Funeral (album)

Funeral
Studio album by Arcade Fire
Released September 14, 2004 (2004-09-14)
Recorded August 2003 – early 2004
Studio Hotel2Tango (Montreal, Quebec)
Genre
Length 48:02
Label Merge
Producer Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire chronology
Arcade Fire
(2003)Arcade Fire2003		 Funeral
(2004)		 Neon Bible
(2007)Neon Bible2007
Singles from Funeral
  1. "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"
    Released: June 20, 2004
  2. "Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)"
    Released: March 28, 2005
  3. "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)"
    Released: May 23, 2005
  4. "Rebellion (Lies)"
    Released: September 12, 2005
  5. "Wake Up"
    Released: November 14, 2005

Funeral is the debut studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on September 14, 2004 by Merge Records. It was given its title because several band members had recently lost members of their families; Régine Chassagne's grandmother died in June 2003, Win and William Butler's grandfather (swing musician Alvino Rey) in February 2004, and Richard Reed Parry's aunt in April 2004.[4] Preliminary recordings for Funeral were made during the course of a week in August 2003 at the Hotel2Tango in Montreal, Quebec, and the recording was completed later that year all in an analogue recording format.

The album produced five singles, with "Rebellion (Lies)" being the most successful, having peaked at #19 on the UK Singles Chart. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Alternative Music Album. It received widespread critical acclaim and topped many year-end and decade-end lists. According to the website Metacritic, the album had the second most appearances on end-of-decade Top 10 lists, only behind Radiohead's Kid A.[5] In the updated version of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, it was ranked at #151.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic90/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Blender[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[9]
The Guardian[10]
Mojo[11]
NME9/10[12]
Pitchfork9.7/10[4]
Q[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
The Village VoiceA−[15]

Funeral received universal acclaim from music critics, and is commonly hailed as a modern classic. At Metacritic, the album has received an average score of 90, based on 33 reviews. It is put at one of the top 100 albums on Metacritic's list of highest scored albums of all time.[6] AllMusic reviewer James Christopher Monger gave the album a rating of five stars out of five. He described it as "brave, empowering, and dusted with something that many of the indie-rock genre's more contrived acts desperately lack: an element of real danger."[7] Rock critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A−, saying that Funeral was "...too fond of drama, but aware of its small place in the big world, and usually beautiful."[15] Pitchfork gave the album a 9.7 out of 10 rating, and ultimately ranked the album #2 on their Top 200 Albums of the 2000s list, after Radiohead's Kid A.[4] Kludge called it a "glorious" debut album, in which Arcade Fire spins "elaborate art-rock full of passion and atmosphere."[16]

Drowned in Sound also highly praised Funeral. Reviewer Jesus Chigley called the album "...empowering and hopeful and euphoric all at once", saying that "it says everything there is to say about mortality and it does it in 10 tracks."[17] Stylus's Josh Drimmer gave Funeral an A, calling it "celebratory, emotionally rich and life-affirming".[18] Tiny Mix Tapes gave the album five stars out of five; "Funeral," the reviewer wrote, "is like nothing you've heard before, and altogether familiar."[19] Reviewing the album in February 2005, Dave Simpson of The Guardian called it "one of the year's best already, by a mile."[10] Zeth Lundy of PopMatters complimented Funeral on its eccentricity, calling it "bizarre at turns and recognizable elsewhere, equally beautiful and harrowing, theatrical and sincere, defying categorization while attempting to create new genres."[20] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, saying, "Funerals are generally somber affairs, but the Canadian indie rockers' emotionally charged 2004 debut mostly just made us smile. And, okay, mist up a little."[21] In 2017, Canadian music magazine Exclaim! ranked fifth single "Wake Up" as the best song in the band's entire catalogue.[22]

The album was also listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[23]

The album is certified Gold by the Record Industry Association of America for over 500,000 copies sold in the US.[24]

Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Consequence of Sound US Top Albums of the 2000s[25] 2009 2
LAS Magazine US Albums of the decade[26] 2009 1
Mojo UK The 100 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime 1993-2006[27] 2006 60
NME UK The 100 Greatest Albums of the 2000s[28] 2009 7
Paste US Top 50 Albums of the 2000s[29] 2009 3
Pitchfork US Top 200 Albums of the 2000s[30] 2009 2
Rolling Stone US Top 100 Albums of the 2000s[31] 2009 6
Rolling Stone US 500 Greatest Albums of All Time[32] 2012 151
Rolling Stone US 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time[33] 2013 15
Slant Magazine US Top 250 Albums of the 2000s[34] 2010 4
Spin US 125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years[35] 2010 66
Under the Radar US Top 200 Albums of the Decade[36] 2009 1
Q UK 250 Best Albums of Q's Lifetime[37] 2011 19
NME UK The 500 Greatest Albums of the All Time[38] 2013 13
CBC Music CAN 100 Greatest Canadian Albums of the All Time[39] 2013 4
Popmatters US 100 Best Albums of the 2000s[40] 2014 3

Track listing

All tracks written by Arcade Fire (Will Butler, Win Butler, Régine Chassagne, Tim Kingsbury, Richard Reed Parry), unless otherwise noted. Writing credits retrieved from ASCAP.

Funeral
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"
  • Will Butler
  • Win Butler
  • Chassagne
  • Joshua Deu
  • Kingsbury
  • Parry
Butler4:48
2."Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)" Butler, Chassagne3:33
3."Une année sans lumière" Butler, Chassagne3:40
4."Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)"
  • Will Butler
  • Win Butler
  • Chassagne
  • Deu
  • Kingsbury
  • Parry
Butler5:12
5."Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)" Butler4:49
6."Crown of Love" Butler4:42
7."Wake Up" Butler, Chassagne5:39
8."Haiti" Chassagne4:07
9."Rebellion (Lies)"
Butler5:10
10."In the Backseat" Chassagne6:21

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Funeral.[41]

Arcade Fire

Additional personnel

  • Sarah Neufeld – violin, string arrangements
  • Owen Pallett – violin, string arrangements
  • Michael Olsen – cello
  • Pietro Amato – horn
  • Anita Fust – harp
  • Sophie Trudeau – violin (track 7)
  • Jessica Moss – violin (track 7)
  • Gen Heistek – viola (track 7)
  • Arlen Thompson – drums (track 7)
  • Mark Lawson – engineering, recording
  • Thierry Amar – recording assistance
  • Ryan Morey – mastering
  • Hilary Treadwell – photography, artwork
  • Tracy Maurice – cover art

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[42] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[43] N/A 53,700[44]
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[46] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Grischow, Chad (October 18, 2011). "The 25 Best Indie Rock Albums of the Last Decade". IGN. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  2. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums Ever". Blender. December 2007. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Mardles, Paul (November 25, 2009). "Albums of the decade No 5: Arcade Fire – Funeral". The Guardian. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Moore, David (September 12, 2004). "Arcade Fire: Funeral". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Best Albums of the Decade: A Roundup of Critic Lists - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Reviews for Funeral by Arcade Fire". Metacritic. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  7. 1 2 Monger, James Christopher. "Funeral – Arcade Fire". AllMusic. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  8. ↑ Weiner, Jonah (February 2005). "Arcade Fire: Funeral". Blender (33): 102. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ Greenblatt, Leah (November 5, 2004). "Funeral". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Simpson, Dave (February 25, 2005). "Arcade Fire, Funeral". The Guardian. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Arcade Fire: Funeral". Mojo (137): 96. April 2005.
  12. ↑ "Arcade Fire: Funeral". NME: 49. March 5, 2005.
  13. ↑ "Arcade Fire: Funeral". Q (225): 126. April 2005.
  14. ↑ Eliscu, Jenny (December 9, 2004). "Funeral". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  15. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (February 8, 2005). "Consumer Guide: Harmonies and Abysses". The Village Voice. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  16. ↑ Solinas, L.A. "Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike". Kludge. Archived from the original on December 9, 2004. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  17. ↑ Chigley, Jesus. "Arcade Fire:Funeral". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  18. ↑ Drimmer, Josh. "Funeral". Stylus magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-10-02. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  19. ↑ WYATT. "Arcade Fire, Funeral". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  20. ↑ Lundy, Zeth (2004-09-14). "The Arcade Fire: Funeral". PopMatters.
  21. ↑ Geier, Thom; Jensen, Jeff; Jordan, Tina; Lyons, Margaret; Markovitz, Adam; Nashawaty, Chris; Pastorek, Whitney; Rice, Lynette; Rottenberg, Josh; Schwartz, Missy; Slezak, Michael; Snierson, Dan; Stack, Tim; Stroup, Kate; Tucker, Ken; Vary, Adam B.; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Ward, Kate (December 11, 2009), "THE 100 Greatest MOVIES, TV SHOWS, ALBUMS, BOOKS, CHARACTERS, SCENES, EPISODES, SONGS, DRESSES, MUSIC VIDEOS, AND TRENDS THAT ENTERTAINED US OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS". Entertainment Weekly. (1079/1080):74-84
  22. ↑ "Here's Every Arcade Fire Song, Ranked from Worst to Best - Page 1 of 5". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  23. ↑ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (2014). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  24. ↑ "American certifications – Funeral – Arcade Fire". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  25. ↑ Moses1221. "CoS Top of the Decade: The Albums « Consequence of Sound". Consequenceofsound.net. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  26. ↑ "Albums of the decade". Lostatsea.net. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  27. ↑ "The 100 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime 1993-2006". Mojo. 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  28. ↑ "The Top 100 Greatest Albums Of The Decade". Nme.Com. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  29. ↑ Evans, Janile. "The 50 Best Albums of the Decade (2000-2009) :: Blogs :: List of the Day :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  30. ↑ Pitchfork, October 2, 2009 (2009-10-02). "Staff Lists: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 20-1 | Features". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  31. ↑ "100 Best Albums of the 2000s".
  32. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
  33. ↑ "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time".
  34. ↑ "Best of the Aughts: Albums | Music". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  35. ↑ "125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years". Spin Magazine. 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  36. ↑ "Top 200 Albums of the Decade". Under the Radar. 2009. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  37. ↑ "250 Best Albums of Q's Lifetime". Q. 2011.
  38. ↑ "International Velvet - NME".
  39. ↑ "CBC Music".
  40. ↑ "The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s: 20-1".
  41. ↑ Funeral (CD liner notes). Arcade Fire. Merge Records. 2004.
  42. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Arcade Fire – Funeral". Music Canada.
  43. ↑ "French album certifications – Arcade Fire – Funeral" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  44. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20081115040925/http://www.infodisc.fr/V_CD_05.php?debut=200
  45. ↑ "British album certifications – Arcade Fire – Funeral". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Funeral in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  46. ↑ "American album certifications – Arcade Fire – Funeral". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 

Further reading

  • Mansuy, Anthony (2014). "Children, Wake Up : a (ch)oral history of Funeral". DumDum Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-09-26. Retrieved 2014-09-28.
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