Arcade Fire - Funeral

Arcade Fire seemed to come along without much fanfare. They released their debut album, Funeral, in the Feburary of 2005 and even though it was critically acclaimed by critics it only managed to get to 33 in the UK album charts. Even so, the album continued to sell steadily and the lush, creeping soundscapes and haunting vocals that litter the album made their way into more and more peoples homes and hearts.

The album kicks off with Tunnels, which builds to a crescendo as layers of instruments are added on top of the ever rising, yet slightly cracking voice of Win Butler. Power Out was the fantastic lead single from the album. Much heavier than anything else on the album it lies somewhere between the frantic and the downbeat. Managing to pack just enough punch to keep the ever skeptic Arcade Fire virgin listening but containing the right amount of the weird, wonderful and spooky to not make it seem out of place on the record itself.

Crown of Love is Arcade Fire's attempt at a love song and not suprisingly, they manage to pull it off perfectly. The song slowly plods along with Win Butler delivering the lyrics in his own inimitable way before launching short but sweet Violin solo. This is then followed by Wake Up, the closest thing Arcade Fire will ever produce to a stadium rock anthem, which contains one of my favourite ever lines - "We're just a million little Gods causing rainstorms / turning every good thing to rust".

Every track is a stand out but Rebellion (Lies) is a quirky song that on the surface, urges the kids to stick two fingers up to the system and give up sleep. If you claw underneath you'll see it's very much about being told what's good for you rather than being allowed to learn yourself. Obviously tongue firmly in cheek, the video shows the band leading children away like some troop of rock n' roll Pied Pipers.

Even though there is an underlying pang of sadness through out, this album isn't just for the weepy and angst ridden among us. It's for those who appreciate great rock music. It pains me to use the term 'Indie' when talking about Arcade Fire because quite frankly they shit all over anything Johnny Borrell and his Popworld mates could put together, but Funeral is the best Indie album i've ever heard and one of the best albums full stop. From the faint electronic whining of the very first song to the fading plucking of the last, this album is an utter joy to listen to.