Arcade Fire Launch Album with Anti-War Anthem on Saturday Night Live

Neon Bible might just be the greatest rock album this year. Watch this powerful performance here.

If you're wise to the few success the internet has actually thrown to the masses of retail OZ, you're no stranger to the story of the Arcade Fire. Their debut album Funeral sold mostly via word of mouth (without a label) and an early (lucky) nod by David Bowie. The album was later picked up by Merge and became the label's first album in the Billboard 200 chart.

Neon Bible will be Arcade Fire's second full length album released on March 6, 2007. The first single, "Intervention", was released on December 28, 2006 and has been widely discussed across the web for the past two months. This is also the first song they performed on Saturday Night Live on February 24th 2007. For many, this was the first taste mainstream America had for the alternative rock band. Profound and damning, ferocious and passionate are understatements for the performance; the toll of awakening for the congregation of American popular music.

The effective US launch for Arcade Fire with the performace of the seemingly pro-christian, anti-war (and subtley anti-Bush, anti-Iraq-war, anti-oil-war) epic "Intervention" is an act of daring similar to the classic activist rhetoric of Bob Dylan. Moreover, Arcade Fire's lead vocalist and songwriter, Win Butler, was born and raised in Texas. In retrospect, after the effect of last night's performance set it, Arcade Fire could possibly be in the running to topple Radiohead as the greatest contemporary rock ensemble.

This will be the first CD I will buy in 4 years.

Neon Bible

Music Video