Neon Bible

Одамна не сум се радувал така како што се радував за новиот албум на Arcade Fire! Дур полека изминуваа деновите до објавувањето на Neon Bible станував се порадосен и понетрпелив, скоро како да чекам нова епизода од House M.D. :) И со право бев нетрпелив, Neon Bible е мало ремек дело! Претходниот албум на Arcade Fire, Funeral, ми го редефинира музичкиот вкус и мојот поглед на музиката! Ми беше музичко откровение кое со денови не го вадев од repeat! Neon Bible е сосема на истото рамниште! Во продолжение рецензијата на албумот на The New York Times. Не ми се верува дека би можел на поубав начин да ја доловам атмосферата на албумот во само пола страна:

Arcade Fire is like the band that kept playing as the Titanic sank. This Montreal post-punk group specializes in ecstatic refusal, an odd mix of despair, contempt and uplifting idealism. Rejecting the rock scene, it has created its own mini-utopia, where men wear suspenders and musicians are sincere and proudly nerdy. Arcade Fire is now one of the most revered indie acts around, thanks to “Funeral,” its hypnotically raging 2004 debut.

“Neon Bible,” the phenomenal follow-up, will challenge the band’s attempts to stay cult-size. It is regal and beautiful, with mournful anthems and bombastic orchestration that suits the urgency of the lyrics. At the very least this will be the most successful apocalyptic rock symphony ever recorded in a Canadian church. The album blasts life in the 21st-century West: consumerism, reality television, victim chic and the “holy war.” “Don’t wanna live in America no more,” sings Win Butler, the band’s Texas-raised frontman.

Arcade Fire mines classic U2 and Bruce Springsteen far better than the Killers recently did. And Arcade Fire didn’t lose its own voice in an attempt to sound bigger and grander. There are still plenty of its trademark noisy crescendos and old-fashioned accents like harp and hurdy-gurdy. “My Body Is a Cage” begins with a spare Appalachian melody, then shoots skyward with pipe organ and a gospel choir. “Set my spirit free,” Mr. Butler moans.

He wonders: How do you fill a spiritual void when you distrust organized religion? How do you escape fearsome times without wallowing in vacant escapism? He doesn’t have any answers and wastes energy on easy targets like MTV. But the shimmering music transforms bleakness into a “vial of hope,” and for now that’s enough. SIA MICHEL

Еве уште неколку мислења на рецензенти ширум светот:

Entertainment Weekly: In the bleakest songs, the polyphonic swirl of strings, horns, and voices... points toward transcendence.

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Truly, there isn't anything here that comes close to achieving the anthemic, stomp-along, bombast of Funeral's best works. But this is a different album, and a different Arcade Fire playing to their biggest strength: emoting.

The Guardian: It's hard to think of another album that rocks in such an epic manner without sounding completely ridiculous.

Spin: Neither a timid repeat nor a knee-jerk departure, the bigger, bolder Neon Bible better captures what Arcade Fire achieve live.

All Music Guide: It's as decadent as it is tasty -- theatricality has never been a practice that the collective has shied away from -- but there's no denying the Arcade Fire's singular vision, even when it blurs a little.

Суперлативите можат да се редат до бескрај. Воглавно, оние кои лошо зборат за албумов тоа го прават поради тоа што го споредуваат со брилијантноста од епски пропорции на претходниот. Но сепак мислам дека и тие грешат. Neon Bible ќе биде од најдобрите албуми на годината.