Album: Funeral
Artist: Arcade Fire
Release Date: September 14, 2004
Genre: Indie Rock
Length: 0:48:02
Label: Merge Records
Producer: Arcade Fire
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2012): #478
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2020): #500
1,001 Album Book: Yes
A look at life, death, and everything that makes humans notably human...
Arcade Fire's debut record, Funeral, quickly shot them up to the spotlight. The album was nominated for the Best Alternative Music Album at the 2005 Grammy Awards, peaked at #123 on the US Billboard 200, and eventually certified Gold in the US.
The moment you press play on Funeral, the song "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" blesses you with a discombobulated yet simple, and somehow exquisite piano part that accompanies the delicate, yet intense string section. The consistent cello emotionally chopping away underneath, eventually feeds into the intensity of the drums that is uniquely Arcade Fire. The first track on this album provides the perfect amount of comfortability and creativity. This song allows the listener to understand whom Arcade Fire is as a group, what they are about, and how they sound. The vocal performance from Win Butler perfectly mixes light singing and emotional vocal strains that admirably give the album the sound felt throughout Funeral and the rest of their forthcoming career.
The following song "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" provides a slightly different sound than the first song with the introduction of a loudspeaker type of effect on the vocals. The story behind the song features a character dealing with alienation from the people that love him, causing him to fall into an almost depressed demeanor. Each song on the album has themes focusing on different aspects of these so-called "Neighborhoods". Every track focuses on a different struggle within each dimension of being a human-being; the reality that every person deals with similar things no matter where they are from is a focal point throughout Funeral.
The fourth track "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" discusses the death of loved ones and how no generation is safe from this aspect of life. A more energetic and lively song than the rest, the use of the emotion-filled, frantic drumming, mixed with the elegance of the xylophone, the crunchiness of the guitar, the somber string arrangement all with the catchiness of the vocal performance perfectly capture the theme of death throughout the lyrics.
The last "Neighborhood" track on the album "Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)" talks about the passage of time and how no one is safe from it. The lyrics alluding to this inevitable time passing away sung by Butler, all with the consistent beat pounding chords of the guitar, along with the sadness brought forth by the string arrangement all combined give this song a feel that time will move on no matter what. The song is very much time induced with the guitar, the constant clock ticking in the back, the very slight tympani hits in the back, and the slight sound of a tea kettle going off all subtlety capture the theme they were going for with this track.
The groups most popular song, not only on Funeral, but in their entire career to date, "Wake Up" starts with a gritty guitar riff, and then releases with a choir-like sound from background vocalists. Along with the compelling drum patterns with rim hits, intense bass punches and driving cymbal chips, the notorious orchestral symphony sound and the sentimental vocal performance all make this song one of the most memorable tracks on an album. The song changes to a vastly different feel a little over halfway into the track without losing the energy given to whoever listens to Funeral throughout.
The album never loses its strength setup in the beginning half, but rather fortifies what was already an incredible journey. Along with "Wake Up", the song "Rebellion (Lies)" gives life to the entire back half of the album. The force of the bass hits, the consistent piano chords, the laidback vocals with the occasional snare slap, all to slowly build into a climax released by the groove of the drums makes "Rebellion (Lies)" a perfectly arranged jam. The contagious lyrics and the notable chorus with the background vocals provide an impeccable contrast to Win Butler's emotional vocal performance, which is peak Arcade Fire.
This album is nearly perfect. Obviously, musical perfection is subjective, but the way this entire album is performed positions Arcade Fire as an indie rock powerhouse. The energy filled throughout, while also being able to tone it down and give the listener a more personal look with the lyrics, and the emotional orchestral scores all mixed together puts Funeral as one of the best albums I've listened to in my life, making me want this album to be played at my Funeral...
Favorite Songs: "Rebellion (Lies)", "Wake Up", "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)"
Least Favorite Song: No songs that could be considered my least favorite
Production Quality:
Mix = 10/10
Innovation = 10/10
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 10/10
Lyricism = 9.5/10 (Very deep songs, but some lyrics can be slightly simple compared to the rest)
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 10/10
Instrumental Timbre = 10/10
Group Chemistry = 10/10
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 10/10
Overall Rating: 9.95/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!