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Rating: In these times of rampant downloading, blogs, portals, and everything that the internet thrives on, nothing seems to be inaccessible anymore. In fact, in recent years (we’re talking about music, but also about cinema and literature), it has become possible to get to know many realities quite far from us, most of the time without much difficulty. Just think about the latest chronological discoveries. Starting from that much-praised (perhaps too much) teen movie called Donnie Darko, produced a couple of years ago and poorly received in its home country and then, thanks to a whirlwind of word of mouth, distributed worldwide. Or Dave Eggers, the author of "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," who suddenly became a significant exponent of certain contemporary literature that casts a gaze on the concept of the post-modern.
Or, lastly, speaking of musical phenomena, those Radio Dept whose success owes everything to the word of mouth granted by the existence of thousands (millions?!) of blogs present in the vast mouth of the net.
These are just three of the many cases (perhaps the most overrated ones) that exploded in the last couple of years, and the phenomenon has now become so compelling as to seem unstoppable.
The Arcade Fire, a Canadian combo of about fifteen members, are no exception. And perhaps this time we’ve got it. “Funeral,” officially released about a year ago in their home country and equipped with decent hype, has arrived here about a month ago. And here we go again.
It’s worth saying straight away, however, to avoid any misunderstanding, we are talking about a good album, which needs a few listens and perhaps a mind free of prejudice. I fell for it too. Initially, this story of the Canadian revolution, the word of mouth, the fact that every year should have its scene, its masterpieces that after ten listens go to die among the domestic dust.
In short, I had every possible and imaginable reason to doubt.
Yet, this debut by Arcade Fire is a great little album, filled as it is with intensity, emotions, and at least a handful of memorable songs. Masterpiece? Ohhhhhh, what a drag! Let’s forget that word for a moment and immerse ourselves, instead, in the vaporous atmospheres, sometimes not very vague, inspired by the '70s and the most inspired period of the White Duke. In this regard, listen to the opener and first track of the “neighborhood quadrilogy”(!?), Neighborhood#1 (Tunnels). Eh? So what do you think?
And what about the subsequent “Neighborhood#2 (Laika)”, a dragging composition full of that charming and irresistible ‘80s mist that brings us closer to Echo And The Bunnymen atmospheres and a Talking Heads inclination, characterized by excellent arrangement and beautiful accordion counterpoints? Contagiously romantic.
The most surprising thing is that, despite our heroes being scattered across dozens and dozens of influences, the ensemble ultimately remains not very dispersive and well-calibrated.
There is no lesser track in the lineup, only some that stand out more. The fascinating Une Année Sans Lumière or the wave and dance temptations of the third chapter of the quadrilogy and Rebellion (Bowie is always around the corner), for instance. That sweet symphony of lost loves that is Crown Of Love. Remarkable. Here too, the Canadians play with more or less known references, sometimes even becoming a bit too grandiose and citationist, yet still more than credible thanks to enviable writing and command of their means.
The record sees its fulfillment in the gentle and nocturnal ballad In The Back Seat where one seems to hear the Portishead deprived of any electronic provocation in favor of the warmth of little more than an acoustic guitar, strings, and a very warm voice delivering the final blow. This is until halfway through, more or less, because in the refrain an electric guitar breaks, albeit moderately, the initial calm, and it’s really a beautiful sound.
Well done, no doubt about it. And then, that cover... uhmm, one of the most beautiful in recent times.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Neighborhood #2 (Laïka) (03:32)
Alexander, our older brother,
set out for a great adventure.
He tore our images out of his pictures,
he scratched our names out of all his letters.
Our mother shoulda just named you Laika!
Come on Alex, you can do it.
Come on Alex, there's nothin' to it.
If you want somethin' don't ask for nothin,
if you want nothin' don't ask for somethin'!
Our mother shoulda just named you Laika!
It's for your own good,
it's for the neighborhood!
For the neighborhood
Our older brother bit by a Vampire!
For a year we caught his tears in a cup.
And now we're gonna make him drink it.
Come on Alex don't die or dry up!
Our mother shoulda just named you Laika!
It's for your own good,
it's for the neighborhood!
When daddy comes home you always start a fight,
so the neighbors can dance in the police disco lights.
The police disco lights.
Now the neighbors can dance! (x4)
03 Une année sans lumière (03:41)
Hey! The streetlights all burnt out.
Une année sans lumières.
Je monte un cheval,
Qui porte des oeillères.
Hey, my eyes are shooting sparks,
La nuit, mes yeux t'éclairent.
Ne dis pas à ton père
Qu'il porte des oeillières.
Hey, your old man should know,
If you see a shadow,
There's something there.
So hey! my eyes are shooting sparks,
La nuit mes yeux t'éclairent,
Ne dis pas à ton père
Qu'il porte des oeillères.
Hey, your old man should know,
If you see a shadow,
There's something there
07 Wake Up (05:35)
Somethin' filled up
My heart with nothin',
Someone told me not to cry.
But now that I'm older,
My heart's colder,
And I can see that it's a lie...
Children wake up,
Hold your mistake up,
Before they turn the summer into dust.
If the children don't grow up,
Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turnin' every good thing to
rust.
I guess we'll just have to adjust!...
With my lightnin' bolts a glowin'
I can see where I am goin' to be
When the reaper he reaches and touches my hand.
With my lightnin' bolts a glowin'
I can see where I am goin’
With my lighnin' bolts a glowin'
I can see where I am go-goin’
You better look out below!
08 Haïti (04:07)
Haïti, mon pays
Wounded mother I'll never see
Ma famille set me free
Throw my ashes into the sea
Mes cousins jamais nés
Hauntent les nuits des Duvaliers
Rien n'arrête nos esprits
Guns can't kill what soldiers can't see
In the forest we are hiding
Unmarked graves where flowers grow
Hear the soldiers angry yelling
In the river we will go
Tous les morts-nés forment une armée
Soon we will reclaim the earth
All the tears and all the bodies
Bring about our second birth
Haïti, never free
N'aie pas peur de sonner l'alarme
Tes enfants sont partis
In those days their blood was still warm.
09 Rebellion (Lies) (05:11)
Sleeping is giving in,
No matter what the time is.
Sleeping is giving in,
So lift those heavy eyelids.
People say that you'll die
Faster than without water.
But we know it's just a lie,
Scare your son, scare your daughter.
People say that your dreams
Are the only things that save ya.
Come on baby in our dreams,
We can live our misbehavior.
Every time you close your eyes
Lies, lies!
Every time you close your eyes
Lies, lies!
Every time you close your eyes
Lies, lies!
Every time you close your eyes
Lies, lies!
Every time you close your eyes
Every time you close your eyes
Every time you close your eyes
Every time you close your eyes
People try and hide the night
Underneath the covers.
People try and hide the light
Underneath the covers.
Come on hide your lovers
Underneath the covers,
Come on hide your lovers
Underneath the covers.
Hidin' from your brothers
Underneath the covers,
Come on hide your lovers
Underneath the covers.
People say let's just die
Faster than without water,
But we know it's just a lie,
Scare your son, scare your daughter,
Scare your son, scare your daughter.
Scare your son, scare your daughter.
Now here's the sun, it's alright!
(Lies, lies!)
Now here's the moon, it's alright!
(Lies, lies!)
Now here's the sun, it's alright!
(Lies, lies!)
Now here's the moon it's alright
(Lies, lies!)
Every time you close your eyes
Lies, lies!
Every time you close your eyes
Lies, lies!
Every time you close your eyes
Lies, lies!
Every time you close your eyes
Lies, lies!
Every time you close your eyes
Every time you close your eyes
(Lies, lies!)
10 In the Backseat (06:20)
I like the peace
In the backseat
I don't have to drive
I don't have to speak
I can watch the countryside
And I can fall asleep
My family tree's
Losing all it's leaves
Crashing towards the driver's seat
The lightning bolt had enough heat
To melt the street beneath your feet
Alice died
In the night
I've been learning to drive
My whole life
I've been learning
I like the peace
In the backseat
I don't have to drive
I don't have to speak
I only can watch the countryside
Alice died
In the night
I've been learning to drive
My whole life
I've been learning how
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Other reviews
By damaskinos
Funeral is a paradox. It should express absence, loss, discouragement. Instead, it sounds so euphoric and life-affirming.
Funeral manages to divinely blend orchestral movements with offbeat pulses; melancholic and experimental beginnings that suddenly burst into post-punk tailspins.
By Saturnina.Ruby
"It’s exciting how music can be strange and contradictory. The environment is less tense, life is the same, but I feel some strings in my body occasionally emitting signs of life."
"Recommended for: all those looking for a home within some good medicine that doesn’t harm and have their inner strings completely out of tune."
By diciattre
"Songs that take you by the hand in the critical moment of crying, of despair, and guide you into the phase where you think 'Okay, let’s roll up our sleeves and try to make sense of this life.'"
"A record that literally made even David Bowie fall in love with this family band."
By Bert
The music is sad but played in a cheerful way so that everything seems spontaneous.
Funeral is an album worthy of careful analysis, being the first album by the Canadian Indie Rock group Arcade Fire.
