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February 14, 2007

Asbury Park Arcade

There were two consensus points among friends (and 100% of the NY contingent of MerrySwankster.com) Super Bowl viewing location in UES Manhattan (we're from Brooklyn - we were only visiting!). One: Prince rocked. Two: Arcade Fire's Neon Bible is tres Springsteenian.

We make no claims as to have cornered the market on such a theory and I'm sure the eBays (click link for explanation) are laden with prose aligning the two, such as here.

Given the choice of title, the publics could be quite certain that the newest Arcade Fire joint would be laden with stories of the metaphysical and spiritual sort. But not the surreal. Unless it was a collab with Dr. Octagon whereby the Canadians and the ex-Ultramagnetic MC fought a 600 ft. glowing book of scriptures. Unless it was about a tussle with Biblesaurus.

Instead, we get a heaping dose of geography-less "dust bowl-evocative" yearning, moral principles, and religious pleats. What is interesting here is that we have multiple volatile elements that have the power to divide people with generally similar tastes: Springsteen, religion, and band most likely to be the most liked band recently.

To quickly (and hopefully uneventfully) dispatch with the religious element. Evidenced by the Danielson Famile/Sufjan Stevens wing of music culture, secularists can and do adopt and embrace religious material so long as it focuses on moral issues embraced by (nearly) all: hard work, devotion to improvement, and accepting culpability. Bonus points (for secularists) if you express a bit of skepticism in the whole religious enterprise (witness Sufjan, from Casimir Pulaski Day:)

Tuesday night at the bible study
We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens

Now, I have no knowledge of (or interest in) Arcade Fire's religiosity (or lack thereof). Let's just say batch of religious sentiment they serve up in Neon Bible is one digestible by those who are nonreligious. Let's move on; nothing to see here.

Now, onto Springsteen, a force more divisive in musical culture than religion. Even as a born-and-raised New Jerseyian, I have not much love for Springtsteen. Since I am not a representative of the Census Bureau, I can not, for certain, say whether or not Springsteen is truly beloved by a majority of my people.

I will likewise tread lightly with the Boss and offer my necessary caveat (I don't have a grasp of his entire catalog; I make no claims to be a Springsteen scholar). What I've tasted I've generally disliked on the grounds of overt simplicity and unimaginative symbolism. None of this songs, to me, seemed to compel anyone to run further than two towns over. Bruce is New Jersey, and New Jersey is Bruce. Those who wished to run made it to Europe; those who didn't remain. I never got a sense of what Bruce was rebelling against. And, for the music, it was, to me, without imagination or nuance.

So, it's not incredibly difficult to understand how I can dislike Springsteen, love Neon Bible, and agree that they both had their hearts in the right place. The small-town (or country) yearning sets the stage. Whereas Bruce barrels ahead at 150 mph, Arcade Fire darts in and out, throws in surprises, whimsy, and a nuanced touch.

Here's my pick for the most Springsteenian track on Neon Bible.

Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running

eBays, I await your onslaught.

//Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
//Arcade Fire - site
//Arcade Fire - Myspace

Posted by Keith O'Brien at February 14, 2007 08:23 AM

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Posted by: Randall Monty at February 14, 2007 11:36 AM

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