Neon Bible
by Arcade Fire
  • Record Label: Merge
  • Release Date: Mar 6, 2007
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 918 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 819 out of 918
  2. Mixed: 71 out of 918
  3. Negative: 28 out of 918

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  1. davew
    Mar 24, 2007
    9
    fantastic live set in brixton
  2. rubenn.
    Mar 24, 2007
    10
    excelent
  3. rays
    Mar 24, 2007
    10
    spellbinding!!
  4. TonyS
    Mar 25, 2007
    10
    This is a brilliant album wothy of ten out of ten any day, but the thing is, it has actually made me appreciate funeral even more. These guys are the best live band in the universe too!!
  5. JosephA
    Mar 26, 2007
    6
    This is a really good album, but the production is piss poor. Everything is covered by everything else leaving little room for any of the instrumentation to shine. The lyrics are great and the arrangements and songwriting as well. But unfortunately, its all very cramped and mono for such colorful instrumentation. A shame really.
  6. JamsieJ
    Mar 28, 2007
    8
    I am a HUGE fan and ABSOLUTELY adore FUNERAL - it's my fav record. Neon Bible is very good too but not as thrilling as Funeral. It's like they're playing to a bigger audience with the anthemic nature of some of the songs. No Cars Go is still brilliant and i really like Intervention, Black Mirror, The Well and The Lighthouse plus the doom-laden feel to My Body is a Cage.
  7. QwanT
    Mar 28, 2007
    10
    I think that the average user rating of 9 out of 10 speaks for itself. Some people just cannot open their minds to forget Funeral and embrace this equally mesmerising work of art. Most, however, agree with me. Already one of the best albums of the decade!
  8. TrentN
    Mar 28, 2007
    6
    Its a good album but i dont belive the band well ever put out anything as good a Funeral. The prduction on this album is really poor compared to the last one.
  9. LaurenceP
    Mar 29, 2007
    10
    Just great! the more I listen to it the better it gets!!!
  10. LeoF
    Mar 3, 2007
    7
    at first i was astonished. but then i listened to it more and more and more... and now I think it's just good.
  11. robertb
    Mar 3, 2007
    9
    Whilst it has taken a while with certain tracks "keep the car running" hit me immediatly as a monumental tune of rebellion proportions - well worth the wait what would you suggest we all be listening to steve?
  12. Jordan
    Mar 3, 2007
    10
    headline: Win Butler channels Roy Orbison-Wins hearts, minds.
  13. RobJ.
    Mar 3, 2007
    5
    This isn't a bad record, but it seems like they're channeling Bruce Springsteen on this one much more than the Talking Heads or the Pixies. Disappointing compared to Funeral.
  14. RichardP
    Mar 3, 2007
    6
    Some great songs. Some really not great songs. But let's avoid hyperboles like "best band ever". That just shows how few bands you've listened to.
  15. jeffreyj
    Mar 3, 2007
    2
    Get over it. These guys and girls are the same boys and girls that got there butts kicked in high school. Losers!
  16. ErikR
    Mar 31, 2007
    8
    Very good album with a handful of gems. Much more of a roving straight ahead feel than Funeral. Gives me the feeling of sticking my head out the window of a car going 40. This album seems to have a little less space between the the notes and vocals then funeral. This is not a bad thing but probably prevented me from giving it a 10. My mind tends to naturaly like space beetween notes. The Very good album with a handful of gems. Much more of a roving straight ahead feel than Funeral. Gives me the feeling of sticking my head out the window of a car going 40. This album seems to have a little less space between the the notes and vocals then funeral. This is not a bad thing but probably prevented me from giving it a 10. My mind tends to naturaly like space beetween notes. The production is a little muddy but I think this adds to the overall depressed but getting better feel of the album. My favorites are The Well And The Lighthouse, Keep The Car Running, and My Body Is a Cage. Overall a stunningly good album that should propell the band forward to new soundscapes.… Expand
  17. Mark
    Mar 4, 2007
    0
    Eww! This is a disgusting record from a talented band.
  18. DK
    Mar 5, 2007
    9
    On first listen, I thought this was about a 5 out of 10. Boy am I glad I didn't give up. It takes a few listens, but the songs begin to reveal themselves and before you know it you'll be proclaiming this better than "Funeral." "Keep the Car Running", "Intervention", "Ocean of Noise", "Antichrist Television Blues", "No Cars Go" and "My Body is a Cage" are all standout tracks. On first listen, I thought this was about a 5 out of 10. Boy am I glad I didn't give up. It takes a few listens, but the songs begin to reveal themselves and before you know it you'll be proclaiming this better than "Funeral." "Keep the Car Running", "Intervention", "Ocean of Noise", "Antichrist Television Blues", "No Cars Go" and "My Body is a Cage" are all standout tracks. I'm a huge Modest Mouse fan but "Neon Bible" blows the Mouse's new offering "WWDBTSES" out of the water.… Expand
  19. AndyP
    Mar 5, 2007
    10
    This is not a funeral so keep your comparisons apart from an album that truly stands on its own.
  20. JesusBacon
    Mar 5, 2007
    8
    I wasn't expecting it to live up to the hype, and it didn't, but it's still a pretty damn good album.
  21. SirukuN
    Mar 5, 2007
    10
    I was skeptical at first since the opening track "Black Mirror" is not as splendidly inviting as "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)." But once "Keep the Car Running" starts and ends, the rest of the album runs as smoothly as the second track's title. I'm hooked on it. It plays constantly in my head, my car, and my computer. As a whole, they've crafted their OK Computer: an album I was skeptical at first since the opening track "Black Mirror" is not as splendidly inviting as "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)." But once "Keep the Car Running" starts and ends, the rest of the album runs as smoothly as the second track's title. I'm hooked on it. It plays constantly in my head, my car, and my computer. As a whole, they've crafted their OK Computer: an album that should be recognized as something greater than its individual songs.… Expand
  22. DiegoL
    Mar 6, 2007
    10
    Arcade Fire shoots a friendly agony enveloped in magnificent church organs, dramatic chorus, glorious violins, and cathartic atmospheres in cryptic lyrics, giving us the same intensity and waved emotion, from a different perspective, and moving away of Funeral's masterpiece
  23. ManuelV
    Mar 6, 2007
    10
    Its a great album, so powerful.. personally I like it better than funeral, its more mature I guess and have more details (if that is possible). I want more of it!! And I think the same, it take you some time to growing on you.. but onces it does you would not want to stop listening to it. Great work from a great band.
  24. DaveJ
    Mar 6, 2007
    9
    As good as Funeral. Canada is home to the most underrated band in the world (AF) & the most overrated (NIckelback - the win a Juno every year for crap).
  25. SeanP.
    Mar 6, 2007
    10
    Quite honestly, as good as Funeral, for different reasons. In other words, it's pretty %#$@ great. The best of 2007 so far, and i've heard the new Peter Bjorn and Field Music and Of Montreal and Shins.
  26. JakeM
    Mar 6, 2007
    4
    Not even close to 'Funeral'. The production fits in well with the new 'Springstein/U2' feel of their music. Stadium rock. Listening to their albums side by side reveal how far they've plummeted into the music industry.
  27. MattA
    Mar 6, 2007
    10
    Another Amazing album. This is a CD that you have to listen to LOUD AS HELL to appreciate. I simply love it. The band stays true to its own unique form while showing a new perspective to a darker side of the same band. Beautiful.
  28. TimB
    Mar 7, 2007
    10
    I had high expectations for this album after Funeral, and they delivered. It is exceptional and I want to listen to it over and over again and dissect every song.
  29. DDB
    Mar 7, 2007
    9
    The Arcade Fire possess impossible talent. Simply the best band around. Like Funeral, this one has you feeling like you are hearing something fresh and unique, something you've never heard before. And yet, you can hear influences from Bowie, Springsteen and the Pixies on this album. Relentless comparisons to their first effort are inevitable. But this stands on its own, is probably The Arcade Fire possess impossible talent. Simply the best band around. Like Funeral, this one has you feeling like you are hearing something fresh and unique, something you've never heard before. And yet, you can hear influences from Bowie, Springsteen and the Pixies on this album. Relentless comparisons to their first effort are inevitable. But this stands on its own, is probably more accessible and has some fantastic tracks. "Building Downtown", "Black Mirror" and "My Body is a Cage" top the list for me.… Expand
  30. TomY
    Mar 7, 2007
    8
    Let's face it. This album was never going to live up to the hype. Nonetheless, the album is quite polished and beautiful. Intervention delivers some of the passion we heard on Funeral with a church-like organ backdrop. I didn't like that they re-recorded no cars go. It really isn't much different than the original.
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best Album of 2007
2
#2 Most Discussed Album of 2007
11
#11 Most Shared Album of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Universal acclaim - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 46
  3. Negative: 0 out of 46
  1. Hot Press
    95
    So, Funeral was by no means a fluke. The Arcade Fire are unquestionably the real deal. And to prove it they’ve now thrown in another contender for ‘best record of the decade’.
    Read full review
  2. Observer Music Monthly
    100
    The Canadian septet are the greatest art rock group since Talking Heads stopped making sense.
    Read full review
  3. Alternative Press
    80
    While devotees of Funeral... will surely enjoy Neon Bible, the album does have a decidedly different feel than its predecessor--mainly, there seems to be less of an emphasis on choruses. [Apr 2007, p.182]
See all critic reviews »