Sea Hag's Ultra Fabulous 2007 Music Review: Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire

Neon Bible

I've got to admit, it took me a few good listens to get into their first album "Funeral" but it's become a favorite of mine. So, of course, when they released their sophomore album "Neon Bible" I wondered if, since they set the bar so high on their previous album, would I be disappointed in the new one?

The answer is... yes and no. Certainly 'Neon Bible' is a much more darker and moody album. The good news is that they're retained their old epic sound, with lots of instruments and background vocals. The bad news is... in the words of a post on songmeanings.net : "they sure like to bitch, don't they?" Their last album was very introspective, dealing with personal loss. This album is all about complaining that the government and TV and religion suck, which puts in squarely into the Boring Protest Songs category.

Just what is the Boring Protest Songs category, darling Sea Hag? That's a good question! The Boring Protest Songs Category are those songs that speak out about any of the following: government entities, government policies, political leaders, war, societal norms, 'the man', or the media AND the people who sing these songs have not experienced first-had how awful any or all of these are. For one thing, yeah, we all know those things are evil. Seriously. But thanks for the reminder. Another thing is that all of these songs kind of sound the same after a while, kind of like Christian rock or Christmas music. When you limit yourself to sing about one topic there's only so much you can say about it before it becomes repetitive and dull. And then, I'm pretty sure that most of your experience in any of these things you're singing about come from you watching 'The Daily Show', so it's missing any sort of emotional connection because you haven't been personally affected by it. (Or is it effective? I'm sure Noochie will enlighten me on this.)

This isn't a bad album, but I didn't like it all that much, mainly because I hate Boring Protest Songs. They're just not my thing. But maybe you'd like it. I won't try to judge you too harshly.

Recommended songs:
"Windowsill"
"No Cars Go"
Keep the Car Running"