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The Arcade Fire
Funeral

Released in 2004

9.4/10

Styles
Indie Rock
Post Punk
Post Rock

Song Highlights
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Une Annee Sans Lumiere
Rebellion (Lies)

Funeral received an amazing level of hype for an indie-rock album, even one coming from a label as well respected as Merge. It was all with good reason, though, as The Arcade Fire's songs posess a depth of emotion which make them genuinely thrilling to listen to. Through a blend of dense (the band has six members), post-rock backing and sharp, Joy Division-esque, post-punk vocals, the group's output is highly intense, but never self-consious, giving them an honest, emotional sound which is crucial to their music.

Husband and wife duo Win Butler and R�gine Chassagne handle Funeral's vocals in an eight/two split over the album's ten tracks. Butler's vocals are the key driving force here, with his voice regularly reaching some incredible emotional heights. In the opener, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)", he sings of a couple (lovers?), whose bedrooms are connected by tunnels, who meet in the middle of their town each night. As the song reaches its conclusion, Butler sings "Then we think of our parents, well whatever happened to them?" in an emotive peak that reaches truly spine tingling heights. "The Crown of Love" contains some of his sharpest lyrics, moving from the embarrassing beg of "If you still want me, please forgive me" to the wry, dark humour of "The only thing that you keep changing is your name, my love keeps growing still the same, just like a cancer, and you won't give me a straight answer." Other standout tracks such as "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)", "Neighbohood #4 (7 Kettles)" and "Rebellion (Lies)" are largely carried by his consistently brilliant vocals, which often reach those dizzying highpoints that prove to be the album's best moments.

Another of The Arcade Fire's most pleasing idiosynchrasies is their love of the suprise ending. No less than four of Funeral's tracks style-shift during their closing two minutes. Some great ELO-style strings are added to the end of "The Crown of Love", while "Rebellion (Lies)" ends with Butler's calls to "come and find your lovers, underneath the covers" followed by the repeated line "everytime you close your eyes", breathlessly racing the song to its conclusion. Best of all, the pulsating, dual-guitar attack in "Une Annee Sans Lumiere" is one of Funeral's most uplifting sections, with it's rapid-fire intensity being the perfect counterpoint to the gentle, subdued verses which precede it.

As R�gine Chassagne's beautifully soft vocals on "From the Backseat" bring the album to a close, don't be suprised if your first impulse is to start listening from the beginning all over again. Emotionally euphoric and musically outstanding, Funeral deserves all the hype & praise it receives. It's the sort of stuff you can't tear yourself away from for months on end, and is absolutely one of 2004's best releases.