Funeral

couple of very good sons, others are mid and very similar

easy listening/chill

It came out at a time when I was too busy with kids etc to pay attention to music. Parts flickered with recognition - was OK

very solid album

This is the third Arcade Fire album that I have gotten on this list and I can confidently state that I am not a fan. Their work just isn’t my preferred kind of music. Although I think I liked this album the best of the three. Not for me but I can understand why others enjoy them.

Not for me, but a good album never the less, i found it interesting to hear that the genre can also be desrcribes as "baroque pop" great description 3/5

This is the second album I've reviewed by Arcade Fire in this generator. The first one was The Suburbs. Of the two, this one is my favorite. Arcade Fire are a Canadian indie rock band from Quebec. Overall, not a bad album. I'm not a huge fan of indie music, so I wouldn't rush out to buy this, but I didn't immediately want to shut it off either. A fairly average album. Favourite songs: Rebellion (Lies), Wake Up, Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), Une Annee Sans Lumiere Least favourite songs: In the Backseat, Crown of Love 3/5

Grew on me over the course of a day. Swelling orchestrals, a raucous energy. I can only imagine how much better it would be in context of it’s time. Will continue listening to this one I think. Cannot wait to explore the lyrical content.

Expected better, nothing fabulous

64 albums in and this is my second Arcade Fire one. So that doubles my historical Arcade Fire listening experience. I didn't get what the hype was about on the previous one and I'm afraid this one's the same. I'm sure that if you're a fan this is sublime or something. I'm obviously not a fan. It's not horrible, but I won't listen to the album again out of choice.

This is a band I find that I'll never fully appreciate. The music doesn't engage me and I do not enjoy the singing at all. There might be good lyrics in this album, but it's hard for me to focus on it when I can't enjoy the rest.

reminds me of a bad modest mouse song.

Fresh and new, it was interesting.

Reminded me to listen to more arcade fire, but I prefer the suburbs as an album

This was hypnotic and easy to listen to! It had a very intimate feel to it. Either way, "Funeral" is an apt name for this album; it feels very burdened and sad. While I definitely feel like this album spawned something within the indie movement, and certainly pushed Arcade Fire into stardom, I only averagely enjoyed this.

Nice record, but nothing special, for what I'm concerned.

les chansons que j'ai aimées sont les moins écoutées je crois que je suis pas le bon public

Nice album, nice sound. Some songs were a bit boring

What a great album... that's utterly ruined by mopey, whiney, emo vocals. Win Butler needs to pull himself out of his own butthole, grow a spine, and act like he actually wants to be here making music. I wanted to fail this so hard because of these vocals but the music is just SO good. I have to give it multiple stars for the musicianship alone. I want a no-vocals version of this album. I'd listen to it on repeat. All day long. But add in these vocals and the gag-inducing, self-indulgent lyrics and I'm out. I couldn't wait for it to be done.

Tunnels: I see this as another song about love, definitely not an oversaturated topic. Whiney voice, definitely a song for indiehead teenagers. Other than that, it sounds fine. Laika: God I hate that voice. Sounds like an indiehead's wet dream. You can tell this song's main audience were college kids. UASL: Better voice. A song about losing someone close to them, much better. Power Out: Maybe I'm just getting used to it, but I don't dislike the voice. Another song about losing someone. Kettles: A song about an inactive society/government. Better voice Crown of Love: Another love song. Fine voice, oversaturated topic Wake Up: About the loss of innocence. Kinda annoying voice. Good subject matter. Haiti: A tribute to Haiti. Fine. Lies: A metaphor for how we choose to "sleep" and cover our eyes to the atrocities in the world. Best song in this album to me. In the Backseat: About how their youth was taken so they were "in the driver's seat" way too soon when they would have rather waited. 2nd best song to me 2.8/5

It’s a type of music that I would like, but somehow don’t. Spacey and airy vocals, interesting music styling and choices. It’s like and Indy-folk. There are a few songs I enjoy, but ultimately forgettable.

its fine didnt listen to it too heavily but also didnt feel the need to

Pretty good. The album's songs include a range of tempos and melodies; vocals are fair, and the arrangements are tasteful.

A couple good songs but I think this band could take any song and make it boring. Concerts must be a snooze fest

I think its insane they wrote the soundtrack for her which has Song on the Beach and I LOVE THAT SONNG. Anyway these are some nice indie vibes, they reminds me of the Perks of Being a wallflower and they make me think of weddings with mason jars and twine lol. I think they were the blue print for this style of white people music. also like the lighter version of joy division. Also I feel some Black Country New Road kind of vibe to some of the songs. I bet they were inspired by Arcade Fire, or its kinda folky.

10 tracks at 48 minutes for an album that sounds like one song. This album is probably only here for 'Wake Up', a phenomenal song that does a lot of heavy lifting to keep this album good. 3/5.

It’s ok. Rebellion (Lies) is great. It’s a 2.5 that I’ll round up because it really like that one song.

I know I'm supposed to hate Arcade Fire now because the singer is a bad person, but I've never listened to an Arcade Album song before, so I don't know how that works. I guess I will dislike the man for being a bad person and see what the music is like. Phew, moral quandary navigated! Not sure about his voice. It's actually not that bad. Solid, I like the 'Neighborhood' pieces. 3 / 5.

Solid.

I interesting. Liked some tracks more than others.

Good album!! This is great to have in while working or doing something else. Nothing really stood out to me in a good or bad way. 3.5/5 stars

Amazing guitar sound, and I think all the orchestral arrangements were done in a good way to add something to the album without overdoing anything. My big hang-up here is the same with so many indie rock acts of the 21st century - why is the lead singer's voice so ... whiny. The "Neighborhood" saga is my least favorite grouping of tracks, the standouts here were Une Annee Sans Lumiere, Wake Up, Rebellion, and In the Backseat. I can easily see why this made the mark it did in 2004 and is considered a top album of the decade.

Enjoyed this album. Need to give it another listen though.

Good album, would listen again but not one that I would rave about

don't hate it. don't like it. boring. like a messier lumineers. I appreciate the occasional gritty singing and angst. But something about it just... didn't feel right. It all felt blended through the mess yet still not cohesive.

It's fine

Okay

I've listened to this album since it first came out, but now it doesn't feel as strong as it once did. 3.5/5

The good parts were good, while the not so good parts we’re a big miss. Definitely can see how the big melodic pieces leads to their next album.

It’s okay, prefer other indie albums during this era. Mostly upbeat and somewhat repetitive

3 stars

Goes into the waily end of the rock-folk-indie-alternative spectrum which does grate on a me a little. This album definitely sounds like the mid 2000's and it does produce some bangers.

Extra for that song from the Where the Wild Things Are trailer which was better than the actual movie.

Ágætis plata. Ekki þeirra besta.

There are some lovely melodies at play here, and the lyrics are clever. But the whole album comes off as somewhat cold and remote.

OK,

indie rock at its indie rockiest. 3/5

God bless the Millennials.

Goed album. Voor mijn gevoel veel verschillende stijlen en erg origineel. Wel een album wat je vaker moet luisteren om het te gaan waarderen. Hij wordt zeker opgeslagen en krijgt nog een kans.

Prima, beetje op een zeurende stem heeft de zanger.

Mostly energetic but fairly samey, didn't connect except for a few songs Favourite track - Wake up.

Wanted to love it so badly. The production is simply too much for me and it crowds the very well written lyrics

It was fine. Nothing groundbreaking

Tunnels ok, reszta meh

Never bothered with them before better than expectwd

I didn't enjoy this but I can see why some people do

Wow - this was disappointing. I really like later Arcade Fire and honestly didn't realize I don't like the songs on this album.

I personally like Arcade Fire, and I think they have a great sound, but going through this entire album, I have to admit that the themes don't feel super established in a lot of tracks, and the vocals do leave a bit to be desired.

They were obviously inspired by Neutral Milk Hotel. But this music doesn't have the same intensity; it feels a bit watered down, and its enormous influence on 2000s indie music is somewhat of a tragedy. Still, there are some great moments, most notably "In the Backseat."

Pretty good

Really disappointing apart from two excellent singles

não muito empolgante

Pretty good indie rock sound.

pleasant enough. 3.

easy listening, not bad modest mouse vibes.

Tuneful, a bit plinky plonky and earnest. Indie.

Good

Not really my thinggg

doesn't do much to me, gave it a couple of spins over the years. Wake Up is awesome, though.

Pretty chill.

It didn’t provoke any feelings in me, but it was kind of interesting.

It's not bad, just to tame for me.

Listened to it like 3 times because it kept losing my interest. Good album but nothing stood out to me

Está bien. Un poco pretencioso. No me encantó.

I wouldn't turn it off immediately, but I don't think I'll ever seek out this album again.

Hard to parse what is being sang at times but generally liked everything else I heard. Feels dramatic. Favorite: Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)

Vraiment pas mauvais mais viens pas tant me chercher.

This one came out when I was in my late teens. I never really got the hype and still found the first couple of tracks a bit lacklustre, but reading the lyrics along with listening to the album has been beneficial. This is a really cohesive record with some great lyrics about the joys and pains of growing up and some really rousing moments. Neighbourhood #3 Power Out is where it started kicking in for me. The final track on this album brought me right back to that summer with Cat M. I hope she is doing OK. I miss her.

A little Meh. There was nothing bad about the album, the tunes were pleasant enough but nothing inspired me to listen again. I found the vocals "whiney" on most tracks. Fine for background music

I'm not convinced this was a really special record - not very much of it stood out for me.

C'était vraiment sympa mais je commence à en avoir marre de recevoir des appels du patron d'eltrapeze en pleurs au bout du fil et d'être obligé de le rassurer pendant une grosse partie de mon temps libre.

I don’t like the vocalist’s singing. I know I like a few songs from them.

Exactly what I imagined an Arcade Fire album to sound like. Layered, textured, complex and consistent. I quite liked it, but doubt I'll revisit. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Wake Up Date listened: 25/07/22

Solid

it’s giving contemporary dance??? not sure if in a good or bad way yet. actually hey this is pretty good!!! loving the buildup but it’s definitely going on my contemporary dance playlist liking #2 more but also the strings remind me of shrek okay i don’t think i would actively listen to it in its entirety again, but overall it wasn’t bad! 6/10 probably 🤔😘

This was a fun listen. I've never been super into arcade fire but this was a fine introduction into them

3.5/5 nice, i'll have to relisten though

Really good album. 3.5 / 5 I never heard this one prior to this list. I AM loving it. I need more time with this one, I know it will only get stronger as time goes by. From start to finish this one is great. I listened to the extra material as well and as a fan of 40's music, I was thrilled to find the relation to Alvino Rey! And My Buddy is such a great song! More people should know and have the chance to love it! Alvino Rey has others that are classic as well!

Pretty middle of the road. Not bad, but not really gripping either. Some decent melodies at times.

Enjoyed it. Hadn’t listened to it in quite a few years.

This is definitely one of those indie albums that makes alt kids feel soul-searchy or appreciate life more or something. I enjoyed it well enough, but it doesn’t really affect me in that way. The always-wavering vulnerable vocals that are omnipresent in indie music aren’t my favorite thing ever. But there were good moments. I think I liked the last two songs the most.

This finished way stronger than it started. Barely holding my interest at first with some weird high frequency feedback thing going on. Settled into good rolling rhythms and finally some Sarah Neufeld fiddle, which I was searching for the whole time.

not my cup of tea

Overall it's ok it does get a bit whiny, pompous and boring.

To me, this seems to be where all the 21st-century artsy indie suburban teenage angst started. You know what, Will? Wherever you go, there you are. And that’s all I really have to say about this one. Good tunes, though.

Pretty much the same as all other alternative rock, but with a violin here and there.

There's something very warm and fuzzy about the production, generally pretty great performances and some pretty good songs

Very solid. First time hearing the album. 3/5

ehh its ok i guess

Best leuk

I like it, but it's not outstanding to me.

I would have liked this so much more had just about anyone else been lead singer. Music was really good. Dudes voice was rough for me.

It was good. Not a whole lot of opinions on this one.

A top album when I was in middle school but most of the songs don't hold up for me

I get more Neon Bible but it's good

Just okay. Some of the tracks were good, Rebellion for example I found pretty interesting with some of the key modulations, but overall there wasn't much on here that I really liked. Maybe more listens are necessary, but this kind of just made me want to put on the Pixies or Modest Mouse instead.

There's some good stuff on here, but I had heard how great this album is and I wasn't so impressed. It at times reminded me of Modest Mouse or Pixies, but not as good. The singles are solid, and some of the others were pretty good as well. I just don't see myself coming back to it. It wasn't offensive, it just didn't hold my attention. 3/5

I like Arcade Fire. They’re perfectly fine. But, this album has always been crazy overrated to me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very good; I find their followup is less “artsy Modest Mouse” or “Talking Heads through the lens of 00s indie rock” and more of its own thing. Still, tracks like “Power Out,” “Rebellion,” and (ugh, I begrudgingly LOVE it) “Wake Up” are catalogue standouts. Nice to come back to this every once in a while. 3.5

I want to like these guys- the tracks are everything I normally like: quirky and oddball lyrics and tunes and such. They're ok but there's no spark. Maybe one day i'll get them......

Better than i thought, but not a fan of the singer´s voice and sometimes there´s a little too much going on.

I liked this a lot more than Suburbs, and the release year was pretty interesting (if I’d had to guess, I would’ve placed this sound around 2008 at the earliest). This wasn’t *quite* to my taste, but it was frustratingly close, and I’m still trying to figure out what’s making the difference.

These guys are in that hipster band category (along with Radiohead, Vampire Weekend, The National, etc.) that you're supposed to "get," and I have rarely understood the appeal. They've got less that I know and enjoy than the others I listed, and this album breezed by me without making much of an impression. Enjoyable, calming music, I don't know, I'm just not digging much here. So many albums in this "no man's land" of decency for me: fine music, but I'm unmoved and uninterested. Favorite tracks: Neighborhood #3, Une annee sans lumiere. Album art: I've seen this countless times, it's not bad. Definitely a relic of its time. Nothing crazy though, I prefer a few others from them. 3/5

Recognized *that* song from commercials. Otherwise not much stood out. Feels like a 3 is generous.

Okay, kind of just generic background rock music. Nothing really standout.

Decent music, very irritating singing style

3.5/5

I had heard them way back on SNL when they were on, and I do remember them because the last song led into a concert they did afterwards. The first time I listened to this, I was a bit turned off. Didn't like the vocalist, a little warbly. He reminded me a bit of Mark Coyne from The Flaming Lips. The drums were too simple, which bothered me. I did give it a second listen, and warmed up to it more. I found myself enjoying it, but I am still not a fan of the vocalist. And the drums do need work.

I tried to listen to this album many times, because it felt like I should like it more. It never really clicked for some reason. I notice a lot of songs tend to focus on a particular riff and never really change. Maybe that's the problem - the album just doesn't seem dynamic enough. It's not bad, I just don't know that I would seek it out again. Favorite tracks - Wake Up - anthemic and it's probably one of the more dynamic songs on the album. Une annee sans lumieri pulled me in but has the same issue of being essentially one riff all the way through, until the very last minute. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) - another one that's basically one riff with subtle changes throughout, but it's a very cool riff. In the Backseat was a good closer.

lyrics are beautiful, but very muted when it starts. Ultimately, it's a bit up and down.

Think it got better as it went on. Only know one other song of theirs so was good to hear this.

Not in the right headspace to enjoy it...was not terrible

different than what I was expecting, not every memorable however

Helt ok indiepop

Arcade Fire is supposed to work for me on paper and people really love and almost revere it but I just don't.

First time listening in anger to those Arcade Fire fellas. There's a grandeur and a sweep to their sound, that's for sure. I get the feeling I'll have to listen several more times to get beyond that grandeur and that sweep, but it's not something I'm opposed to. I'd always put them in a box marked "Kings of Leon et al", and left well enough alone. There is some interesting stuff going on (aforementioned grandeur and sweep aside) - the intermingling of lady-voice in there was a welcome surprise, for instance. Plus that grandeur. It feels like "visual music" in the a similar way to Eli, I suppose - the visual here being people driving across a sun-blasted desert, for me. Still not sure they don't belong in that box marked "Kings of Leon, The Killers etc", but I'll certainly give em a few more tries to find out.

Ovo ono, nisam im posvetio puno paznje prije. Svida mi se mix i izricaj za prvi put, ali mi nije odma sjelo

Asså det är väldigt bra men vid det här laget är jag så trött på det här soundet att jag nästan inte tycker om det längre... Gillar deras neon bible mer.

This is probably my fifth time listening over the years. I think I finally get what this band has achieved here- good song structures and instrumentation. Still will never care for the main vocalist. This album isn’t for me, but I finally get it.

Ok album, had some cool moments but nothing that exaordinary. Listening conditions weren't the best however.

Standard fare from Arcade Fire, a decent listen.

Pretty decent. Doesn't quite do it for me though. I do like Wake Up, probably because of the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are

I feel as if, no matter how I approach this album, I'll always be biased against it. Everyone was so quick to absolutely tongue-bathe this record that, now that I check it out? It's fine. Just fine. "Wake Up" sounds like the literal definition of the commercialization of indie rock, or some sixteen-year-old trying acid for the first time. This is my second Arcade Fire record that I've received and my patience grows thin. Favorite tracks: "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)", "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"

Not my thing. But the melody is alright. Just not into that sort of voice and that way of singing.

Songs merge into each other. Tonally bland and uninspiring. In the Backseat was the standout track as it didnt have the lead singer on it.

The album is pretty much unremarkable.

I thought the album was very well produced and was very well written. It was not my cup of tea though.

It was okay. Didn't really grab me, but didn't grate either, so that's a bonus !

Sometimes I love this

Rock indie. Cosas interesantes.

Reminds me of the trio to Florida. Bold & anthem. The great tracks are a triumph but doesn’t hold up all the way through. Too immediate. No intimacy for me.

A debut album that made the band huge straight away. Whiny emoish vocals, huge noise - orchestral rock? Best Tracks: Neighborhood #3 (Power Out); Wake Up; Rebellion (Lies)

Really familiar

Didn't really like the production. But 3rd song is quite good

Another album that I wasn't sure that I'd like. Honestly I was mostly right, but there were a few songs that I did like and I liked them a lot. Like Neighbourhood 1 (Tunnels) and Une Annee Sans Lumiere. Wake Up was OK too, but otherwise it was pretty average. 3/5 stars.

Sympa, 5 chansons likées donc bon ratio mais pas de gros gros coup de coeur (pour le moment)

Might have hit differently if I had grown up to this album. The worst first 20 seconds of any song called Wake Up.

Good listen, but did not impress me

Ci sta, un po cosi, un po' lame, non mi dice niente. Mosica rock lenta, un po brit.

Lo trovo un album ben fatto e scorrevole. Loro hanno cavalcato l'onda indie degli anni 2000 e hanno fatto il botto (per questo ad esempio loro li trovo più mainstream dei Coldplay e per questo li penalizzerò). Sono anche stati i pupilli di David Bowie (Daniele ne sarà entusiasta). Comunque l'album non è male, ci sono alcuni pezzi che mi piacciono come Neighborhood #4, Wake Up, Haiti e In The Backseat. Voto: 3.75 ..per un pelo! Comunque sono bravi dai.

Not bad but would have preferred them to be a bit "heavier"

liked the instruments, hated the vocals. wavy and weak.

Interesting album, definitely not my taste. Can see why it rates highly.

Coming of age? Lots of hipster stuff going on I think, but that's not a bad thing, especially in 2004.

Nog eens eentje dat we kennen van naam see

Toffe eenmalige listen, rebellion pak ik mee naar men playlist

Inoffensive

Neighborhood #3 was a banger and from there it got better, but I felt the start of the album wasn't great.

Nice atmosphere and good vocals.

Nothing really catching about this album for me, but it wasn't bad, just not special

I liked some of the tracks. Others were just not clicking in so much for me. I can appreciate the quality of the musicians, but I find the main lead vocalist a little too screamy for me on some tracks. I really liked "Rebellion" though.

No flow for me

Voice is a little bit grating, but the melodies are enjoyable

Rebellion (lies) was goe. De rest achtergrondmuziek, mor ni echt voor een playlist

classic 2000s alternative. actually not that bad, I did enjoy some of it

poppy alternative. meh

Recognised the band name but wouldn’t have been able to name any tunes ! It was good. ***

Betterer than I remember them being!

In the desert that was the noughties, this wasn't terrible.

3/5

Pretty good

Doesn't do much for me. Basically pleasant, but not that interesting. Some modern, poppy beats and elements. Seems highly produced.

2.7 out of 5. Ends well but all the Neighbourhood songs are average. Rebellion definitely the best

Rebellion - absolute banger Une Annee Sans Lumiere - last minute is a tune Wake Up - same again, last minute and a half is good Album overall is good and very easy to listen to.

Escuché este disco en su momento y tenía muy buen recuerdo de él. Hoy en 2021 creo que tiene 2 temazos y el resto no llega a ese nivel, pero en general todo suma. Imprescindible "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" y "Rebellion (Lies)".

Overall, good. There is an interesting mix of inspiration from David Bowie to U2. A poppy influence of a punk streak into an interesting mix. There is an interesting flow throughout the album, almost a sense of fulfilment, perhaps linked to the title ‘Funeral’ It is truly a journey and celebration through the melody of the music. In the backseat builds to a beautiful send off, with layers and layers adding more and more complexity and rhythm until the crescendo, then one by one, the sounds fade and the instruments disappear, much like attendees at the funeral service, we hear the violin crying out, and the beat as footsteps fading away. Finally a few piano notes and string plucks leaves us with an eery and sudden silence. The end of a funeral and a deliberate end.

Musically super cool. Mixed feelings about the singer voices.

I'll admit I'm a total "fair weather" Arcade Fire fan. I typically only like their hits. This has some of those, it's solid.

Pretty fun

I would have enjoyed it much more if I was still a moody teenager.

It’s okay. I think they did better work. I also think this album is overrated by most.

Lo siento mucho pero no. Hay dos rolas que tienen con queso pero el resto no me engancha. Aunque esas dos son muy buenas (creo que la de wake up y crown of love). Un tres sólido.

I was getting pretty deep into noise music and living with an alcoholic around the time when this album came out so I kinda missed it. Seems to be a fine album. Reminds me of Modest Mouse. These songs sound like they were practically made to be used in ads for relatively large companies seeking to cash in on indie cred.

Ok

Wake up is a jam and that song gets 4 stars, the rest brings it down to 3

Have been meaning to fill my Arcade Fire gap for a while but wasn't very impressed. Mediocre but will give it another crack to make sure

Great life journey album for it's time...

I know Bowie dug these guys, but I can't get into them

Not their best album but there are some good parts

Primer disco de Arcade Fire, mostrando lo que sería el clásico indie de los 10s pero aún con ciertos sonidos rockeros. Canción favorita: Wake Up.

Not my taste but in general it’s a good listenable album.

ehh too slow for my taste

ok

Good re-listen, I like the more orchestral parts of Arcade Fire especially the last track

2.75? is that nitpicky? i wasn’t totally pored but not impressed either. nothing stood out

Really don’t understand why people seem to really like this record. It’s fine, but it’s far from great. The lead singer is relatively uninteresting and the songs were not great. Just didn’t move me at all.

Ei jotenki lähtenyt omaan makuun sit ollenkaan. Tuntuu että laulaja ei osannut laulaa enkä ymmärrä hypä tämän takana. Oli vaikeaa kuunnella loppuun asti

Found it really boring and his voice is unlistenable. Can't even understand the glowing critical reviews makes no sense to me

This makes The War on Drugs seem innovative and exciting.

Didn't really care for this so much. Kinda reminded me of The Killers ... but worse. Meh.

Everything's an anthem

Unremarkable. This is the third by Arcade Fire on the list and I'm not half way. I hope we're done. didn't like the first, the second intrigued be a bit, Neon Bible, I think it was, but we're back to 'whatever' territory here. The little jangle of Acadian folk that I caught every now and then is a nice touch, but not enough.

neighborhood 1: fuck this is rough. nails on chalkboard for me. grating. hate the male vocals and overly sentimental. neighborhood 2: this is better. I actually like this one. looking for drawing references to get my hand in shape again. unee amee sans lumiere: fucking boring. neighborhood 3: fine but forgettable. why was this so highly regarded? its absolutely boring. neighborhood 4: holy ass dont even wanna keep doing this honestly. haiti already sounds infintely better because that man is not singing anymore. wow its actually really good i hate win butler so much dude he was actually torturing me.

i can't fully explain how i feel about this album.  it feels as if it were created in a lab to appeal to me, there are a lot of pieces and parts that i like in other forms and places from other artists, but i have a visceral reaction of dislike for this album and have for years.  i don't feel that a singer has to have a conventional voice, but this voice grates on me.  i would be listening to a track and suddenly the drums would be super abrasive, or the vocals would get tortured with a choir behind them, or like in "crown of love" at the end it shifts into almost a disco mode?  i have a headache now.  i am not adding any of these songs to my library.  2/5

En ole ennen kuullut mutta todella tutun kuuloista yleisellä tasolla. Perushyvää indierokkia.

The music on this album wasn’t terrible, but the vocals sucked. I’d rate it higher than 2 stars if it were re-recorded with a better vocalist. My guess is that Win Butler owned a van. He agreed to drive the band to gigs if they let him sing, and the rest is history.

Heard it before but I don't remember it. Now this is exactly the early 00s indie bullshit I could never get into. Boring and even annoying except for maybe one song. I'm glad I'm not a millennial so I didn't have to pretend to like this in 2004. Instead I could focus on rocking out to SOAD whenever their music videos came on tv 2/5

Crown of Love sticker ut som särskilt bra. Även Une année sans lumière gillar jag. I övrigt är det ok men inte mer. Sången låter ofta lite för tillgjord. Håller nog neon bible som ett bättre album.

4/10 Not being much of an indie boy, I didn’t really know what to expect from this. They’re a band that are very highly regarded, and this album is frequently present on best of lists, but it’s not one I’d ever felt drawn to. They were also spoken of highly by David Bowie, which is typically a good sign. Unsurprisingly, then, here really is some decent stuff in here. There’s often a good blend of rich, harmonic content with promising melodies, quality sound design and production, and a very consistent tone of voice, with a clearly defined personality. Sure, there are bits that are a bit more ragged around the edges, with some slightly odd mixing choices, like lead vocals that were almost hidden in the mix, and sounded like they were recorded in corridors, but this is their debut album, and in general, they got the tonal elements of the songs into decent shape. Unfortunately, there were some elements of this record that I just couldn’t deal with. Rhythmically, it’s one of the flattest, dynamically limited releases I’ve ever heard. Given that they have not one, but two drummers, the lack of nuance and range within the rhythms is, frankly, baffling. And it’s not just the drummers either. Frequently there are parts that pound away in straight crotchet patterns for long sequences, and sometimes for full songs, relentlessly and invariably thudding on. It’s so soulless and frequently ruined my listening experience. The funny thing is, I love a lot of electronic and programmed music, so I have no real problem with repetitive rhythms, but there is absolutely no nuance here at all. I’m also not really a big fan of Win Butler’s voice, with him frequently sounding like he’s stretching it beyond its capabilities, but without any particular purpose. I get taking your voice to its breaking point when trying to evoke a particular high or low point in a songs narrative, but here, it just felt like a stylistic choice that didn’t gel with the motional beats of the music. Régine is a far better vocalist and the album would have been far better served had she been given the more prominent vocal role. So it’s a weird one. Is this any good? It has the potential to be, but to me there are too many things that negatively impact on the overall quality of the record, and make me never want to hear it again. So, I suppose its a case of unmet potential more than anything else. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) - This isn’t bad. It’s uplifting, anthemic stuff. There’s some good stuff in there, and the vibe and atmosphere of the production is pretty good, but I also think a lot of the base rhythms are very persistent and lacking in dynamic. The piano, for example, just absolutely hammers at crotchet chords for most of the track, and there are sequences when the guitar does a similar thing. Melodically, there’s some nice stuff in the lead vocal, but I’m not 100% sold on his voice just yet either. It’s not a bad start, necessarily, but it’s not really caught fire yet. Neighborhood #2 (Laïka) - The use of polyrhythms in the verses here is really nice, and the instrumental blend is good. The juxtaposition of the clashing guitar against the cleaner acoustic instruments makes for good range. In the choruses, we again have that relentlessly chugging crotchet rhythm that’s dynamically uninteresting and detracts from the fun rhythmic approach to the other sections. And again, the seemingly artificially strained vocal style isn’t really doing it for me. Une Année Sans Lumière - This is much more consistent. The melody works nicely against the harmonic elements and the general blend of instruments works very nicely. It’s still fairly rhythmically unvaried, but there’s a bit more nuance and dynamic to things that helps that to slide by. It gets an injection of pace towards the end that adds an extra bit of range too. Not bad. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) - The mix broadens out here, with thinner, more stripped back sections and more full-bodied sections. There is a bit more rhythmic range across the parts, but at its core, it’s still rhythmically one-paced. The drummer must be so fucking bored. The orchestration is pretty broad and the string stuff is nice, including the section where they work in discordant pitch slides. The vocal is a bit too shouty without the intensity in the track not really matching it for me. Again, some of the component parts are good, but it’s just not an entirely satisfying package. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles) - This feels like a fairly bland sombre folksy indie track that they’ve inexplicably sampled the string section of an orchestra tuning up and laid it underneath, which just sounds bad. They’re obviously going for a floaty, ethereal sound here, but even on this, they seem remarkably beholden to very flat, relentless crotchet patterns that pound on in the background and make things sound too robotic for such an organic sound palette. When the strings actually play, it’s quite nice, but the rhythm just felt inescapable. Crown Of Love - 1, 2, 3, 4, dum, dum, dum, dum. It’s just relentless. It’s not really a bad song on top of that, and there are some nice moments of melody, with some equally good pieces of work from the strings. Again, I don’t really love his voice, particularly with the rest of the band, because so much of the tonal work is pretty clean and precise, but Win Butler’s vocal style jars against that, at least to my ears. It also sounds like the vocal was recorded from slightly too far away in a corridor. We do get a pick up in pace towards the end, which at least adds a bit of rhythmic variety, but even that is a change that just remains flat for the rest of the track. Wake Up - What’s this? rhythmic range? This is the big song that’s loved by montage makers, and film makers looking for something anthemic to end their middle-of-the-road tv drama with. It’s still fairly unvaried from a rhythmic point of view, but at least it’s more than just that relentless pounding on every beat of the bar. There’s good range harmonic range on this, with the strings and backing vocals adding excellent depth and quality to the piece. The melodic writing is excellent, and as part of the mix here, Win Butler’s vocal works much better. The later half throws in a switch-up of emphasis that’s pretty nice too. This was pretty good, to be fair. Haïti - This is actually a bit better too. It’s very whimsical indie and the slightly distant vocal recording technique is still weird, but I’s day Régine Chassagne is a better vocalist than her husband. The mix is a bit all over the place, with some of what you would expect to be atmospheric pad sounds being very forward in the mix and more melodic elements sitting further back. It’s still got a rhythmic lilt that’s established early and never varies, but it at least has a bit more swing and nuance to it than the flat four stuff from earlier. Rebellion (Lies) - The general musical content of this is pretty good. Some nice melodic moments, some good work from the guitars and backing vocals, and there’s a nice, rolling building sensation to the composition. But why are their rhythms so boring? There’s a lot to this, but it’s almost like they’ve just grabbed a one bar drum sample, looped it and just called it quits before focusing on everything else. It’s so distracting. In The Backseat - It sounds a bit like she’s doing a Björk impression now. It’s a slow burn with a lot of tension that builds and builds as it goes. There’s some nice sound design in there too. But yet again, what does the guitar do when it comes in? Hammer away on a flat four rhythm. It’s just very dynamically flat and rhythmically uninspiring. It’s fucking relentless, and they do it with the strings too. I actually really want to like this, because if they’d added more range to the rhythms, it could be very good, but I find it so oppressive to listen to.

not for me

I am not that fussed very poppy and not much to it

Sea Power without the sauce. What every indie band ever later became, is this patient zero?

Nothing wrong with it, but unremarkable. A big deal in Canada I see.

para ser debut, muy bueno pero siento que, dentro de lo indie no es tan raro. es un album que alguien te dice que escucha para quedar inteligente. a pesar de eso, me gusto bastante.

Shattered my expectations in all the wrong ways. Painfully boring and the vocalist is so grating. That's not how I remember Arcade Fire in the slightest.

This album needs to give the music a chance to breathe. In spots where there could be silence, there's a repetitive tone or an instrument constantly playing an ostinato. Because of this, the vocals get lost among the monotony, and are hard to understand. The melody for the vocals often doesn't change per each line sung. When it does, there's always a background instrument that plays what was previously sung.

An album without any low points or high points, which is somehow worse than a mix of the two. A truly forgetable experience.

Really? I don’t get it?

I think I would need to be in the right mood for this to hit. Generally, not something I'm going to just throw on

I’m not sure why this band grates - the B-grade Springsteen indie anthems, the annoying affected vocals, or maybe the pretentious song names. Whatever it is I didn’t get it at the time and still don’t get it now.

so incredibly mid

please god no. not another arcade fire album. is the debut better than “neon bible“? well, it seems catchier. i honestly cannot remember a thing about “neon bible” and it was less than two weeks ago. but i don’t understand the hype. i didn’t understand it while it was happening and i don’t understand it now. what was it that was resonating with people to make it such a big success? i think other, better bands were doing this much more successfully musical. matt pond pa for example. but i guess they didn’t have a violin player?

I think the most surprising part of the album was the overwhelmingly positive critical reception. It's definitely not offensive, but it feels like on the see saw of creative vs safe, they leaned more heavily on the safe side. It's a fucking crime that we have 3 of these albums and only 1 for contemporaries like Gorillaz, the Black Keys or Queens of the Stone Age or 0 for Tame Impala or Tyler the Creator

Do people consider this ambitious? There are a lot of layers but I actually find it kind of bland and tame. There's no bite. I also don't particularly like the vocals, they're a bit weak and whiny There are some parts I enjoy, like the second half Une Annee Sans Lumiere which reminded me more of British indie of the time. Neighbourhood #3 is pretty good, I like the grander sound that that one goes for Didn't really enjoy this and probably won't come back to it 2.5 Highlights: Neighbourhood #3

The singer has a delivery that mixes Morrissey's incessant whining with the type of self importance that never allowed me to fully embrace Bono. But Bono had a great tone and excellent songs. This vocalist is just a non-starter for me. It wouldn't matter if the band was amazing (but they aren't). The keyboard work in particular is even more pretentious sounding than the vocals. I'm sad to read that they are a Canadian band. I usually like Canadian bands. At least the record jacket is cool. I just read that Pitchfork gave it a 9.7. That doesn't surprise me. Just like Rolling Stone in the late 60s, they like to occasionally assert their influence by taking a terrible album and pumping it up (RS review of the unlistenable VU and Nico album being a good example). What is worse is when they pan a great album just to stroke their own egos. It's like people who say they hate The Beatles. This one gets a 2 out of 5.

I don't get this Album at all. There is some decent songwriting Here but the vocals and mixing in General Ruins it for me.

i used to love this album. i had it on vinyl and gifted it to a friend when they got their first record player. i think its a mix of listening too it far to often in a short period of time plus numerous accusations of sexual misconduct with frontman Win Butler that sour this revisit. it’s corny music but still catchy

Pre Listen: Never heard of them, but I like the album cover. No expectations. Notable Tracks: Haiti - My favorite track, I love the intro. I wish this female vocalist was featured on every track, I would've liked the album a lot more if that had been the case. In the Backseat - Another highlight. Again, the woman singing is leaps and bounds better than the male vocalist. Post Listen: Another album I'm filing under Millennial Rock, and one where the lead vocalist really drags the whole experience down 90% of the time. I defined Millennial Rock under a different review of mine as "really boring, but never really bad per say. It's characterized by smoother, low tempo beats, lots of ooo-ing and aaa-ing, and the occasional piano or other classic-adjacent instrument." I'm gonna use that describe every one of these types of albums, as I feel the exact same way. What's noteworthy on this one is how much I hated the regular male vocalist. Bro needs to either let out the tears, or go to therapy, sick of this wishy-washy inbetween whining. Unimpressive, sleepy sounding corporate schlock. 2/5.

Odd one this. Sounds like something that should be likeable, but yet adds up to less than the sum of its parts. A bit too earnest. Round myself paying no attention to the lyrics. Just.. meh.

I found this album to be kind of a downer and depressing. It is not something I would listen to again; however, musically it was okay.

Gillar deras nya bättre, mer refined, detta basic? Lite meh

-very 2000s band, kinda reminds me of the soundtracks of the movies made during then. can envision Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson right now for some reason lol - Neighbourhood #3, Rebellion and in the back seat are the highlights for me on the album -kind of repetitive and got a bit bored mid album

2/5 Decent, a little folky, and some songs that sounded good but didn't develop into anything I really wanted.

meh

olidligt sätt att sjunga på

Dribble. Mindless dribble.

ok nothing special

2/5, extremely boring for me.

Not likable at all. listened all the way through but didnt like it.

Ei se nyt ihan lähe, ja laulaja on aika karsee. 2/5

Not their best album for sure. But good and choir and horn sections always hit ..live best

Last three were pretty good but most of this did nothing for me

Deleting the essay I wrote before because upon further reflection I just don't like this record. Not the worst thing I've ever listening to, but the 3/5 I gave before has not been sitting well with me. Taking it down to a 2.

Mix of Coldplay and bono - snooze. 1 good song maybe

I wish I could like Arcade Fire. They're such a staple of early 21st century indie. But having lived through the hipster wave of the 2000s and early 2010s, I can safely say I almost drowned in arcade fire records in that time. And it's not being overinundated, it's that I've heard better bands from the same year this came out. You can't tell me modest mouse doesn't absolutely crush this band in 2004. Indie Album of the year, by the way? Over Elliott Smith? They borrow so much from him it's painful. And don't get me started on the Pinback influence on track 5. Yet another band I'd rather listen to than Arcade Fire. With a better vocalist, as well. Win Butler warbles his way through this record in a manner that makes me believe he's scared of his own voice. Like listening to RFK Jr. say more than a sentence at a time. Instrumentals are fine, and the production is good as well, but I can't bring myself to listen to more than half of this album at a time.

Not for me

Not my thing. Also just an overplayed style. I feel like this is responsible for all stomp clap music of the late 2000s and 2010s.

I'm not really a fan of the voice of the main vocalist. Feelin' introspective. Also felt nostalgic for "Wake up".

Pas convaincu

ok

Meh, nothing memorable at all. I think Arcade Fire are one of the most over rated recent bands

I didn’t particularly enjoy this album, but I can hear a lot of the influence on indie rock to come. It’s got that chime-y, ringing guitar borrowed from The Edge (U2) and a multi instrumental approach with strings, flutes and woodwinds that give it a twee or ethereal, chorale sound. It’s probably one of those albums that informed a lot of music after it that improved on the formula, but points for being first. ⭐️⭐️

Good music- not my taste

2,5

Man, I just do not get the hype over Arcade Fire. Musically they're fine at best, and dude's voice makes me queasy.

Reminds me of Bowie, but not as good.

the guy goes woah ooh ouuh ooh ouuh for 48 minutes it sounds like they made this album for a money laundering scheme crown of love is the one song i like on this

One of the biggest albums of my youth, and one of the most embarrassing to reevaluate for that reason. Cheugy beyond belief. Dumb Guy Smart Guy stuff on the level of any bad poet musician you can name. Just awful! A hard round up here for two reasons: it’s better than any of the albums that followed it (at least it sounded kind of novel when it came out I guess) and also I do still like Owen Pallet and he does some good work on this.

Okay

Already listen to it, but not really my type of genre

Sounds like every other hipster indie band from the early 2000s - fuzzy and sweet, slightly whiny and mostly inoffensive. The only noticeable twist is the strong Talking Heads influence ; but Talking Heads did it better in the first place, so why bother ? I didn't hate it, but I also didn't connect with it on any level, and it did become a bit annoying towards the end. Kind of a pointless addition to the list in my opinion, there's no way this band deserves three albums... 3/10

Bought on release, pulled in by the hype. Musically it feels like a messy Têtes Raides style sprawl with violins, just way more dramatic. It constantly flirts with falling apart, a kind of organized chaos. Coming back to it now, I get the appeal, especially in the early 2000s when rock was fading into something blurry and lifeless. This sounded alive. Still, just like in 2004, I can’t fully get on board. The voices and that overload of sounds wear me out. I could come back to it though, because I feel that it was and still is special and might give it another try… in a decade.

Not my type

Not as bad as a funeral but not as fun as a wedding

I get that Arcade Fire and this album specifically was insanely influential, but I can't not hear it's influence in the some really bad music of the 2000s and 2010s. It sometimes just sounds like Imagine Dragons or Twenty One Pilots to me. I like the rest of the album much better than Neighborhood 1-4, and I like when the female vocalist sings, she has a really unique voice. Maybe more time needs to pass before I can listen to this baroque rock stuff and not cringe, idk.

Pregnant with the “shout stomp” folk movement

White generic slop, boring

Not my style, but good to expand outside my comfort zone a bit.

Not my cup of tea. V unrelaxing

Música de publicidad de cámara de fotos. No me disgusta, tampoco me enloquece. Meh. No queda guardado.

Utterly forgettable.

Я уже не знаю что придумывать чтобы как то описать релизы девятой сотни

2000s sound. As I listened I kept thinking they sound like other bands like MGMT, Fleet Foxes and Modest Mouse with the whiney kiddie voice and group singing. I did like the classical instruments though.

Eipä jäänyt tästä mitään mieleen. Aika tasapaksua huttua...

Desconocía el artista no me agrado mucho las canciones, tal vez no es mi tipo de música o solo se siente vacío sin sentimientos

Meh

I'm just not a big fan of Win Butler's voice. Lots of good songwriting and old-timey sounds on the record, but can't get past his voice.

Dreamy vibes, chill. Lo veo como soundtrack de alguna película romcom o algo así al momento de la revelación final. Medio aburrido igual

no good music comes out of canada

Don't know what the fuss is about

I grew up and not really into it anymore lol

Nah not for me. Wake up is maybe the only song I like here. Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” album is the first instance I can think of where I brainwashed myself to like an aesthetic because it was someone I respected’s favorite thing. Female vocalist is really low in the mix when she’s on, and those are the parts of this album I enjoyed the most— so I’m not feeling great about this one :\

kinda boring? this era of indie rock was so obsessed with being “important” and “bombastic” and it might have felt that way at the time compared to their more sleazy counterparts but it sort of rings hollow now. at least, the earnestness they present on this record doesn’t resonate with my own earnestness, then or now.

No thanks

Unfortunately, didn't resonate complety with this album however, saved a song so that i can give it a second chance someday :) Maybe, who knows, I'll find someone who can change my mind about this album.

Three albums on this list is a bit excessive for this band. This is the second one by this band I’ve heard so far from this list and it’s not doing much like the other one I listened to. I don’t really understand why they’re so popular although they do have a fairly inoffensive sound so that’s probably how they found appeal. These songs just sound so second rate. Whatever style they’re going for is done pretty lightly. In a way it does seem kind of classically Canadian to take indie rock and make it sound so bland. I’m Canadian so this band is kind of embarrasing to me, ugh. Although there are apparently many people in the world who like this but I suppose that’s not surprising because most people in the world are very conservative. I’ve been trying to keep my comments as kind as possible but I’ve been getting a run of sub-par albums lately so I’m losing my patience with the amount of crap on this list…

Not my cup of tea

Lo escuché mientras lavaba el auto👍🏽

NGL this was kinda buns. Not even good at all cheks. Why did this get recommended to me, they can't sing or write a hook. Utterbly uninspired and bland album.

48 minutes of perfectly mid music. extremely inoffensive. i've probably heard this playing in the background at stores before but it just washes thru and leaves no trace in my memory. i guess i like the vocal style and vocal processing but again, other artists did it the same on much more interesting tracks. rebellion comes closest to standing out but... not really. mostly this album just makes me wish i was listening to the killers instead.

ME pasó lo mismo que con The Suburbs. Rock lavado con poco punch. Es como Imagine Dragons, no es para mi.

This sounds derivative and not very interesting. Not plain bad, just boring

A little odd. Not my flavor.

some stupid self-indulgent lyrics in here sub-par musics and musings, amusings it goes to places I wouldn't go with my huge hunting dog aka Rebellion, but then it moves toward In the Backseat which is lovely, but if I didn't go, how can I come?

Meh

Songs for advertisers to sell cars to

Couple of hits but not my taste.

Inascoltabile e noioso. Non l'ho nemmeno finito

I just don't get it! I see a lot of people 5-starring and I cannot for the life of me understand why. I've heard this name a lot and saw them in a couple of videos, including SNL, but most everyone sounds bad there. But these folks seem to sound bad everywhere. They're average musicians at best and their singer(s) are Quite Bad. Maybe the lyrics are deep, but none jumped out at me in a few listens. Sort of average views on mundane things. Usually I can say something is not for me, but I can understand why someone would like it. But here, this is just bland every-band sort of MOR crap. Sorry if you love them and are offended. I'm sure you're a fine person. AND I'm happy you're on this list trying to widen your horizons and improve your musical tastes. This is a 2 album at best. Because I could see them with a different singer making some decent music... maybe.

Don't care for the vocals, instrumental is alright. Lackluster