The Arcade Fire takes its sound to new and exciting places on its slavishly anticipated new album, Neon Bible. The 11-track set was primarily recorded in a church outside the band's Montreal homebase and features contributions from Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett, Calexico's Martin Wenk and Jacob Valenzuela and Wolf Parade's Hadjii Bakara. Named after cult author John Kennedy Toole's first novel, Neon Bible is smart and subtle enough to present itself as a personal discovery for every listener. The highlights include the pipe organ-drenched Intervention, the wobby, slowly building opener Black Mirror and the ominous Black Wave / Bad Vibrations, which is initially sung by Regine Chassagne before Win Butler takes over halfway through. Additional highlights include the sweet, solemn ballad Ocean of Noise, the propulsive, major-key rockers Keep the Car Running and The Well and the Lighthouse and the hardscrabble (Antichrist Television Blues), where Butler's passionate phrasing recalls the Bruce Springsteen of Born to Run. Perfection.
