MRG255
Original Release - 2004
What can be said about this album that hasn't already been said? I'm not coming up with anything.
Thanks to The Dave Man for introducing this beautiful album into my consciousness. Like I have said many times before, there are just some albums and artists I am totally aware of, yet I just don't get around to checking them out. I'm glad I have been introduced to Arcade Fire, what a sweeping, emotional, and stunning album we have here.
Win Butler and Regine Chassagne are the couple at the heart of Arcade Fire. They are married, and each experienced significant loss during the same time in 2003. By any account it was a dark time for the both of them, and "Funeral" is the result. "Funeral" is a sweeping album, and the first time I listened to it, it left me with a sense of satisfaction rarely achieved by these ears. Especially after only one listen.
The lyrics though steeped with the sense of loss and uncertainty, are simply beautiful. Beautiful in the same heartbreaking way that made Ryan Adam's "Heartbreaker" a personal favorite. Its simple and effortless communication, and the musicality is creative, exciting and always interesting. On "Wake Up" Win Butler sings "...Somethin' filled up my heart with nothin', someone told me not to cry. But now that I'm older, my heart's colder, and I can see that it's a lie" - I truly believe him.
This album never wastes a second, every track is what your soul yearns for next. A haunting and memorable modern masterpiece that will no doubt stand with the best of the era. This is not simply a "sad" album, it manages to in a single song take the listener on a journey of pain and loss, yet the light at the end of the tunnel is always in the distance. Regine's haunting and beautiful voice on "In The Backseat" is the perfect example "Alice died in the night. I've been learning to drive. My whole life, I've been learning" - We all have experienced loss, but the darkness does not last forever.
This vinyl release from Merge is a 180 gram edition, that looks and sounds great. The packaging is excellent, a beautiful and ornate gatefold holds this album, and included is a anti-static sleeve and lyric sheet.
Album - A
Vinyl - A
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