Hangin' Out In 100b

I thought it was going to be impossible to follow up an album that was lauded as much as Funeral was, but Arcade Fire pulled it off with Neon Bible. I can only imagine how intimidating it must have been to create something that would be compared to such an instant classic.

I love their massive, soul hugging sound so much. They manage to fill your ear to maximum capacity without ever going over the top. Choirs, church organs, orchestras, they use them all but they also know when to cherish the quiet moments. It’s daunting. Some bands make you want to start a band yourself and others make you feel like you shouldn’t even try, because you’ll never come close to even touching their level. Arcade Fire belongs to the latter category.

You can hear Neon Bible in full over on nme.com.

Here is an earlier version of “Intervention”, it’s not as orchestal and booming but its simplicity reveals a sweet vulnerability that is at least as impressive as the latest version.

   Arcade Fire – Intervention

The single of the month would have to be The Bees’ “Who Cares What The Question Is?”. I say that like the choice was an easy one, but it was a toss up between The Bees, The Rakes and the Kings Of Leon, to be honest. They’re very different but equally good, so I found it impossible to choose between these three lovely songs. It’s a bit weak, but the reason why The Bees became the lucky winners is simply because I haven’t read that much about this single and it more than deserves a mention on the odd blog. It’s a fun, silly but seriously good pop song with a twang and it happens to have a cool video too. Check it out:

And here’s the wonderfully melancholy but danceable “We Danced Together” by The Rakes:

You can still watch Kings Of Leon’s video for “On Call” here.

I’m gonna cheat even more on top of revealing the top three contenders for single of the month, I’m going to add an EP to my favorite picks of the month. Before you bask in my rebellion, I have to admit that I’ve already mentioned how much we love Bright Eyes’ Four Winds so that saves me having to explain why this is worthy of a top spot. Let’s say laziness is part of my charm. Here’s my attempt to tell you why Four Winds is one of the best things to have happened to my ears last month with a link to a song.