Funeral [CD]

French-Canadian alt-rockers 'The Arcade Fire' are an excellent band. There is no other way about it. This is a band that shows talent in abundance, and it is evident from the very beginning.

I was a bit skeptical when buying this because I had only heard 'Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)' and even though I thought it was fantastic, I was wondering if the rest of the tracks could hold the consistency that 'Power Out' did. Luckily, they did.

Opening up with 'Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)', which is a rather melodic song with a somewhat rocky edge to it. A great opener to a great album.

Track two, 'Neighbourhod #2 (Laika)' begins with drums and accordion before exploding into a musical jigsaw where everything fits together perfectly. Great music, and sounds very pleasing to the ears. Great stuff.

Track three, 'Une Annee Sans Lumiere' (A Year Without Light)- (if my dodgy French tells me correctly) begins really softly and has a quite peaceful ambience to it. The mood doesn't change until the very end and only for a while the tempo speeds up. A great track.

Track four, 'Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)' is somewhat heavier, mixing drums, violins, guitars, bass and glockenspiels to make a wonderful sound. An up-tempo track that is absolutely brilliant.

Track five, 'Neighbourhood #4 (Kettles)' is a down-tempo song and a nice one at that. The violins take over with the guitars to create a lovely, drift-away type of song. A very nice, warm ballad.

Track six, 'Crown Of Love' is one of my favourites, and even though the beginning isn't fantastic, it picks up as it goes along, and the bit where the song speeds up in tempo is brilliant. The violins add a brilliant touch to the song. Fantastic. Musical brilliance.

Track seven, 'Wake Up' is the song with the most anthemic beginning. The guitars are relatively heavy and grungy (for an alternative band) and the voices are brilliant when they come in. This is a top-quality track. Undoubtedly top-class. As the previous track, it speeds up in tempo to great effect. One of the album's best offerings.

Track eight, 'Haiti' is a laid-back number, which begins with an acoustic guitar before the vocals come in. Very laid-back, and the song pattern remains the same all the way through. A very good song nonetheless.

Track nine, 'Rebellion (Lies)' opens up with a pounding drum beat and bass before pianos and guitars come in. The vocals come in soon after. The violins are an addition soon after for a while before disappearing. This is a great song and a catchy one at that too. One of the album's best offerings.

Track ten, and the final track here, 'In The Backseat' is another drift-away song. A very anthemic song to finish off a great album from a very talented band indeed. I look forward to what their next album will be like.

I cannot rate this album high enough. Having been given this by a mate to prove that not all the music he loves is awful, i was a bit of a sceptic. But it is quite simply one of the best albums i have ever heard, by the third hearing i was hooked. Thier ability to surprisingly change tempo mid track keeps this album endlessly interesting. The music is simply inspired and the lyric delivery is terribly impressive. In short, this turns my insides to mush. Its not quiet tho, it is a rock band and they do rock but it is so much more than that. They mix genres well, combining layered vocals with some sort of drum that builds tempos beautifully. I have ordered their second album without hearing it, purely on the basis of this one. If they can deliver a second time, then they are here to stay. For this album alone, i salute them

In what is an increasingly generic indie scene, the Arcade Fire are like a breath of fresh air. Hailing from Montreal, Canada this five-piece (plus numerous other musicians) have also managed to release one of the debuts of the year.
With four of the first five tracks titled Neighborhood, the songs tell intimate stories of towns trapped in snowstorms, and the loss of relatives and friends. Yet despite the strong themes of death and loss, the romantic nature of the songs means that the resounding outlook is one of hope rather than despair.
This is evidenced in the opening song, Neighborhood 1. "I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours" sings Win Butler defiantly, accompanied by a striding rhythm and a lush, orchestral sound. It's the wealth of musicians which consistently lifts this album above the current crop of indie bands.
But despite the hymnal nature of the music, the Arcade Fire aren't afraid to crank the guitars up when necessary. Neighborhood 4 is suitably frantic, complete with crashing drums, and the chugging guitars of Wake Up are most effective. Yet it's the surprising twists in the songs which make this album so compelling. Just try not to smile when the elegant Crown of Love finishes with a dramatic disco beat.
Should Win Butler's yelping become too much, then Regine Chassagne's vocals should provide the perfect remedy. Sounding like a more palatable Bjork, she only appears as lead vocalist on Haiti and In The Backseat, but as a result, these tracks are made all the more special. On the latter, it's hard not to be moved when she proclaims "Alice died in the night" amidst a rousing chorus.
Many reviews have tagged the Arcade Fire as "a cross between the Pixies and the Polyphonic Spree". Certainly Butler's most crazed moments are reminiscent of Black Francis (and the lilting guitars of Une annee sans lumiere have a tinge of Bossanova-era Pixies about them), and the band seem to have a similar cultish aura about them as the Spree (although thankfully they're not in anyway gimmicky). And despite the band's otherworldly take on indie, the springy guitar and bass lines of Rebellion come across like an orchestral Interpol (no bad thing).
Yet this is an album and band which should be judged entirely on its own merits, of which there are many. With each listen, the music becomes bolder, more stirring, and offers something new. The Arcade Fire have already won over a lot of plaudits, hopefully they'll win over a lot more.

Key moments: Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels), Neighborhood 3 (Power Out), Crown Of Love, In The Backseat