Funeral [LP]

Funeral [LP]

by Arcade Fire
Funeral [LP]

Funeral [LP]

by Arcade Fire

Vinyl LP(Long Playing Record)

$23.99 
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Overview

Fronted by the husband-and-wife team of Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, the Arcade Fire's emotional debut -- rendered even more poignant by the dedications to recently departed family members contained in its liner notes -- is brave, empowering, and dusted with something that many of the indie rock genre's more contrived acts desperately lack: an element of real danger. Funeral's mourners -- specifically Butler and Chassagne -- inhabit the same post-apocalyptic world as London Suede's Dog Man Star; they are broken, beaten, and ferociously romantic, reveling in the brutal beauty of their surroundings like a heathen Adam & Eve. "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)," the first of four metaphorical forays into the geography of the soul, follows a pair of young lovers who meet in the middle of the town through tunnels that connect to their bedrooms. Over a soaring piano lead that's effectively doubled by distorted guitar, they reach a Lord of the Flies-tinged utopia where they can't even remember their names or the faces of their weeping parents. Butler sings like a lion-tamer whose whip grows shorter with each and every lash. He can barely contain himself, and when he lets loose it's both melodic and primal, like Berlin-era Bowie. "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" examines suicidal desperation through an angular Gang of Four prism; the hypnotic wash of strings and subtle meter changes of "Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)" winsomely capture the mundane doings of day-to-day existence; and "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)," Funeral's victorious soul-thumping core, is a goose bump-inducing rallying cry centered around the notion that "the power's out in the heart of man, take it from your heart and put it in your hand." Arcade Fire are not bereft of whimsy. "Crown of Love" is like a wedding cake dropped in slow motion, utilizing a Johnny Mandel-style string section and a sweet, soda-pop-stand chorus to provide solace to a jilted lover yearning for a way back into the fold, and "Haiti" relies on a sunny island melody to explore the complexities of Chassagne's mercurial homeland. However, it's the sheer power and scope of cuts like "Wake Up" -- featuring all 15 musicians singing in unison -- and the mesmerizing, early-Roxy Music pulse of "Rebellion (Lies)" that make Funeral the remarkable achievement that it is. These are songs that pump blood back into the heart as fast and furiously as it's draining from the sleeve on which it beats, and by the time Chassagne dissects her love of riding "In the Backseat" with the radio on, despite her desperate fear of driving, Funeral's singular thread is finally revealed; love does conquer all, especially love for the cathartic power of music. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date: 12/22/2017
Label: Sony Music
UPC: 0889854624217
Rank: 11442

Tracks

  1. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
  2. Neighborhood #2 (La¿¿ka)
  3. Une Annee Sans Lumiere
  4. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
  5. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)
  6. Crown of Love
  7. Wake Up
  8. Haiti
  9. Rebellion (Lies)
  10. In the Backseat

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Arcade Fire   Primary Artist
Richard Reed Parry   Double Bass,Organ,Piano,Accordion,Xylophone,Percussion,Synthesizer,Bass (Upright),Guitar (Rickenbacker)
Win Butler   Guitar (Bass),Bass,Gourd,Piano,Vocals,Lead Vocals,Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (12 String Electric)
Howard Bilerman   Drums,Guitar
Arlen Thompson   Drums
Owen Pallett   Violin
Genevieve Heistek   Viola
Michael Olsen   Cello
Sarah Neufeld   Violin
Pietro Amato   Horn
Mike Olsen   Cello
Regine Chassagne   Drums,Piano,Vocals,Recorder,Accordion,Xylophone,Percussion,Lead Vocals,Synthesizer
Sophie Trudeau   Violin
Gen Heistek   Viola
Jessica Moss   Violin
Tim Kingsbury   Bass,Telecaster,Guitar (Acoustic)
Will Butler   Bass,Xylophone,Percussion,Lead Vocals,Synthesizer
Anita Fust   Harp

Technical Credits

Arcade Fire   Audio Engineer,Audio Production,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Performer,String Arrangements
Richard Reed Parry   Audio Engineer,Composer,Engineer,Group Member
Howard Bilerman   Audio Engineer,Composer,Engineer,Group Member
Mark Lawson   Engineer
Arlen Thompson   Group Member
Owen Pallett   Group Member,String Arrangements
Genevieve Heistek   Group Member
Michael Olsen   Group Member
Sarah Neufeld   Group Member,String Arrangements
Thierry Amar   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Pietro Amato   Group Member
Win Butler   Composer,Group Member
Regine Chassagne   Composer,Group Member
Sophie Trudeau   Group Member
Jessica Moss   Group Member
Ryan Morey   Mastering
Tim Kingsbury   Composer,Group Member
Hilary Treadwell   Insert,Photography
Will Butler   Composer,Group Member
Tracy Maurice   Cover Art
Anita Fust   Group Member
Josh Deu   Writer,Composer
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