This record was part of the Merge Records Born Under A Good Sign subscription series. I've now received everything from the subscription, though I haven't written about everything just yet. I'm not sure how I feel about it overall, but there have certainly been highs and lows. Going into things I would have thought that a full album from A Giant Dog would be one of the records I'd be most excited to receive, as I've really enjoyed everything I've heard from them previously. But, these aren't A Giant Dog songs, they've instead covered the Arcade Fire's album, Neon Bible, in its entirety.
I don't like Arcade Fire. I don't have any of their records, but I had promoted some during my stint in the music biz in the early 2000s. Whatever it is that they're selling, I was never buying. Now that's not to say that their songs, when run through the A Giant Dog filter, couldn't end up being pretty good, but the end result is an album that's uneven at best. When A Giant Dog takes on a rocker, like album opener "Black Mirror" or other louder songs such as "The Well and the Lighthouse" and "(Antiochrist Television Blues)," it's a huge success. This is a band that knows how to push the pedal to the floor and blast out some high energy and catch rock.
That said, the majority of this record is mired in slower songs and a bit more keyboard/synth than I typically like. I think it's probably due to the source material. I don't like Arcade Fire, so unless the songs really sound like ones from another A Giant Dog album, it's just not for me. There's a few standouts worth your time, but the record as a whole isn't something I see myself listening to very much.
A Giant Dog - Neon Bible:
https://agiantdog.bandcamp.com/album/neon-bible
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