A new one and an old one.

I have been listening to the new Arcade Fire record, Neon Bible, and an old The Appleseed Cast record: Two conversations. Each record very different yet each one bringing me to a new thought, feeling, or idea.



Neon Bible was a record that I was a little hesitant to approach. I am one of the few people who didn't go crazy for the release of Funeral. I might be crazy. I might even have bad taste in music. But in the words of Erica Froman, I was underwhelmed. When I listened to Neon Bible I really enjoy two tracks. The first being the titled track, Neon Bible. I can't get the little guy out of my head but I think it's this video below that really sucked me in. I think the concept is marvelous and quite inventive. I think this is a huge reason why I continue to come back to this short little track.



The other track that makes me want to dance is The Well and the Lighthouse (Track 7). It makes me want to dance, it has a new wave flavor. The vibe is quite different than the rest of the album. Not that it's not upbeat but it takes a different pulse. I like the vocal duality of using both male and female to tell the story. The track is lovely.

How I responded to this record is how I responded to the Hold Steady Record. I could put on any other track and get the same mood and feeling. It is pretty repetitive and often reminds me of Bruce Springsteen. This could tell you some things about myself or the music I tend to listen to but at the end of the record I am usually a little disappointed. Overall I enjoy the record. I keep listening to it but overall I am still overwhelmed.

One last thought and I will move on....So you can debate me on the last fact with the understanding that I loved the new Wilco record. It really is a throw back to 1970 and you could say that The Arcade Fire is just reinventing a familiar sound ( I won't argue with that)....but really I am in love with Wilco and haven't taken the same exhaustive time with Neon as I have with Sky.



The second record I have been enjoying is this Appleseed Cast Record...Two Conversations. It's simple, innocent, and intrusive. It takes you on a ride. I remember going to the beach as a kid and playing in the water all day. When I would lie in bed and hear the ocean I could still feel the waves crashing into my body. That's how this record affects me. I can feel the pull and push of feelings and emotions. I can feel the relationships, I can feel the hurt, want, and pain. I have been there and I think it strikes me that in some way I still want to resonate in that space.

The record is this nice little story with bookends of instrumental opening and closing with songs that drive home emotions and raw feelings. There is something like telling the old lover how you feel and how they have changed you but also made you the person that you are today...hopefully stronger from the brokenness and oddly grateful that it happened.

This record is perfect to read Ethics notes and books about music culture. One that made me realize I was finally doing something that I loved and that music was the root and foundation of why we do it all. This all makes sense to me as I loved loved loved Mineral, especially endserenading... it was (and really still is) one of my favorite records that I listened to in college and still savor and respond to.