In 2007, Arcade Fire released their second full-length album, Neon Bible, not only to critical acclaim, but to immense hype, as well. It seemed everywhere I turned there was some mention of the album and whether it was brilliant or just plain bad. I, like most people it seemed, purchased a copy of the album based on the strength of the few songs I had heard. However, I maybe made it through three-fourths -- possibly all the way through -- once or twice and didn't return to the album for some time.Call me ridiculous, but with everyone talking about Neon Bible, I lost interest in it. It's hard for me to get invested in something when all I do is hear about it or see it pretty much everywhere (LOST being one of the few exceptions). It's possible it was one of those mentalities where here was this terrific band that people knew about, but that still maintained a certain level of obscurity that was appealing (Is it a music snob thing? Oh, God, I hope not!). Upon the release of Neon Bible, everyone and their mother and their dog knew about Arcade Fire, and "Keep the Car Running" became one of those anthems you hear in a sports stadium; it was subsumed as some sort of sports anthem for a new generation (at least that was my impression).
