Since being recommended the Arcade Fire album 'Funeral' in last month's 'what album should I buy' thread, I thought it was time to share my purchase with you all.
The album came in a cardboard sleeve, something that always warms my heart. It was well designed and in retrospect is a good visual setting for the acoustic side of the contents. Arcade Fire hail from Montreal and wrote the album during a year in which some family members died (hence the name) and two of the band members married each other (apparently for no other reason than the heat of a studio in the summer).
Their music has a rich alternative feel to it, violins, broken pianos and electric guitars permeate the songs in numerous ways and styles. I wouldn't be surprised if Davd Byrne and Talking Heads were cited as influences, I certainly hear something akin to that. As with Byrne, although not as obvious in Talking Heads, there is a dark undertone to a lot of their songs, especially due to the lead male voice which is highly compressed and heavy on the delay effects. In comparison the female voice which most often hangs somewhere below and seems more comfortable in the string section, is warm and coquettish, with a strong flavour of Bjork to it. The songs, whilst slightly dark at first glance like a victorian carnival, have a great deal of joy and often leave you feeling uplifted upon completion. The recurrence of a particular melody and rhythm throughout the album gives the first time listener a curious feeling of deja vu, but after a few listens it is more than that. It is a hook which keeps dragging you back, and each time it reccurs it is like coming back home to mum's cooking. I found myself anticipating its arrival as the album continued.
The biggest test of an album for me is always how many times can I listen to it and still hear new things, still look forward to hearing it and still not quite manage to recall the track order. Funeral does these things just as well after my 25 or so plays. I love this album, I love this band, I reccommend you listen to it if you have not done so already. Perhaps not suitable for fans of metallica, but anyone that understands there are complicated levels and degrees of anger, sadness, love and joy, (rather than just one or two emotions total(shouting, hate of napster etc.)) would do well to give this album the time.
I shall post another 'what album should I buy' thread at the end of the month and of course follow it up with another review. Enjoy 🙂
Originally posted by StarrmanWhen I figure out how to edit, I will be sure to do so, for you.
Yes, yes, very funny you're all a bunch of comedians... Nw go edit your posts to provide witty, intelligent repartie please 😛
Until then, I will have to make do.
edit: Ah-ha! There is the EDIT button! Now, why wasn't that up on my previous post? Hmm. Wacky post options.