Review: Arcade Fire, Ennio Morricone

Review: Arcade Fire, Ennio Morricone

Arcade Fire 'Neon Bible': Aidin Vaziri | "Set my spirit free," Win Butler demands on "My Body Is a Cage," the closing track of Arcade Fire's second album. It might sound as if the Montreal indie-rock band's leader is playing to type. His stage-sagging group's 2004 premiere CD, "Funeral," was all about death, death, death. And yet on "Neon Bible," this is one of only a few times Butler even contemplates the afterlife. Like the cacophonous music that now clangs with military drums and parade fanfare, the songwriter's focus has shifted to politics and thoughts of, well, staying alive. "Don't wanna fight in a holy war," he howls on "Windowsill." Who can blame him? When you're capable of turning out music with this much conviction (plus a dash of '80s melodrama) life's too good.

Various Artists 'We All Love Ennio Morricone': Aidin Vaziri | What kind of tribute is this? The cover is an eyesore. The list of contributors looks as if it were pulled from a hat. And the whole thing opens with Celine Dion. She is the last candidate anyone should have considered to honor Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who is best known for his unforgettable scores of films such as "The Mission" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," and who, on Feb. 25, received an honorary Oscar. The thrill of seeing Bruce Springsteen, Andrea Bocelli and Metallica sit side by side is lost after hearing them take on the lofty material. The Boss is lost in an ocean of strings on the instrumental "Once Upon a Time in the West," while Chris Botti and Roger Waters simply fall by the wayside. It's never a good sign when the guest of honor has to get off his throne and step in to get things back on course. Here, Morricone performs three of the tracks himself.