Customer Reviews
another great find by merge 
2008-06-08
no one has a better ear for new bands then mac and laura from Merge, and no one from Canada has such an original inpact on my indie rock music than tne Arcade fire.
Repetitive 
2008-05-27
*Review From A Classic Rock Fan
I found this album to be very repetitive. Maybe not in the song structures or lyrics, but in the sound. I have listened to this five times now and I still have not found an amazing song that really sticks out among the rest. The upside to this however is that there is not a bad note, making this album just OK. It is the album's sound that has probably made it so popular, because then there is not much room for criticism. However, that is why I like there next album so much more, because it is so much more diverse, and something that I would recommend well before this one.
New to Arcade Fire 2008-04-19
I ordered this cd back in January 08 out of curiosity--had read great reviews of both this and Neon Bible but had hever actually heard anything by them. I honestly was blown away. This is the best cd on the whole that I have ever heard. The packaging actually came with 2 cd's so I gave the extra one to my sister and told her I heard they were good. Two days later she emails me to tell me it was her new favorite cd. My only regret was that I caught on to them too late to catch them on tour for Neon Bible (which I immediately bought and is also 5 stars). I just received the debut EP and can't wait to get to know it. If you're on the fence about these guys or just curious, do yourself a favor and order something by them. They are incredible.
As good as it gets for a first album 
2008-03-12
I am a recent fan of AF and started with Neon Bible. This debut album reminds of the feeling of pure raw driven energy I heard in the first efforts by The Cure, U2, Cranberries and Talking Heads. This is not to say AF's sound is similar to those bands but that I heard unique genuine compositions coming from the heart with potential for greatness. Those other bands went on to more polished sophisticated and popular work but the early stuff containing the seeds of success has an unadulterated feel that cannot be matched. My favorites are Wake up, Haiti, Rebellion. Even after weeks of repeated listening I'm still overcome when Regine begins "Haiti, mon pays ..."
As good a debut album as any 2008-03-02
The Arcade Fire in a strange way became the sort of "go to" band for anyone craving anything indie. While other bands have had success, more talk and discussion were placed on this band to the point I was worried they were becoming a victim of overexposure; the band to "save us from the awfulness of rock" as it were. While there is a bit of overhyped feelings, it's hard not to see how good it felt to not see a band bogged down by MOR-ready sounds. Sounding unique yet strangely familiar, reminscent of other bands without ripping them off, Funeral is a good example of a debut album of a band confident right out of the gate.
The album starts with probably my favorite album opener in years, "Neighborhood # 1 (Tunnels)". Being part 1 of 4 parts, this starts out with a more steady beat and vocalist Win Butler's impassioned singing, the song seems to almost crescendo and build for the whole thing. Even though I can't sing, I can't help but sing the falsettos at the end and rock out. It's too bad part 2, called "Laika" followed it since it's a strong track with its harmonic-tinged guitar, and what sounds like a accordian or a musette, it's certainly unique and catchy but again, too bad Tunnels was played first.
Then of course we come to probably the most well-known track, part 3 entitled "Power Out" which is just energetic and propulsive. It may not be catchy in an radio sense and even on first listen, I didn't care much for it but it grew quite quickly. The last part, entitled "7 Kettles" is an acoustic track with some percussion thrown in and it almost feels like a pub song by way of a Celtic beat (though I might be off on that).
"Wake Up" is just as energetic as "Power Out" with big choir-esque parts and a catchy main riff, it's another album highlight and became a live favorite. Then we come down to "Rebellion (Lies)" which continues the sound of having a steady beat and the song building as it progresses. My one complaint is the "liiees, liiies" hook during the chorus; I don't mind the hook, just the vocal used but still, it's quite a catchy song and could see why it was a single. The closer has co-vocalist and Butler's wife Regine Chassagne taking over the vocals. It still has the big guitar riffs, pianos, strings and whatnot but it's not as epic sounding has something like Tunnels or Wake Up which kind of helps with the album's title and subject matter. Not my favorite track but a decent closer.
The Arcade Fire is quickly becoming one of the more promising bands to me and if they keep it up, they can also be one of the new millennium's best. Hopefully they don't burn out too quickly though.
Great CD! 2008-01-28
Montreal's Arcade Fire brings a theatricality, an intensity, an insanity, and a penchant for amazing hooks to their debut full-length. You've never heard such energy, beauty, and emotion from such a young band. Fans of Neutral Milk Hotel, Broken Social Scene, and Roxy Music's first two albums will have a new favorite band.
The pressure makes them crack 2008-01-11
There once was a man called Isaac Brock he put his boat down in the dock his very best friends were in for a shock....and then he. Oh sorry I'm drambling again that delicous dream ramble. This long player is genuinely overated, not at all bad but not that great either. If you don't believe me listen to the last track (the one about taking out the back seat and driving your grandma around from the back seat looking like the cool b*****d that we are) and tell me it doesn't have more emotion than the rest of the album put together? hah what was that? darkfathers cat (rattler age 2) got ya tounge? The saddest thing is that the track shows the band's potential when they decide not to plod but I thought Indie in all forms was supposed to be dangerous or inspiring. Sonic Youth lolling through Starpower or Fugazi ripping through Public witness program. Don't expect that raw emotion here but don't expect bad music here either, or so David says anyway.
Great Debut Album, Really Worth the Money 2007-12-30
I understand some people just don't "get" the Arcade Fire, and that's OK (maybe they will one day). There is something very powerful & emotive about the lead vocalist akin to say, Jack White's type of howling. However, unlike the White Stripes, Arcade Fire have an amazing about of music going on besides the bluesy, heartfelt lyrics and often it's done in a surprising way.
Almost what 3 or 4 years after this debut album was released and I still go back to several key songs over and over. I'm always interested in what this band is doing and I hope they keep progressing into new territory.
One of the best cds of the decade thus far 2007-12-26
I have only had this record for a few months, but I can already say that it is one of the best cds I have heard so far this decade, and Arcade Fire is easily my find of 2007.
This band seems to throw everything at you, including the kitchen sink. They have managed to create a very unique sound, not to mention using a wide array of instrumentation. Aside from the usual guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards, they utilize instruments such as the cello, French Horn, xylophone, violin, mandolin, and many others.
Getting to the record in question, "Funeral"..."Wake Up" is probably their most well-known song to date, and it is a keeper, but almost every song on this record is a winner, my favorites being "Rebellion (Lies)," "Une Annee Sans Lumiere," "Haiti," and "Crown of Love." The only song I find to be less than stellar is "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)." It isn't a bad song by any means, but the quality of every other song is just so high, that it feels like a bit of a letdown. Still, in the context of the album, it works.
In short, this cd comes highly recommended by me.
This is where it really started 2007-12-21
I came to "Funeral" via a wonderful festival live appearance and the grandeur of "Neon Bible", but this is where it really all began: Merge, a brave indie music label took on this rather grand but inexperienced group from Montreal and made an album which included such obscur titles as "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels"). While the group has gained in stature and especially confidence since and their sound has become both more amplified and grander on "Neon Bible, "Funeral" is a tremendous first album with most of the signature sound themes already present, with the rhythmic build up and the anthemic style. A great starting point.
