Neon Bible

The hot band these days is Arcade Fire, whose new album is called Neon Bible. I'm here to tell you the hype is correct--this is a terrific record. The music is sophisticated and lush, but with a driving rock beat that occasionally soars into the stratosphere. A lot of the songs are in a minor key, and the lyrics are sprinkled with gloom, so this record may have you questioning the meaning of your existence. You may want to follow up this record with some Herman's Hermits.

As the title may suggest, there's an overall theme of spirituality here, but it seems to be rooted in the book of Revelations. The title track tells us there's no hope for survival, if the Neon Bible is right. In the song "Windowsill,"one of the best tracks on the record, the singer plaintively rejects what he's seeing out his window, and sings, "Don't want to fight in a holy war, don't want salesman knocking at my door, don't want to live in America no more." That's a very pointed statement.

One of the more intriguing songs is "(Antichrist Television Blues)," which is set to a rockabilly beat but is lyrically complex. It seems to be about 9/11, alluding to planes hitting buildings, but then becomes about a man who has a 13-year-old daughter he wants to become a stage performer. I'm not quite sure what it's about, but it got under my skin the first time I listened to it and is still there. Another haunting song is the closing track, "My Body is a Cage."

Musically, Arcade Fire uses everything but the kitchen sink, and the result is a feast for the ear. Befitting the religious theme, they break out a church organ in a couple of songs. In "Ocean of Noise" they even have a little surf guitar.

It's early in the year, but Neon Bible just may hang on to be one of my favorite albums of the year.