Funeral

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

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.

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.

I understand what is wrong with millennials now

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

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.

BEST. FUNERAL. EVER!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 ...

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.

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

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)

Perfect album.

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

Closer to a 4.5, but a 5 is deserved

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.

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.

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.

When I first heard this album at 17 years old, it was like a revelation. I had just gone through my biggest heartbreak yet, I was mortified of my approaching adulthood and I was more emotionally liable than ever. Arcade Fire seemed to embody all these grand feelings of young adulthood in their songs. Deep down, I really wanted to join a band like this. Not a beacon of the classic sex, drugs and rock 'n roll, but a bunch of nerdy multi-instrumentalists singing their hearts out over grandiose instrumentals. Not much later, I introduced the band to my then-girlfriend, and together we would fantasize about quitting our studies, forfeiting the prospect of futures in some corporate job and setting up a band instead, our very own Arcade Fire 2.0. In retrospect, I can say that in those last few years of my teens, this was probably my favourite album of all time. Now it's seven years later. I'm 24 years old, and my opinions have grown a bit more nuanced. I've long realised the flaws of this album: the line between anthemic and melodramatic can be a thin one, the lyrics are oftentimes rather on the nose and for a band consisting of such a diverse cast of musicians, they are not *terribly* creative with their arrangements. But in reality, I'm also really not that different from that 17 year old that fell in love with this album. I'm still going through new kinds of heartbreak almost every single year, I'm still pretty scared of the future has in store for me, life is still an overwhelming mess and, most of all, I still secretly dream to be part of a band like this. In my reveries, I manage to whip together a troupe of drummers, guitarists, violinists, accordeon players etc., we forget about what the world considers 'cringe' or 'immature', and we bundle together all the joys, pains and confusions of our early 20's and collectively scream at the top of our lungs to some hummable melody, all the while having Arcade Fire in the backs of our minds. Because really, what other band has ever caught these feelings with such force?

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.

All Killer No Filler

people that like music like this must be so fucking boring

❤️

I’d still love to know what exactly the folks from Quebec were drinking during the making of 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭, because this album sounds just as fresh and urgent as it did when I first bought it back in 2005 (I’m European—it didn’t even drop here until then). The mix of raw emotion, orchestral chaos, and suburban existentialism somehow feels timeless, like a soundtrack to the end of youth and the start of everything else. Even after all these years, it still hits with the same intensity—like a panic attack and a celebration holding hands. 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 has long since earned its place as a modern classic. Whatever potion they stirred up in Montreal, it worked.

Crazy to think that Funeral is over 20 years old. I remember cooking in the kitchen with some music channel, maybe VH1, on the TV in the living room and hearing "Wake Up" (as it turned out) playing. I had to drop what I was doing and go to see who this was, and when the tempo change hit, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. Notes from listening today… Arcade Fire produce a musical piledriver is made up of fragile sounds. The angular coda to "Une Année Sans Lumière" is superb. Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)" is emotional, dark, yet uplifting and hopeful, catharsis. Throughout, the shimmering, wavering voices, accordion, piano, glockenspiel, strings and more create a beautiful soundscape. The tempo change in "Crown of Love" almost sounds like ELO; there are no blues inflections. "Wake Up" is where it all started for me (it still gives me the chills). The transition into the YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE rhythm is smooth and seamless. "Rebellion (Lies)" has an insistent rhythm that encourages children to rebel against (well-meaning?) parents. Still a hugely uplifting album about loss and death.

I remember clearly when this record dropped. The first song I heard by this band was "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)," and I can still remember being lit up at the overwhelming energy of it, driving around in my car in LA with Indie 103.1 on the radio. It kinda reminded me of a rootsier PiL. There are only a few times in my life where my ears have pricked up quite like this. Upon hearing the whole thing, I was struck at the balance between lyrical and musical themes of twee, innocent adolescent energy and a sort of hardened, melancholy adult nostalgia evident in the record as a whole. The progression of the track listing is also masterfully considered. It reminds me of when albums were presented as a start-to-finish listening experience rather than to be parsed out and shuffled, which is significant given that this came out during the peak of the iPod era. What an absolutely stunning and epic debut. Extra points for titling your first big record "Funeral."

Arcade Fire captured lightning in a bottle with this album. What a debut and something they've never been able to duplicate. This album is part of what introduced me to the whole genre of 2000s/2010s Canadian Indie. I'm forever grateful to this album because it was my gateway to most of the music I listened to during high school and university.

This was a pleasant surprise. I had low expectations going in, due to only hearing their radio friendly tunes and not really liking them. But I was incorrect with my first assumptions, this album is pretty stellar, especially for a debut. I hear Abba, Bowie, U2 and a British football match. I can see why this is on so many best of lists. Walked the best friend around the block twice in-between downpours, really nice Sunday morning listen. The generator has been throwing me solids all week.

An absolute pleasure. Such a creative album packed with great songs! Slightly biased as I discovered the album in my teens, but always a 5/5 from me!

Wow, I can’t believe I’ve been sleeping on this album for so long, so good, such a great vibe, a great world-building album. Wake Up is so euphoric. Fave Tracks: Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels) Wake Up, Haiti, Rebellion 4.8/5

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.

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.

Still a classic.

ok

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

Quite cinematic and lush. Sweet music.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

I've already experienced the mediocrity of Arcade Fire on this list, like a year ago. This revisit didn't shift my opinion much. The songs are good, but the album as a package is not. The sound is just very overbearing, and loud. It's like the album is on its knees, begging you to get into their sound... and I admittedly feel some pity for them. I like some of this music, and it brings me back to my childhood, when this slop alt rock was running rampant on the radio.

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.

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.

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

#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

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

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

Meh

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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

Immaculate album. Perfect from front to back.

DIOS SANTO. NO PUEDES SIMPLEMENTE EMPEZAR TU DISCOGRAFÍA ASÍ ¡NO PUEDES!

Very good. No notes.

I wish Win Butler wasn’t a creep.

So this is what Canadian rock music sounds like... I like it.

The textures and genre blending on this album are so refreshing and still sounds great 20 years later Rebellion (Lies) is incredible as a piece of song writing

Best debut album of all time. Front to back incredible

Day 48 Love it - 3 very different yet equally great albums I’d never listened to before in a row. So glad I started doing this after being stuck in a bit of a music rut for a while 9/10 Highlights Laika Power Out Rebellion Lies

Probably my favourite album in first year. Arcade Fire's best I think. Neighbourhood #1 best song

Nice to get an easy one. I've owned Funeral on CD since probably 2007 or 2008 and it still sounds great to me in 2025. I think it's actually my favorite indie rock album of the 2000s (English-language one, at least). I think my two favorite tracks on it are the bookends. "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" is an excellent album opener; this is an album where I can push play in my mental stereo and hear a perfect recreation of the opening bits. It builds from that slower string, piano, and vocal opening into the loud, crashing, cathartic sound that I associate with the album. I'm into the song's surreal imagery - digging snow tunnels window-to-window, regressing into some kind of unsocialized winter hermit, not remembering how to name babies. "Then we think of our parents / Well, what ever happened to them?" Great song. There's other good stuff in the middle. Then Funeral ends on the Chassagne-led "In the Backseat," which spins riding in the backseat of a car into a great metaphor for growing up and having to give up the freedom of youth and innocence. I lost a parent about a year ago to a kind of drawn out - but on the other hand also kind of sudden - illness and I thought of this song sometimes during those months. I'm at the stage of my life where "adult" no longer exists as a separate class of person above me. The wheel's been mine for a while now, and I drive around with my eleven-year-old getting his own time in the backseat. Anyway, I always like the Régine Chassagne tracks and "In the Backseat" is her best one. It's great, and it was already great even back in the 2000s when I was barely an adult and didn't have any meaningful emotions attached to it.

This is one of the first albums I ever bought. I must have listened to this record a million times when I first got it, then a million times more when I got to college. Am I clouded by nostalgia? Maybe a bit. For me, however, this album will always represent a part of my life, filled with both unbridled optimism and cautious exploration, peeking over the precipice of the gaping maw of the chasm named the future. 5 stars.

I'm 55 and have always loved music, especially when artists take things in new and different directions. Arcade Fire and this album specifically gave me hope that I'd continue being interested in new bands and music at a time when I was getting a little worried that either myself or artists were losing the thread. There is not a bad track on this album. An amazing achievement from a bad breaking into the music scene. Beautiful music that I will continue to listen to until I die. Many that followed tried to emulate this sound, sometimes a little too closely.

I feel like this album got a bit lost in the shadows after The Suburbs success. Listening to this again, I think it's actually a more consistent, successful album. There's not a track I would skip.

I bought Funeral back in 2004, shortly after its release, probably after a Pitchfork review. Revisiting the album nearly twenty years later brought back a flood of memories tied to people, places, and time. Back then, I was navigating life as a father, teacher, and friend, full of hope and discovery. Listening to Funeral helped me make sense of the world. It framed an artistry of sound that mirrored my own attempts to understand the rhythm of this life. A strong album that still holds up. Way to go, Arcade Fire.

Этот альбом напомнил мне как я любил инди рок, пару лет назад. В целом инди для меня был и остаётся довольно важным жанром и это альбом прекрасный представитель этого жанра

Totally biased but who else do you rate the album you listened to when you first fell in love? There isn't a bad song on the album (well maybe the last track "in the backseat"). Seriously, so good. Evokes memories of Montreal. Lush instrumentation, growing up and finding oneself. Fave tracks: neighborhood #1, wake up, rebellion (lies), une annee sans lumieres. My favorite album my them, that also happens to be their first (major).

Superb from beginning to end. Great songs with social conscience. This one should make the top 100 list of all times.

I have a very small vinyl collection, and this is in it. Sorry, my elder millennial is showing. It’s impossible for me to be completely objective here, so I'll be brief instead. This is an album I listen to when I wake up in a good mood on a sunny Saturday morning, and on bad days when I need to shout-sing something until I’m no longer on the brink of ugly crying. Similar to how U2 made ethereal rock & roll, I describe this as 'transcendent' indie rock. It's a sound you'll hear a few years down the road when Mumford & Son throw a little more folk at it and become one of the biggest bands in the world.

So good, but not their best album. I really hope The Suburbs is on this list at some point.

I own this record and this is always going to be a 5. Arcade Fire's best album and full of great songs. This is one of the albums that are in my top 10 most influential albums in my life because of when it was released in the course of my life and the impact it had. Tunnels, Wake Up, crown of Love and Rebellion (Lies) are my standout tracks, but every song is a joy to listen to. its a drum driven album thats is collaborated beautifully with a myriad of other instruments, and is perfect.

I’m biased on this one. A nostalgic album for me and one that I think is really awesome overall.

🤸

Love this album, had it on vinyl for years. Been a while since I listened, still amazing.

A truly great album that is somewhat tarnished because Win Butler is a sex pest. This was easy for me as Arcade Fire is my problematic fave but I haven’t listened to this album for a good 3 years… 5/5

- I first listened to this album at 19, when I felt a strong connection with someone but was too chicken and afraid to break up wth the person I was already dating for them. I couldn't listen to "Crown of Love" for a long time because of how much it reminded me of my decision (or lack thereof) - "I carved your name across my eyelids/you pray for rain, I pray for blindness" will always give me goosebumps at how much heartbreak and pain is expressed in so few words - at 19, I did not appreciate the overwhelming theme of childhood (both the ups and downs: how at the mercy of our parents' moods and whims we were; the innocent, yet deep platonic love we share with our friends before puberty distances us; how we deal with complex emotional situations between others that we aren't old enough to fully understand) that so much of this album rests upon, but 11 years later, listening again is much different and reflects a lot of what I've felt over the last few years -- that somehow, both over many years and almost overnight, I'm different than I was at 25, 22, 17, 14, 10. - the weakest track for me is "Wake Up" because it sounds like every other indie song from around that time, but apart from "Crown of Love," the lyrics to "Backseat" are powerful in a very subdued way that I admire. I remember the feeling of being sleepy on the way home and instantly knowing where we were based on the road sounds and pattern of turns and stops once we got close - this album is bittersweet because of what -- and who -- it will forever remind me of. I can't separate my review from its personal meaning to me, so I'll gladly give it 5 stars

I liked this. Reminds me of talking heads. Lovely.

Thus is a great debut album every song is a banger, but i still prefer the suburbs and especially Neon bible

such a beautiful album, definitely lots of folk inspiration on a rock soundscape. always very polyphonic, with lots of different simultaneous elements that blend together in an unbelievable way, completely transporting.

5 I really enjoyed listening to this

I think this is a masterpiece

All time indie classic, simple as that.

Amazingly emotive album, with really interesting history. Definitely worth re-listens