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Arcade FireAlbums ReviewedFuneral (2004)Neon Bible (2007) Funeral(2004)As much as I love Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, for its size Canada has had a somewhat underwhelming impact during the pop music era. It′s probably not a stretch to say that, unless you′re a card-carrying Rush fan, with a few more records as good as Funeral, it′s not inconceivable that Montreal′s The Arcade Fire could go down in history as one of the best bands to emerge from the country along with a few other contenders from the indie scene. Dual lead singers, husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, both come from interesting backgrounds; Butler majored in religious studies at University, while the part-Haitian Régine played recorder in a pre-Renaissance medieval band. The title is inspired by the deaths of several relatives during recording, including Régine's mother and grandmother, and Win's grandfather, big bandleader and pedal steel player Alvino Rey. It′s kind of difficult to describe the group′s sound, but they′re basically indie rock with orchestration, getting a lot of mileage from the juxtaposition of aggressive and stripped down band tracks and the less conventional rock instruments layered over the top. Most of the band members are multi-instrumentalists, and there are odd instruments like accordions and strings all over the place, giving the album its distinctive nuances. While they're firmly part of the indie camp, even on this debut their individual sound is established. The Pixies are often cited as an influence, but apart from Butler's occasionally abrasive vocals, there's little comparison; Arcade Fire's arrangements are much more ornate and varied than the four piece Pixies. These songs aren't necessarily particularly sophisticated, but there are hooks all over the place, from the choral backing vocals to the string or accordion melodies, and Butler′s emotive delivery (he sings lead on eight of the ten tracks) is engaging. The four parts of 'Neighbourhood' aren't linked musically, but do share common themes of community and relationships; the determination to make the most of life is another recurring motif. Other highlights include the elegant string driven 'Crown of Love', the driving 'Wake Up' and the backing vocal hooks of 'Rebellion (Lies)'. Funeral is a very strong debut, and it′s deservedly winning polls for best album of both 2004 and 2005 (it wasn′t released until 2005 outside of North America). 
 Neon Bible(2007)The critically acclaimed Funeral meant that Neon Bible was one of the most eagerly anticipated albums of 2007. Impressively, it doesn′t disappoint in any way; while it does lack the charged guitar and unhinged vocals that made Funeral so immediately enchanting, the slightly more restrained approach is more a different slant from the band than a drop off in inspiration or quality. Rather than dulling the group′s impact, the more refined, disciplined sound simply provides a different angle for The Arcade Fire to work from. As other commentators have noted their anthemic sound is almost like a more organic version of early eighties rock, like Springsteen, Echo and the Bunnymen and early U2. The album′s flow and intelligent sequencing, with tracks seguing into each other, almost feels like a progressive rock suite; for example, even if the title track doesn′t stand out individually it works perfectly as a respite between the acoustic guitar driven intensity of 'Keep The Car Running′ and the grandiose Church organ of 'Intervention′. And while there′s a drop off in energy level, there are more diverse textural elements employed; the group recorded the orchestral parts in Budapest, as well as using a Church organ in their hometown of Montreal. While Regine took a couple of lead vocals on Funeral, here she only sings the lightweight first half of the multi-part 'Black Wave/Bad Vibrations′, almost another respite before Butler′s dramatic lead vocal takes over. As well as 'Keep The Car Running′ and 'Intervention′, other immediate songs include the propulsive 'No Cars Go′, and the climactic, cathartic closer 'My Body Is A Cage′. Even the more low key stuff′s engaging; 'Ocean Of Noise′ has a low key arrangement, but still sounds majestic on the basis of its grandiose melody, while '(Antichrist Television Blues)′ sacrifices melody for the urgent, Springsteen-like acoustic guitar and vocal. It feels like there′s tons of interesting Christian allegory in this record, especially 'The Well And The Lighthouse′, where the protagonist chooses a dark well ("You fool, now that you know your end is near; you always fall for what you desire or what you fear") over the lighthouse ("If you leave them ships are gonna wreck"). I′d perhaps rank Neon Bible a smidgeon below Funeral, but it′s a worthy successor, showcasing a band that′s quirky yet majestic, with a charismatic, engaging front man.
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Written 2001-2007, Graham Fyfe
