Arcade Fire - Funeral

Review of Arcade Fire - Funeral by Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire - Funeral
An album review by
10 Dec 2005
ARTIST: 
Arcade Fire
RECORD LABEL: 
RELEASE DATE: 
Mon 28th Feb 2005

Necessity is the mother of invention, or so they say. It's certainly true that some of the best albums are born out of necessity - or, more specifically, out of a need to react to some particular situation. Adversity, be it in the form of an addiction, a break-up, or some form of socio-political hardship, has brought the best out of many a band, music providing a vital cathartic outlet for pent-up emotion. Just ask The Clash (London Calling), Big Star (Third/Sister Lovers), or, more recently, Ryan Adams (Heartbreaker).

In this sense, Funeral could be said to have been born out of death. Several band members lost family members around the time that the Montréal-based collective were due to start writing their debut album, and the resultant sense of urgency, the feeling of a band literally being spurred into action, is palpable throughout these ten tracks.
Front man Win Butler leads his band mates through what can only be described as a widescreen exploration of human loss and vulnerability. The album embraces the full gamut of earthly emotions, from despair to joy, but the overriding theme is one of resilience, songs such as 'Wake Up' testifying to the indomitable strength of the human spirit. As with most brilliant albums, it's practically impossible to choose a highlight. The whole really is greater than the sum of its parts. Although, musically speaking, Funeral soars and falls from one track to the next (and, frequently, several times within the same track), it never loosens its hold on the listener: the relatively plaintive 'Une Année Sans Lumiere' is every bit as arresting as the bombastic anthem, 'Rebellion (Lies)'.

It's been a long time since a band managed to channel so much honesty, passion and energy into the making of a record; the fact that this is The Arcade Fire's first full-length outing makes the achievement all the more staggering. The first truly exceptional album of the 21st century? A rallying call for a bewildered post-9/11 generation? Call it what you like - Funeral is everything that great music should be. 

Mini review

What's most remarkable about Funeral - an album not exactly short on remarkable aspects - is that these songs are all on the one record. ‘Tunnels’, ‘Power Out’, ‘Wake Up’, ‘Rebellion (Lies)’ (we could go on…): every one an invigorating noughties anthem, and yet here they are all together. So whatever about heralding the power of the 'Pitchfork effect', marking Canada out as a musical powerhouse, immediately influencing countless bands, and proving you can do all of the above with modest independent backing - Funeral is just a ridiculously strong record. Indeed, it’s the strongest in ten years according to the majority of our writers, who overwhelmingly deemed it to be our album of the decade. (Padraic Halpin)

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