Well, here it is: the 57th Neon Bible review you’ve read in the past 2 months. From what I’ve read, opinions tend to span the spectrum from absolutely deplorable to amazing and indelible. They most certainly all mention the incredible rise the Montreal band has had since the release of their first album Funeral in 2005. How they have been become the “darlings” (why this word specifically is used so commonly, I have no idea) of the indie rock world is probably mentioned as well. There’s often a mention of David Bowie and occasionally of David Byrne. Religious lyrics, blah blah blah, seemingly cautious pretension, blah blah, how they’ll handle the success. You know how it goes; they’re all the same anyway.
As for the reviews of the actual music on Neon Bible, the polarization of opinions tends to be a bit of an overreaction (as music blogs tend to do). In all actuality, the album probably falls somewhere in the middle. There are good tracks like “No Cars Go,” a revamped track from their first EP and disappointing tracks like “My Body is a Cage.” For me, however, the album’s whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Each song on its own fails to encompass what the band is really capable of. Whereas Funeral had several single tracks (#3, Rebellion) that stand fantastically on their own, Neon Bible lacks these standouts, save maybe “Keep the Car Running.” Yet, the album is extremely entertaining and engaging from beginning to end. The oft-called brilliance of the album comes from the cohesiveness of sound and seamless nature in which all the tracks blend.
That all being said, it took me months to fully appreciate Funeral for what it is. Neon Bible could take the same amount of time. I really hope it does.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Got anymore? It took me a straight drunken semi-stoned fortnight to come to an appreciation. Then two more months to sober up. Funeral was the theme music.
Sounds pretty good to me. Well, could be better… but actually I’m not that kind of who are too demanding.