2008 Woodie Awards
The Fire has quelled
But Joe McCormack '07 still feels the group's sophomore effort is a good little album
Joe McCormack '07
Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
Universal/Mercury Records
Funeral, by the Arcade Fire, is one of the best indie-rock albums ever recorded. It was the band's debut LP, released in 2004. It not only had a couple of songs that soared above where we thought indie-rock could go (namely "Rebellion (Lies)," and "Wake Up") but every last song moved and breathed like a household in the collective neighborhood of the album. The band combines unique instrumentation (accordion, violins, glockenspiels, various percussion), driving and epically melodic songs, and abstract, poignant lyrics. As soon as co-lead singer Win Butler murmurs, "Then I'll dig a tunnel, from my window to yours," you know you're in a different place, a magical place. Funeral sustains and explores that sense of place in 10 excellent songs.
Of course, some will say it is unfair to compare the follow-up, Neon Bible, to Funeral. In any case, it is no comparison. Neon Bible is a good album, and worth listening to in its own right, but pales when compared to Funeral. Not only is Neon Bible inconsistent in quality, but it also lacks that magical sense of place that made Funeral so special.
It is a bad sign for the state of the band that the two best songs on the album, "Intervention," and "No Cars Go," were written prior to Funeral. Many of the other songs feature gimmicky melodies and parts that often accompany songwriters who are struggling. Is the magic gone? No, but if you just listened to the insipid new single, "Black Mirror," you may think so.
"Intervention" is amazing. It begins with ominous church organs, and then an accordion that is surprisingly jangley comes over and bounces over the organ. Glockenspiels, driving drum and bass, guitar, and atmospheric strings come over the top and churn under Butler's epic melody. The lyrics are fittingly epic, musing on a soldier's longing for peace, including the brilliant couplet: "Who's gonna throw the very first stone?/Oh, who's gonna reset the bone?" It shows off the Arcade Fire's singular ability to lay melodies over each other. This is no doubt a result of the husband and wife duo, Butler and Régine Chassagne, that forms the core of the band, both lead singers and guitar and piano/organ players, respectively.
Arcade Fire
Universal/Mercury Records
Funeral, by the Arcade Fire, is one of the best indie-rock albums ever recorded. It was the band's debut LP, released in 2004. It not only had a couple of songs that soared above where we thought indie-rock could go (namely "Rebellion (Lies)," and "Wake Up") but every last song moved and breathed like a household in the collective neighborhood of the album. The band combines unique instrumentation (accordion, violins, glockenspiels, various percussion), driving and epically melodic songs, and abstract, poignant lyrics. As soon as co-lead singer Win Butler murmurs, "Then I'll dig a tunnel, from my window to yours," you know you're in a different place, a magical place. Funeral sustains and explores that sense of place in 10 excellent songs.
Of course, some will say it is unfair to compare the follow-up, Neon Bible, to Funeral. In any case, it is no comparison. Neon Bible is a good album, and worth listening to in its own right, but pales when compared to Funeral. Not only is Neon Bible inconsistent in quality, but it also lacks that magical sense of place that made Funeral so special.
It is a bad sign for the state of the band that the two best songs on the album, "Intervention," and "No Cars Go," were written prior to Funeral. Many of the other songs feature gimmicky melodies and parts that often accompany songwriters who are struggling. Is the magic gone? No, but if you just listened to the insipid new single, "Black Mirror," you may think so.
"Intervention" is amazing. It begins with ominous church organs, and then an accordion that is surprisingly jangley comes over and bounces over the organ. Glockenspiels, driving drum and bass, guitar, and atmospheric strings come over the top and churn under Butler's epic melody. The lyrics are fittingly epic, musing on a soldier's longing for peace, including the brilliant couplet: "Who's gonna throw the very first stone?/Oh, who's gonna reset the bone?" It shows off the Arcade Fire's singular ability to lay melodies over each other. This is no doubt a result of the husband and wife duo, Butler and Régine Chassagne, that forms the core of the band, both lead singers and guitar and piano/organ players, respectively.