Arcade Fire: Funeral (Music to Hear)

Who says a Funeral has to be energy sucking sad? Well thankfully for us, The Montreal, Quebec, Canadian band The Arcade Fire prove it doesn't. The 7 member band originally formed around the husband and wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. Joining together as recently as mid-2003, the current lineup solidified in late 2003/early 2004, when their first full-length and amazingly presented album Funeral was recorded. The band employs a vast array of instruments—mainly guitar, drums, and bass guitar—but also piano, violin, viola, cello, xylophone, keyboard, accordion, and harp. With several able musicians, Arcade Fire showcases with ease their instrumental diversity.


Their first full-length album, Funeral, debuted in September 2004 and was very highly acclaimed by critics but almost never heard by moi, your's truly till late 2005.

The title of the debut album was chosen because of the deaths of several relatives of band members during recording. These events created a somber atmosphere which influenced songs such as "Une année sans lumière" ("A Year without Light"), "In the Backseat", and "Haiti", Chassagne’s elegy to her lost homeland. Without a major label backing, the success of the band and the album Funeral has been acclaimed as an internet phenomenon, with much of the early push coming from reviews on sites such as Pitchfork. The band initially booked small clubs for their 2004 tour but overwhelming interest forced many venue changes, far beyond the band’s expectations. Now the album has garnered this band the well deserved hype and recognition of a band that tears out your heart, polishes it and then sets it back better then when torn out. The follow up is currently being worked upon and awaited with held breaths. Long live the Arcade.