I love it. I've been listening to it for like, 32 hours straight. My favourite song I think is actually Neightbourhood #1 (Tunnels)

Ooh..Matthew Good fan. (I think he crapped out when he went solo and went overboard with the pretentiousness)

I list Arcade Fire as my #2 album of 2004. It's sort of an exhiliarating listen, especially the first few times. I think cut #6 whatever it's called is my favorite, but Neighborhood #1 is really good too.

My friend who likes Matthew Good loves Arcade Fire. I guess they naturally have a fan base in common - though Arcade Fire is much better.

i think its a good record that got blown way out of proportion. i dont mind hype, but it got a bit excessive. still a very good album.

Haha. I like it when new members can introduce themselves to the forums with a hot (as far as music goes) topic like this.

It's a very good album, if a tincy bit overrated. Yes, "Neighbourhood #1" is the best track on the album, in my opinion.

I actually think its not overrated. I mean they've got sort of an emo thing happening and that usually dooms a band to a fan base of 14 year olds in Minneapolis but on repeated listenings it just keeps getting better. There are very few albums that I can honoustly say that about in my opinion.

i dont see what is so special about this band. Nothing on the album impresses me one bit. It sounds to me like anyone could write the songs: write a simple hook and play it over and over throughout the songs and do constant annoying downstrokes on the guitar. I suppose its not that bad, but i dont understand what all the praise is about.

robot- I can say with a good amount of certainty that I, for one, could not write songs near as good as the ones on Funeral.

Well, I'm not going to laud the lyrics. They're kind of melo to an extent that it's a bit silly. And not melo in a good way like The Decemberists. More like, over the top.

Musically though, I think it's a great album.

Bought it a couple of weeks ago, because of the hype, and still haven't listened all the way through. Haven't caught the mood, yet, OR, am I missing something????

Then again, I'll put it on a month from now and it'll blow me away....we'll see....

Usually when a band inspires feverish devotion like the Arcade Fire does, I can understand why, even when I don't feel the devotion myself. But I fail to get it with the Arcade Fire. Which isn't to say that I don't LIKE it...I just don't love it with the passion that many others do. I find it good, but not great. But maybe I will listen to it in a few months and be blown away as well...

i thought the album was pretty awesome...and them i saw them live in the front of a tiny room with amazing sound. it was amazing, and now the album has been lifted to great in my estimation...although, it definitely doesn't always fit my mood all the time so i can see why some people just don't feel like sitting through the whole thing. it can be a little taxing unless it's what you want to hear.

but again, for me, this album is great and the only other 2004 releases that rival it are john vanderslice, xiu xiu, owen and iron and wine. (i also most of those groups live in the same venue as well)

I think it's still great and considering how much crap came out last year it was so refreshing to hear. Calling it overrated isn't very fair. If you don't like it that's fine but I think it deserves all the praise it received.

quote:

Originally posted by robot:
i dont see what is so special about this band. Nothing on the album impresses me one bit. It sounds to me like anyone could write the songs: write a simple hook and play it over and over throughout the songs and do constant annoying downstrokes on the guitar. I suppose its not that bad, but i dont understand what all the praise is about.

Try actually listening to the album or at least writing your own song before making such obviously ignorant comments.

I can't get enough of the Arcade Fire. It's been months since I got the album, and I still listen to it all the time. Seeing them live also gives a very different feel to the music, it is unlike anything I've ever heard.

quote:

Originally posted by Call to Apathy:
I think it's still great and considering how much crap came out last year it was so refreshing to hear. Calling it overrated isn't very fair. If you don't like it that's fine but I think it deserves all the praise it received.

quote:

Originally posted by robot:
i dont see what is so special about this band. Nothing on the album impresses me one bit. It sounds to me like anyone could write the songs: write a simple hook and play it over and over throughout the songs and do constant annoying downstrokes on the guitar. I suppose its not that bad, but i dont understand what all the praise is about.

Try actually listening to the album or at least writing your own song before making such obviously ignorant comments.

I have.

I feel that many of the mega-hyped bands of the moment don't deserve the amount of attention they are getting, I mean I first heard Frand Ferdinand before I heard anything about them, and wasn't impressed, I fail to see just why I'm supposed to like them. However, Funeral is honestly my favorite album to come out within the past couple years. I've found it much more unique than most new bands lately, and I love the atmosphere the strings bring to the songs. Though I can see reasons why some people may not like this album, the mellow-dramatic lyrics for example, I have failed to actually personally meet someone who doesn't. If hype is what it takes to get this band heard, then I feel they deserve all they hype they've been getting.

I read an article about Arcade Fire last year and it sounded interesting, then my friend told me "You have to get 'Funeral'- it's epic! Like if Bright Eyes and Bjork had a really depressed child who made this record!" I realized that called 'Funeral' an epic album was a bit of a stretch. Some of the tracks seemed rather bland, and for the content of the album, it seemed too short. I don't regret buying 'Funeral', though- the song "Neighborhood 2 (Laika)" is reason enough to buy the album. That is a ridiculously great song that almost doesn't fit in with the pace of the rest of the album. If anything, download "Laika" and maybe "Power Out" and you'll be hitting the highlights of the record. It's hard for me to see how this is one of the best albums of 2004, substance-wise. But I do see why so many people view the Arcade Fire as a breath of fresh air: because there's usually a lack of interesting music that gets any coverage.

You know, I was thinking, when I was making my response the 'top ten active bands' thread.

I enjoy Funeral a lot, but Arcade Fire have 'sophomore slump' written all over them. And 'one album wonder'.

If they manage to replicate the success of 'Funeral', I'll be shocked.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobthespirit:
I enjoy Funeral a lot, but Arcade Fire have 'sophomore slump' written all over them. And 'one album wonder'.

If they manage to replicate the success of 'Funeral', I'll be shocked.

While my vote is that the Arcade Fire are already slumping, I think that's a good point. I wonder if the folks who went crazy over it (Pitchfork, f'r sure) will be the ones to take them down a peg next time. Or, I wonder if they'll refuse to recognize if the next one is a stinker...

I love these guys. Funeral is a classic as far as I'm concerned. I (obviously) see them as more than a one album wonder. They wrote some good songs on their EP, and the new ones they've played at shows have been damn good as well.

Now here's an album I never get tired of listening to. I'd really love to see them live.