Just as The Pixies broke new ground in indie rock, The Arcade Fire is trying to do the same. This Canadian diamond in the rough has the right vision to follow in the Pixies' footsteps. They seem to very much influenced by The Pixies as well as other bands such as The Cure and The Velvet Underground. Musically they are very complex. They have credited fifteen musicians with the work on this album but the two pillars in this band, Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, both play about six different instruments each. Lyrically, expect confusing but poetic writing filled with depression, dream worthy simile and story telling. I guess I could compare them somewhat to Murder By Death but so much better. There are many different musical directions that this band takes but overall it's steeped in highly talented band mates making the most original and thought provoking music of the year. This will be on my top ten of the year as well as many other reviewers. Get onto this band before they blow up...or break up...you never know.
4/4
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Jonathan AvantsDisparate musical pieces that clamor and vie for your attention, melodies that build sweetly then come crashing down into randomized and discordant noises, Win Butler's reverberating voice spouting spoken-screamed-spoken lines with his wife's feminine-soft voice singing in the background. Funeral sounds like a complete mess on the first listen. It's intriguing enough to keep you coming back…Opus 2004Reviewed by Jason MoreheadI fear that this -- whatever it is -- will turn out to be less a music review and more a review of my thoughts surrounding a specific instance of listening to this album. In other words, more like a blog entry than a piece of actual musical criticism. But here goes... I had been listening to The Arcade Fire's Funeral for several days, and while I found its sprawling cacophony intriguing, even…Similar sounding releases
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