/10
Arrangement: 9/10
Sonic Palette: 9/10
Arcade Fire put forth a collection of great Springsteen-esque tunes on this one. Most of these tracks are good and the whole thing is worth a listen but a few key tracks stood out for me.
"Intervention" is a heartbreaking song about a soldier whose come home from war. It's hard to sum up this songs story in an effective way and even if it could be done it would pail in comparison to actually listening to the track so I won't go into the lyrics of the song here. The organs playing ... read more
"Intervention" is a heartbreaking song about a soldier whose come home from war. It's hard to sum up this songs story in an effective way and even if it could be done it would pail in comparison to actually listening to the track so I won't go into the lyrics of the song here. The organs playing ... read more
Revisiting "Neon Bible" in wake of the travesty that was "Everything Now," I think that the former can be thought of as a successful realization of what the latter intended. Just like “Everything Now,” “Neon Bible” attempts to grapple with what Arcade Fire sees as the issues plaguing contemporary society. The reason, however, that “Neon Bible” is so much more of a success (apart from just sounding a whole lot better) is because Arcade ... read more
'Neon Bible' is fantastic. Tied with 2010's 'The Suburbs' on the band's second place, it is guided by their chaotic view of America and haunted by shadowy figures. 'Neon Bible' is a beautiful, dark masterpiece.
Best track(s): Keep the Car Running, Ocean of Noise, Windowsill, Intervention, No Cars Go
Worst track(s): none
Best track(s): Keep the Car Running, Ocean of Noise, Windowsill, Intervention, No Cars Go
Worst track(s): none
END OF YEAR LISTS
| #1 | / | A.V. Club |
| #2 | / | Paste |
| #2 | / | SPIN |
| #2 | / | Treble |
| #3 | / | No Ripcord |
| #4 | / | NME |
| #4 | / | Rolling Stone |
| #5 | / | Gigwise |
| #5 | / | PopMatters |
| #6 | / | musicOMH |
| #7 | / | Prefix |
| #10 | / | The Skinny |
| #11 | / | Consequence of Sound |
| #11 | / | Stylus Magazine |
| #12 | / | Slant Magazine |
More Lists
MISC LISTS
| #33 | / | NME (2000s) |
| #38 | / | Pitchfork: The People's List |
| #41 | / | Slant Magazine (Aughts) |
| #45 | / | Consequence of Sound (2000s) |
| #75 | / | Rolling Stone (2000s) |
| #97 | / | Spin (1985-2009) |
| #223 | / | NME Top 500 of All Time |
Track List
- Black Mirror
- Keep the Car Running
- Neon Bible
- Intervention
- Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
- Ocean of Noise
- The Well & The Lighthouse
- Antichrist Television Blues
- Windowsill
- No Cars Go
- My Body Is a Cage
pitchfork.com
Arcade Fire Play 'Funeral' in Full 
pitchfork.com
Watch Arcade Fire Perform on “SNL” 
stereogum.com
Watch Arcade Fire’s “Money + Love” Short Film 
