I can’t remember the last time that an album has taken over my life like this one. The Arcade Fire’s “Funeral” was released in September of 2004 and was named Pitchfork Media’s Top Album of the year. I’ve listened to quite a few of Pitchfork’s other favorites and I think they nailed it with this. I like Pitchfork, but ofen our tastes vary. Not on this one.This album has the sound of a band really coming into its stride — which for a debut release is quite shocking. Polished and talented, it’s the creative arrangements and lyrics as well as the voices of husband and wife, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne that stand out. This album means something. I’ve been unable to stop listening to it since February. Nothing this year has been able to knock it from its perch.
Like many of my favorite albums over the past 20 years or so, it didn’t grab me on first listen, but you could tell there was a reason to it and it needed my full-attention. The next listen with the headphones had my wife asking me, “what?”, a number of times as I said “wow” over and over.
“Wow, wow, wow…”
3mew.com 