Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

...and mandolin. Their debut album Funeral went on to reach critical aclaim being nominated in 2005 for a grammy award for the best alternative music album. Their second album Neon Bible went on to add to their success also being nominated for a grammy award for the best alternative music album. Funeral The newest and most exciting band to come out of canada and they name their debut album "funeral". I must admit I was not impressed. Funeral conjures ...
...gospel and guitar rock. Funeral is unique for its crunchy guitars, intricate string arrangements, and desperate crescendos for an album that is by turns melancholic, playful, and angry, but thoroughly beautiful. This equally beautiful and harrowing listen adds to the groundbreaking sound that creates unpredictability on each track ultimately succeeding by keeping the listener guessing as to what lies around the next corner of each proceeding track. ...

hayama07 16.07.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

In a world where everyone wants to find The Next Big Thing, it's easy to be almost too over-enthusiastic about something, and Arcade Fire could as easily have suffered the fate of being 'Too Cool' or, 'Too Good', as they could have been looked over entirely. There are so many bands around at the moment tagged 'life-affirming', that it's understandable how many people see that label and run. For once though, I think this is a band that deserve such ...
...and a few people that were no-one, not to mention pretty much everyone responsible for the BBC's music output; once the merry strains of 'Wake Up' and 'Power Out' had been picked up upon, they graced everything from montages at the end of Match of the Day to adverts for digital radio, or similar. So it is that, if you've missed the hype, and you come to this album fresh, you'll likely find you recognise bits of it, here and there, themes and tunes, ...

abbichicken 16.01.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

...listen. The reason why Funeral is a brilliant album - yep, I've been assimilated - is partly due to focus: a) At a little over 45 mins the album doesn't outstay it's welcome. b) The songs are simple with more focus on being emotionally sincere than show-off, and c) The production is almost ethereal, it's like the album just existed without being put together - although of course it was put together. Arcade Fire are quite a unique package. I'll ...
...With a title like Funeral (born of out members family tragedies), it's easy to estimate the weight of the album. But unlike say, Coldplay, it's not false despair. Infact it's easy to digest the sadness as it it's sincere and not at all overblown. Importantly, innocent playfulness and a bit of humour puts the essential warming contrast in the belly of it. From listening alone you get the feeling that this album was made more as a shedding of emotion ...

mo79 09.01.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

...see The Arcade Fire. Funeral is way different to anything else that I have ever heard before. I like all kinds of music, from classical to jazz and especially rock, and I'm sure that every music fan out there has at some stage had a sinking feeling, like myself, that every new and exciting act is simply recycled from a previous decade. Funeral is beautifully original. Its hard to explain just what it is about this CD that is so damned good, but ...
...not totally up themselves. Funeral is an album of epic scale. The first "half" is constructed from the 4 neighbourhood songs and the interlude "Une Annee Sans Lumiere". The album was written at a time when many close relatives of the band had died (hence the title) and in these opening five tracks you can really feel the bitterness and isolation of death. "Tunnels" is an purposefully underwhelming opener, as with many of the tracks on the album ...

black_dog 31.08.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

...in 2005. Their classy album, FUNERAL is certainly a contender for best album of 2005. Their unique blend of ochestral laid back music and regular guitar and drums has quietly crept onto the periphery of cool. No one really saw them coming, and proof again that it's the bands with no hype that really raise the bar. Track 1, NEIGHBORHOOD #1 (TUNNELS), is a beautiful opener. In my opinion, it's the best song on the album. The piano, strings, organ ...
...and THEN decide. It's certainly a very classy piece of work, so I would imagine you will either love it or hate it. I loved it! (By the way, I really liked the inlay. It is kind of in the style of a programme for a funeral service!) ...

amazoco 12.10.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

...Regine, who provide the vocals. Funeral is their full length debut - and was produced after the band dealt with the deaths of several family members within a very short space of time. Track listing: 1. Neighborhood #1 (tunnels) 2. Neighborhood #2 (laika) 3. Une annee sans lumiere 4. Neighborhood #3 (power out) 5. Neighborhood #4 (7 kettles) 6. Crown of love 7. Wake up 8. Haiti 9. Rebellion (lies) 10.In the back seat So, from the top! ...
...mix of theatricality, intensity, insanity and an amazing hook. This song is by turns heartbreaking and uplifting, fitting when you realise its about love, death, the death of love and possibly a whole lot more. The lyrics walk a fine line between churlish and iconoclastic, definitely falling into the latter, genius, category. Lines like "sometimes we remember our bedrooms, and our parents bedrooms, and the bedrooms of our friends. Then we think ...

Jarvissa 01.05.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

...the band and the album Funeral has been acclaimed as an internet phenomenon, with much of the early push coming from internet reviews. The band are versed in many instruments and often swap during a show, which is quite spectacular! Let me tell you now, the band are nothing like what is around now. The guitar wielding suit wearing bands (which i seem to be battling against, as youll know if youve read my review of the Magic Numbers) are all over ...
...some of the songs might be catchy, but noting unique or really worth making a fuss about. So you'll understand my scepticism when I was first told about this band by a friend and, having done a bit of research, found that they were called 'indie'. But, on my first listen of the album, I was amazed! This album truly is breathtaking, for the oringinality of the sounds and the SENSE of the lyrics. I get too angry at the moment at lyrics which pretend ...

debz87 27.12.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

...CD case. Everything has had so much care put into it. Even the lyrics sheet relates to the albums title - made up like a Funeral programme. Give it a listen - its worth the purchase and I think it's going to stand the test of time. ...

tac20 26.10.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

I first encountered the Arcade fire at Leeds Festival 2005 when a friend suggested we give the Ceasars a miss and go see this Canadian band she'd been hearing things about. Thank God we did. What followed was THE gig of the festival season, and in my opinion Funeral was the stand out album of the year. Veering from euphoric and soaring to haunting and beautiful with songs often achieving both, it is truly unique. I cant stress how much you are missing out on if you haven't already bought this album. I guarantee it'll be a favourite in your collection for years to come. ...

ladykaty 12.06.2007
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

Songs that range from the achingly beautiful, to powerful and even introspective. The Arcade Fire have already shown their popularity with a Brit award nomination, and the B.B.C using both Wake Up, track number 7 and Rebellion (lies), track number 9 for their Autumn and Winter advertising campaigns respectively. The album gets off to a good start with Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels), a gutsy tune, which starts off with a simple piano and bass guitar to ...
...slow back down at its end. Each song, though in The Arcade Fire have put their stamp all over them, is different from the last, giving the album a fully diverse feel. But the songs can come across depressing, and I wouldn't suggest that people who are not into this type of music buy the album, as those who liked Wake Up, may find songs like Haiti and In the Backseat, a bit whiney and skip through other songs on the album to listen to few on there ...

Squinkle 22.05.2006 (23.05.2006) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

...any other band playing today. Funeral is their first album, released in 2004, it is predated by an EP that has just been rereleased due to their new found popularity. I haven't heard this, but am told it is a slightly sketchier version of the ideas shown on Funeral. This album shows remarkable breadth and vision for such a new and inexperienced band. The album shows them to be a bizarre but beautiful mix of the Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse and the ...
...Butler and co. manage to construct a sound entirely of their own making. This album never sounds like a tribute to their influences and occasionally exceeds them. Every song involves an intense build up to the climax, consequently each song may not be instantly accessible, but leads to a brilliant pay off. Particular track highlights include Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels), an exceptional start to any album and In The Bedroom, the final track, sung By ...

NeilG1 14.09.2005 (20.09.2005) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)

...this album, it's hard to know where to start, but of the 10 tracks on 'Funeral' i'd say that 8 of them are songs that really need to be heard, which makes funeral essential buying . not only the best debut, but the best album of the decade so far. ...

RiccardoFontez 04.06.2007 (10.06.2007) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Funeral [Digipak] - Arcade Fire (The)