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Funeral

Arcade Fire

2004

Funeral
Album Summary

Funeral is the debut studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on September 14, 2004 by Merge Records. Preliminary recordings for Funeral were made during the course of a week in August 2003 at the Hotel2Tango in Montreal, Quebec, and the recording was completed later that year all in an analogue recording format. The album produced five singles, with "Rebellion (Lies)" being the most successful, having peaked at #19 on the UK Singles Chart. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Alternative Music Album. It received widespread critical acclaim and topped many year-end and decade-end lists. According to the website Metacritic, the album had the second most appearances on end-of-decade Top 10 lists, only behind Radiohead's Kid A. In the 2020 updated version of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, it was ranked at number 500.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.58

Votes

17859

Genres

  • Rock
  • Pop
  • Indie

Reviews

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Aug 18 2021
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2

The kind of music your friend listens to because a girl he likes told him she liked it.

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Apr 17 2021
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5

On of the great records of this century, from the moment it breaks the silence with tunnels to the dramatic and soulful ending, this is a complete triumph.

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May 30 2023
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2

Indie pop that’s just experimental enough to make people think they’re smart because they listen to it. There’s a cohesive, expansive sound to the record, but the songs don’t really accomplish anything, go anywhere or have any bite to them; it’s just a lot of sound that ends up being not very memorable. Didn’t get the hype when it came out. Still don’t get it now, but this might be the record that spawned a thousand imitators trying to cash in on the “indie sound”, which ultimately ruined indie rock. In that regard, “Funeral” is a fitting title, indeed.

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Oct 13 2020
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1

I understand what is wrong with millennials now

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Mar 16 2021
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5

Funeral is the record that awakened me to Arcade Fire and drove the long stake of their art, sentiment, & depth into my heart forever. This album is 6 strong stars out of 5 and would easily rank in my top 20 albums of the last 20 years. There is no calling out any one song, as Funeral has not one weakness of any sort, but only lavishes us with the angst and love of youth that reminds me that no matter how far away from our childhoods that we are, we can dance, sing and celebrate life amidst the pain of living. HOW is this any band's first full length album? INCREDIBLE. **On Saturday I watched the St. Paddy's SNL episode from 2018 when AF performed from their latest album and was reminded once again how epic their live performances are. When the music venues are open once again and Arcade Fire is within driving distance, I will be there celebrating life and dancing with them.

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Feb 06 2021
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5

I think my incredibly high rating for this probably says a lot about how old I am and where I spent my formative years.

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Jan 22 2021
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5

The album that set the tone for Arcade Fire. The subject matter and lyrics reflect a disconnect with society. The white picket fence falling apart. The album plays with the idea of our surrounds reflected by a neighborhood. Heavy emotional subjects surrounded by big sound, organs, instruments. A full orchestra at times. The energy put forth by the band and deep connection makes it one of my favorites.

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May 02 2023
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2

This is some of the whitest music I’ve ever heard in my life. I guess some might call this “ambitious” but I think it’s just a bit over the top and not very compelling.

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Oct 03 2021
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5

Saved Prior: Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), Neighborhood #2 (Laika), Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), Wake Up, Rebellion (Lies) Not Saved: 10. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles) Saved: 9. Une Annee Sans Lumiere 8. Crown of Love 7. In the Backseat 6. Neighborhood #2 (Laika) 5. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) 4. Haiti 3. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) 2. Wake Up 1. Rebellion (Lies) Overall Notes: A very very difficult album to rank 1-10. I saw these guys in concert (would highly recommend) so I'm pretty familiar with their stuff, and each song on this album brings strong musical elements to the table. Album is super nostalgic yet at the same time forward looking. Great stuff. One thing I'll say is that it's crazy that Wake Up doesn't open up the album, and the tracklist flows a little weird to me. But what do I know? 4.75 rounded up because math.

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Feb 13 2021
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5

I fucking love this album so much. So much so I need to swear to emphasize the deepness of my love for it. You've probably heard half the songs from BBC montages in the past but not even they could ruin this album. Every song fits perfectly and flows to the next perfectly. Yes they are all weird arty canadians but wow. I think this might have been the first proper indie album I ever truly loved. And there's nothing like your first love. 5/5

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Dec 07 2021
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4

Quintessential "indie" rock right here, and there is a particular honest charm here that I really dig throughout most of it.

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Nov 28 2021
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1

Not sure if music from this period is bad or if I just didn't like it. But I did not enjoy this one bit; bland, pretentious, and needy. The early-00s equivalent of easy listening.

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Nov 16 2021
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5

This one. This one I want to hear performed live. I want the bass to tickle the soles of my feet and rattle my ribcage. I want to dance and sweat and mouth all the words. More than many, this album feels like one piece of work, rather than a collection of songs. I've never seen Arcade Fire. I'm making all of this up. Here is my daydream: This works best in my mind if I imagine a smallish venue --- max. capac. at most 500 people, an old theater with red velvet curtains and a proscenium stage. We've got reserved seats (we are too old for general admission) in the 6th row and a warm whiskey buzz going. The first three tracks bring us in gently, but each of these rises and falls in tempo and intensity, building to a boppy finish at the end of Une année sans lumière. And THEN, Neighborhood #3 hits like a ton of bricks and we are overwhelmed with sound and light and maybe we can't breathe. Good thing Neighborhood #4 is next so we can take a minute to recover, continuing into the beginning of Crown of Love which builds some more, shifting to a crooning ballad and again to a disco finish that leads into the steady groove of the anthemic Wake Up which itself shifts to a dance party reminiscent of The Jam or Iggy Pop. Rebellion really feels like a finale. We're all on our feet, jumping to the beat in unison. It's hot. We all need water. Almost done. We know. We are elated, high on the show. Applause, clapping, stomping. We want an encore! We hear In the Backseat start before lights come up. We close our eyes, all breathing the same air. Music builds for the last time. It is too much but we don't want it to end. Instruments gradually drop out one by one. No applause at the end of this one. We exit quietly, our ears ringing, a tear in our eyes, a gentle smile on our lips.

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Jan 15 2021
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5

Brilliant instrumentation and melodies are constant throughout, each song stands out for its originality. The album builds to Crown of Love and Wake Up euphoria, continuing through to Rebellion. And then before you know it the pace slows right down to a reflective finale with In The Backseat. One of the best, most sonically and lyrically unique debut albums you will ever listen to. Sounds just as fresh it would have done in 2004.

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Feb 18 2021
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1

It's...... alright. I didn't enjoy it, I just listened to it. It's good, but not really.

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Oct 06 2021
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4

Honestly, this was very close to being a sonic masterpiece for me, but there were moments that took me out of the listening experience here and there. I think I will definitely re-visit this one and can easily see it becoming one of my favorites. From the instruments to the lyricism to the overall atmosphere, I'm pretty much sold.

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Apr 27 2023
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2

I just can't bear his weak whiny voice. Would have given it one star but I know there is far worse on this list ...

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Jan 21 2022
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5

Possibly my favourite album. It's hard to describe how it makes me feel without sounding pretentious, so I might as well lean into it... For me, it's like an escape into some time and place that probably never existed (between the click of the light and the start of the dream, you might say). Rustic and intimate yet also epic and ethereal. There's an earnestness to the the lyrics that lends extra power and purpose to the oh-whoa-whoa singalong bits. They come across a bit like they're preaching the views of some cult, but one whose cause I can really get behind. Laika and Power Out bring a chaotic energy, like punk if punk was invented 200 years ago in Central Europe. Tunnels might be the most romantic song I've ever heard, in some strange way. And Rebellion is the best of the lot - that string/vocal melody in the outro is one of my all-time favourite bits of music. Also, I reckon In The Backseat is their underrated masterpiece. Love that portentous guitar chord at 2:25, and the way the track diminishes to just a whisper at the end sounds like being left alone with your thoughts after everyone leaves the party, or life continuing after someone has died. Which is what I believe the song, (and most of the album), is about: life, death, and the struggle to hold onto childhood innocence as you get older. Saw it performed live once but loads of people talked over it. Ah well, it's only music innit.

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Mar 01 2024
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5

I was 19 when this album came out, and obviously it felt like the most important piece of music ever recorded, as things released when you are 19 tend to do. I really resent who I was at the time so I expected to hate this, but it brings me no pleasure to announce I am incorrect and misty-eyed while listening to it in my driveway. Five stars.

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Jul 18 2023
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5

I wanted to be cynical about this (probably due to his recent indiscretions) and say that on reflection they didn’t deserve the godlike indie reverence they received, but it’s just banger after banger.

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Nov 16 2021
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5

I haven't listened to this album in quite a while - so it was good to have this opportunity to revisit it. On this listen the similarities to the Electric Light Orchestra stood out. The way that many of their songs have distinct, contrasting "movements" and their use or orchestral instruments and the string arrangements at times had me thinking Arcade Fire is a sort of alternative music evolution of ELO. I love the song "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)." The music and vocal performance transports me to the snow covered landscape of the song. "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" with its shouty delivery and accordion tackles dysfunctional family dynamics and sacrificial lambs by referencing Laika, the first creature sent on a one-way trip into space. "So the neighbors can dance in the police disco lights." Incredible imagery and a great song. "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" is one of my favorite songs on the album. The xylophone is a fantastic addition to this song that starts with a power failure and goes to so many places from there… Crown of Love's" heartbreaking exploration of love and its impermanence shows the softer side of Arcade Fire, until it builds to a frenetic ending. So good. "Wake Up" is a masterpiece. 'We're just a million little gods causing rain storms turning every good thing to rust.' Wow. "Rebellion (Lies)" is a close contender for favorite song on the album. The key changes on "Every time you close your eyes" are so great. "In The Backseat" gives the lead vocals to Régine Chassagne and is a cool change to end the album on. I love the feelings evoked of just riding in the backseat... and at times her voice is very reminiscent of Björk to me - so compelling. I love this album. FUNERAL's strong underlying themes of family and community are explored with a desperation that is palpable. A fantastic debut from Arcade Fire that has more than earned its place on this list!

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Aug 27 2021
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5

The more I hear from Arcade Fire, the more I love them. I was only 8 when this album came out, so I never got to hear it fully. But WOW, this record is packed with so much emotion and catharsis. Touching the subjects of death and mortality are something that artists either do very plainly because they are too general, or very deeply because they've actually experienced or thought about it in a personal moment. This album is the latter, by almost all members of the band, and they really put their heart into being expressionists. The sounds can be overwhelming and anxiety ridden - but in a beautiful way that makes sense and reflects the stages of grief we all must someday face. Favorite Song: Une Annee Sans Lumiere Least Favorite Song: Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)

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Jul 12 2021
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5

Easily the most influential album of my childhood + teen years, one of my all-time favorites. No way to say how much this record means to me. Every note feels measured and intentional without losing any of the emotion behind it. And of course, I'm a sucker for a good theme. Wake Up, Tunnels, and Backseat send a chill down my spine a thousand listens later. I love you, Arcade Fire.

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Sep 30 2020
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5

Closer to a 4.5, but a 5 is deserved

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Dec 09 2020
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5

5*..... a bona fide classic album. They never bettered this unfortunately, but what a debut!!!

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Oct 29 2021
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4

I'm hard-pressed to think of this as anything other than my third-favorite Arcade Fire release. Realistically, it's probably their second-best. From both subjective and objective stances, it's an absolute icon of heart-on-sleeve indie. The quality jump from the EP is massive, and the rest of the oeuvre is built of many of the same ingredients. I find devastation, which as far as I can tell is the point, mostly at the beginning and end.

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Aug 02 2024
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3

Of note: Rolling Stone’s most recent 500 Greatest Albums of All Time guide has this ranked as #500. I love the sentiment that “Funeral” is the least of the greatest albums of all time.

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Aug 17 2023
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3

It sounds like if Cage The Elephant forgot how to write catchy hooks, I enjoyed a few moments alright though. Probably won’t listen again any time soon.

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Nov 21 2024
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1

people that like music like this must be so fucking boring

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Jan 18 2024
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5

My teenage angst. Introduction to adult themes and feelings before I had actually experienced them. Reminds me of being young and having hope for the future.

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Nov 23 2021
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5

Fantastic album. Top 10 all time for me. Such a great introduction for folks to indie. 5/5

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Nov 23 2021
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5

Masterpiece. Among the top 5 albums of the last 20 years. Some of the songs on here are in the all-time pantheon. I might argue Tunnels is my favorite opening track on any album, ever.

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Mar 04 2021
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5

A lot of love for this album. Seems to be the most highly rate AF album, though not my favourite as a whole. Rebellion and Wake Up were such influential songs for me and are still so relevant - love them just as much today. Bunch of crazily talented people.

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Dec 25 2024
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4

Strange, but a nice eclectic mix. Good for making edits in my head

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Aug 17 2024
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4

Quite cinematic and lush. Sweet music.

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Dec 28 2023
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4

This is an album that I have listened to many times, but that I haven't listened to recently. I never really gave much thought to the lyrics of this album on previous listens, but it was really nice to go through this album with a more critical ear, and try to decipher what the lyrics mean. I thought the lyrics were an absolute homerun; I loved the themes of growing up, loss, and the evolution of familial relationships over time. This album is really beautiful as well; the arrangements are unique, and no one else in 2004 was putting out music that sounded like this (at least not that I can think of). Also, there are a few of songs on this album that are so great and massive that they stand alone on their own really well: "Neighborhood #3," "Wake Up," and "Rebellion (Lies)." Those three songs are easily the highlight of this album for me. For the longest time, "Wake Up" was my favorite track; I love its fantastic opening guitar riff, booming drums, and great synthesizer sounds that fill in the background. But eventually, "Rebellion (Lies)" took over as my favorite, and two things influenced that: 1) There was an episode of 6 Feet Under where Nate and Brenda are having an argument and this song plays in the background. As the argument escalates and intensifies, the song gets louder and more intense as well. It was just a perfect way to use it 2) Arcade Fire closed out ACL in 2011 with "Rebellion (Lies)," and the energy from that as the closing song was absolutely perfect, and it gave me a new appreciation for it. Going into this album today, I assumed it was going to be an easy five star review for me, but I don't think I love this album as much as I used to. Some of the songs are pretty boring and drag on for too long, and the production is pretty lacking as well. This is a self-produced debut album on an independent record label, and it sounds like it. The lyrics are hard to make out for most of the album, because the vocals are so drowned out by everything else, and that's a bummer, because the lyrics are great. However, this album is massive in terms of its influence. When this came out, FM radio still pretty much ruled the roost, and there was nothing like Arcade Fire being played to a wide radio audience back then (at least not that I can remember). But this album created a large fan base for Arcade Fire, showing that people were interested in this kooky band comprised of a gaggle of hipsters, and I think it helped indie rock reach a larger audience. Sometimes the critics and the masses align, and popular music scored a big win that this album was popular and also well reviewed.

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May 30 2022
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4

Arcade Fire are so overwrought that I feel just getting up in the morning and making breakfast involves a major production number for them. Fortunately for them the songs are generally good enough to live up to the treatment, at least on this album; I first heard this when it came out and did not expect much from it (wasn't a fan of the self-titled EP that preceded it), but it actually proved to be really solid. Still is.

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Dec 10 2021
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4

Mostly good songs that just roll through. When they work they're great. When they don't it just a bit indie meh

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Nov 22 2021
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4

Jättebra! Men jag blir så ledsen! Men det är så bra!

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Nov 16 2021
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4

Another album that took a while to grow on me, having not been familiar with it before. I didn’t grow fond of the lead vocal, though. It's a pet peeve when lyrics are unintelligible (said the crabby old person), and there's a quality of his voice that I struggle with. That said, it's because I started to like the rest of the music so much that his voice stood out so much to me. Maybe I'll get that, too, at some point. I enjoy this album more each time I listen. I like the very different musical sounds of each of the songs, and I can't really pick my favorites without listing most of them. I did have a special fondness for "In the Backseat" and the lyric "My family tree's losin' all its leaves" stabbed me a bit. It really did conjure up vivid emotion and imagery that goes with the album title.

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Apr 14 2023
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3

Sounds like an indie album from the early 2000s. To be fair, this album probably popularized the sound. Big production, emotional vocals, varied instrumentation. There are some strong singles but the rest of the album feels a little same-y.

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Nov 25 2021
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3

Who or what is the funeral for? The youth? They do seem a mite hung-up about the world children are being born into. Or is it the death of the 'neighbourhood'--the slightly irritating conceit for four song titles? If it was me, I'd be lamenting the last three tracks, which are all 'slow builds'--the standard indie Polyfilla when a song isn't working. Despite the band's best efforts, thoe songs expire lamely anyway. Let's assume they never figured out what their concept was and remember that, until 'Haiti' comes around, it doesn't matter. Win's vocals are absurd, falling somewhere between Bono, David Thomas and Gerard Way (did you know such a place existed?) I guess that makes him part universalist, part edge-of-nervous breakdown, and part actual breakdown. The band walks its own tightrope between lavish orchestration and thin, scratchy guitars. Those components shouldn't work but mostly do because this gazillion-piece (who clearly had stadium aspirations from the start, so "indie" my butt) knows how to rinse every last drop from a key change. The one in the Kettle chorus epitomises their whole sound. And they can write in a way that's general enough to seem relevant to everyone but specific enough to stay weird ("They say a watched pot won't ever boil / You can't raise a baby on motor oil" is a favourite). They're best when they work themselves up into a tizz. The strings at the end of Crown of Love are so hyper they could have been made specially for a football highlights package. But when these guys are peaking not even a seven-goal thriller would match the melodrama. Shame they got scared of their shadow after The Suburbs.

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Aug 05 2024
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2

Middling aughts indie rock that didn’t interest me then and still doesn’t now.

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Mar 29 2024
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2

#174. I listened to this yesterday, and as I'm trying to think about it now, I realize I already don't really remember what it sounds like. Arcade fire is just that memorable I guess. I'm pretty sure I remember thinking the girl kinda sounds like Björk on the last song. Not sure if that's a positive or a negative, but that's what I got. 2/5: hipster folk

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Mar 14 2024
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2

There was one song I liked on this album and after listening to the entire album, I can’t remember it…

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Aug 11 2023
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2

I thought it was going to be better than what it was.

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Apr 10 2023
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2

If the people who invented and created recording equipment knew it was going to be (mis)used this way they would have never gone through with it. I hope they called it funeral to celebrate the end of their musical career because they realized they should have never even begun to try and make any music.

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Jul 27 2022
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2

Wanted to like it more than I actually did Way too meandering Rebellion (Lies), Wake Up, and Crown of Love are the good songs

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Feb 25 2021
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2

Had I been born 15 years later I might have been into these guys a lot more, although they give me definite Smashing Pumpkins vibes, and I was never keen on those guys. The vocalist has quite an annoying voice, which is directly responsible for me thinking the best song on the album by far is the final track that he doesn't sing.

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May 27 2023
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1

Please, this is not one of the finest albums of all time

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Aug 16 2022
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1

I don’t get them. I don’t get any of these “how many people can we fit on a stage? More? Give ‘em a drum” bands. If the songs were there I’d be down, but I’ve heard them for years, and listened now and found that literally none of it sticks in my mind. Gun to my head, I couldn’t name an Arcade Fire song to save my life. And I JUST listened to this album!

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Jan 19 2021
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1

This album didn't move the needle for me at all. 10 tracks of background misic.

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Mar 25 2025
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5

Iconique. Dramatique. Intense. Mellilo.

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Mar 25 2025
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5

Trop difficile d'avoir du recul avec ses anciens amours. Surtout quand ça fait 20 ans. Album parfait pour le moi de 19 ans. Album encore grandiose pour le moi de 39.

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Mar 25 2025
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5

Cet album occupe une place importante dans mon coeur. Je ne m'en lasse jamais. Parfait à mes yeux, j'oserais dire. J'aime l'intensité, l'orchestration, les montées, les effets dramatiques et l'émotion à high. En particulier la face B, à partir de Crown of Love, et les pièces qui s'enchaînent.

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Mar 24 2025
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5

this isn't arcade fire's best-written, best-produced, or best-sounding album. it doesn't have their best songs on it. it even sounds a little dated to my 2025 ears - but that's only because *so* much of indie rock scrambled to emulate them in the wake (ha) of funeral. it's hard to appreciate how good it is because everything sounded like this for a while, but i remember this blowing my mind back in the aughts and staying up late waiting for neon bible to drop. the delivery of "take it from your heart, put it in your hand" still makes me misty-eyed. it's really a shame win butler showed his ass with what a prick he is. i try not to think about that for these early albums, but unfortunately, as this list proves over and over again, terrible people can make great art.

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Mar 24 2025
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5

solid debut and some great indie rock here. i recognized wake up and rebellion (lies), and have probably heard some of the neighborhood tracks prior. i don't think this holds a candle to neon bible or the suburbs but it definitely lays the groundwork for them. it's around 4.5 stars for me but i'll round up since i just gave some much less enthralling albums 4s on here. favorites: neighborhood #1 (tunnels), neighborhood #2 (laika), neighborhood #3 (power out), crown of love, wake up, rebellion (lies)

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Mar 23 2025
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5

Damn. Insanely good. I kind of hate when things are theatrical for the sake of it, but this album earns its melodrama, everyone is bringing their A game. This deserves to be hailed as an indie masterpiece

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Mar 11 2025
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5

How did I miss on this one when it came out??

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Mar 08 2025
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5

Рок + оркестр = ❤️ Альбом Funeral канадской группы Arcade Fire, образованной супружеским дуэтом, имеет очень заманчивое звучание. Женский вокал напоминает вокалистку группы Phantogram, мужской чем-то похож на вокалиста из Empire Of The Sun, а инструментал содержит в себе элементы инди-рока с мотивами, схожими с группой The Strokes, и оркестровую начинку, что делает звучание группы интересным и уникальным. Из треков хотелось бы выделить чисто инди-рок песню Power Out, сыгранную с особым драйвом, композицию Crown Of Love, припев которой отсылается к легендарной Oh! Darling битлов, и прекрасный завершающий трэк In The Backseat, оставляющий хорошее послевкусие после прослушивания альбома. Творение, заслуживающее максимальной оценки (и сборки плейлиста на яндекс музыке посредством голосового поиска каждой композиции с альбома отдельно). Супружеские 5/5.

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Mar 05 2025
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5

This is fuckin awesome. I've genuinely never listened to this front to back before - and now i've done it twice today. I knew a hand full of tracks off of here....mainly Wake Up and Rebellion. But wow super cohesive and exactly what I wanted it to be. These guys absolutely cooked here. They call this one of the greatest modern rock albums of all-time and I totally get it. 5 Stars

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Mar 03 2025
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5

Actually an excellent album, a highlight of noughties india, exuberant, confident, grand, mildly overly self awareness, occasionally self indulgent, serious but in a fun sort of way - uplifting, intelligent, ever so slightly annoying but you let them off. 10 out of 10, would listen again!

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Mar 01 2025
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5

Just a beautiful album, where every song feels it belongs there to create a cohesive listening experience. It still sounds as fresh and brilliant as when it came out.

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Mar 01 2025
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5

White, suburban millennial middle class ass music. Shouldn't be 5 stars but it is.

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Feb 27 2025
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5

Indie pop isn't my favorite but this is a genre defining album. Strong throughput, great ebbs and flows. Played with energy, honesty and complexity.

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Feb 26 2025
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5

Prior to all the peaks and inevitable plateaus and general persona-non-grata feel of them all, Arcade Fire represented a belief of hope, a bright light eager to outshine the rest of the other lights. They seemed made from parts of other rock bands' upwards trajectories but they infused it with a earnestness that felt and sounded hard-won. The irony of the album being called Funeral is that it should be the end of things, rather than the beginning. Yet Arcade Fire's boisterous beginning signaled a sign of things to come as they wound up making their presence felt in the ensuing decade.

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Feb 22 2025
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5

For me, this isn't just one of the best albums of the 2000s, it's up there as one of the best debut albums of all time. It still stuns me that Arcade Fire arrived so fully formed, with their own distinctive sound and an album that's wonderfully coherent, both musically and thematically. Most bands don't reach that level until several albums in, and many never get there. The downside is each of their subsequent albums will always be compared to Funeral, and they haven't been able to reach that height again.

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Feb 18 2025
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5

Really great I mean this as a positive, but it seems like they picked a really good melody and just did it for 45 mins. It sounds great. Could be released then, would be as good if it was released today. Top stuff

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Feb 11 2025
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5

I really enjoyed this! In a world of derivative music this somehow sounded original. Lovely arrangements and instrumentation.

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Feb 11 2025
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5

In my mind Funeral was among the greatest albums released during the indie-boom of the 2000s and thankfully it still holds up today thanks to having such a strong through-line of theme and sound. Each song feeling like a cohesive part of a complete body of work while still standing alone to give the band some of their best singles – Power Out is still the best thing they have ever done in my opinion. Arcade Fire had such a drop off in quality with each subsequent release (to be fair, I do like The Suburbs) that it makes looking back on this album quite bittersweet as I realise now it was almost a fluke how good this album is and maybe not an indication for how good they are as a band, but I'm glad we got this one great album from them at the very least as it remains up there with my favourites.

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Feb 07 2025
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5

The album is great overall, but then in the middle it goes from a higher energy Neighborhood #3 to a mid album slump of Neighborhood #7 and the first two thirds of Crown of Love back to back. I feel like the next track after those slow sad songs being called Wake Up is addressed at the listener to wake up after probably falling asleep on the previous two songs. The rest of the songs after that wake up keep things going until the end to finish out strong.

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Feb 05 2025
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5

Just fantastic stuff. Man I love their first 3 albums.

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Feb 04 2025
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5

This band was a mainstay during my brief indie rock phase in my mid to late 20s. It's still great.

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Jan 31 2025
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5

Any Arcade Fire haters in here can fight me in hand to hand combat

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Jan 28 2025
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5

I effing love this album, it has so much excitement, passion, and a big sound. And that isn't just me being a nostalgic millenial because foremost, I am not a millenial. And also because I only started listening to this album in 2019.

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Jan 28 2025
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5

An all-time great A-Side. Big enough to admit that high school me didn't listen to the full length album enough to be as sure about the second half. The quiet start rising into the full dynamic contrast in the first 2 minutes: ooh you know it's gonna be good! And the start to Neigborhood #3--oh man. Update: 2nd half is very good. Not quite as good as the first, but this is good stuff, folks. Oh am I a pretentious hipster for loving this? Don't care this is exactly as good as its reputation suggests.

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Jan 23 2025
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5

Yes, absolutely, yes. Fantastic.

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Jan 22 2025
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5

Had me dancing at the bus stop from track 1, bopped all the way to work.

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Jan 16 2025
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5

One of the best albums of that indie era

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Jan 14 2025
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5

Yeee, this album I reeeaaallly like and for this one it's 5 from me. :)

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Jan 14 2025
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5

When i was 16 (2010) i had discovered music festivals and went to a small DIY one in the countryside. It was the second day of the festival, everyone was walking around enjoying themselves, having beers, sitting in the grass and smoking cigarettes. The sun was shining and Indeed the grass was greener back then. Everyone seemed so happy and there was some playlist playing throughout the festival. "Rebellion (lies)" came on and I thought that it was the most beautiful song I had ever heard and it made me never forget that moment. I became a huge Arcade Fire fan after. And I believe that this album is just brilliant. It is happy, it is sad, it is absolutely heartbreaking, it is hopeful and it is very beautiful!!! 5/5

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Jan 11 2025
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5

Nvm just possibly the best debut Album of all time

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Jan 10 2025
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5

Gosh I loved this album. I was mid twenties and wow does this represent so much of that time. I loved running to this. Then the first time I saw arcade fire perform with lcd at the Louisville waterfront. And there were like 100 people in the band on stage. I loved it. Top 5 concert

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Jan 10 2025
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5

What a great album. I forgot how great it is.

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Jan 10 2025
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5

Great album that takes me back to my 20s. You can feel just how big the band was.

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Jan 10 2025
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5

A tremendous album from start to finish. I love everything about it.

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Jan 09 2025
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5

Great album full of flavors and notes. A+

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