Arcade Fire - Funeral

Probably the most “different” band I’m into is the Decemberists. They’re pretty much unlike anything else I’m really into, but I love them in a big way. So I was searching allmusic.com for bands similar to the Decemberists, and figured I’d try a few. The first one I tried was Belle & Sebastian, and I didn’t like them at all. At first I thought my love of the Decemberists was just a fluke, but I decided to give it one more go, and tried listening to Arcade Fire. There, I struck gold.

What makes Arcade Fire so good is their passion. They’re not good-looking, appealing, or well-noted, and they don’t even play their instruments extremely well. Win Butler arguably doesn’t have a very good voice. I get the feeling that he could have a good voice if he took lessons, but as it is, it is very raw and untrained. No, none of those things apply, but they play with such abandon, like their very lives depended on the next note. That’s not to say every musical moment is intense and loud; sometimes quite the opposite. But even the quiet, contemplative moments communicate great importance. It’s as if they are saying, “this life is all we have, so we’re going to say what needs to be said.” Their music works because they believe in it 100%, at the cost of everything else.

That attitude is put forth very strongly, both lyrically and musically, with the first track, “Tunnels.” It builds gradually, as a lot of their songs do, starting out in subtle gentleness, eventually reaching such heights of urgency that you would wonder if it’s actually the same song, if the melody weren’t consistent. The next track, “Laika,” has an awesome accordion part (never thought I’d say that…), and a percussion part that is insistent, and drives the song. Much of their music is beat-driven, and I’m struck by how strong their rhythm section is. “Power Out,” the album’s crowning achievement, is an anthem, a call to arms, a one-song revolution. The power is out/in the heart of man/take it from your heart/put it in your hand. Man, that makes me want to go out and change the world. How about you?

Perhaps what makes this band so urgent and now-centered is the tragedies that befell them at the beginning of the recording of this album. Three band members had close family members die in a short period of time, inspiring the album’s title, and the music reflects that. That is not to say it’s dark or depressing; quite the opposite, actually. At its best, the music is warm, life-affirming, even beautiful. And even at its worst, it’s just saccharine and a little boring, not cringe-inducing or laughable like some other bands of the same emotional color. This is music with a heart, and the experience is softly empathic, like a lover sleeping next to you. Arcade Fire doesn't take their cues from rock and roll, or any mainstream music for that matter, but somehow they still come to a place that is universal. It may take a while to grow on you, and you really have to be a little open for it to work for you, but Funeral is a very rewarding album, and I think you’ll find yourself, like I do, returning to it again and again.

Prime Cuts:
Power Out
Laika
Rebellion (Lies)
Tunnels

22 Rating: 13