The Arcade Fire
Funeral
The Arcade Fire. These guys are without a doubt one of the most unique bands I've ever heard and they are one of few influences that got me into Indie music. One of the thigns that makes the band so unique is the range of instruments they use in all their songs. Like most other bands out there they use the standard guitar, bass, drums system. But they also throw in several other instruments like the violin, piano and accordian to give their music a different atmosphere than most other modern music.
One other main reason I like this album in particular is the emotion behind alot of the vocals. Now, when I say emotion I don't mean high pitched screaming or overly powerful lyrics. The majority of the vocals on the album are quite soft. But behind the tenderness in the vocals you can feel the sorrow and passion in the singer's voice. The passion in this album is due to the fact that every band member has lost someone dear to them. Hence the name "Funeral".
Now on to the instrumentals. As I previously mentioned there was a variety of instruments on the album. All of which were harmonized together perfectly. No one instrument was particularly great by itself. Infact, most instrumentals were very simple. But when they were all brewed together you couldn't tell at all. Also, each instrument managed to bring something of it's own to the table. The violin helped give the album it's emotional feel with it's powerful screeching notes and it's softer melodic notes as well. The bass and guitar didn't add much to the dynamics of the album. They were more like the fundamentals. Without them the band would just be a bunch of abstract instruments. They also had some nice riffs here and there. They piano, like the violin added to the emotion of the album, but at times it was also playful. High pitched notes dancing like belly dancers through my ears. Speaking of playful the steel drum which wasn't used much also gave the album a playful atmosphere. It's high-pitched rasta notes reminded me of a Jamaican beer commercial. And last but not least the regular drums. They didn't do much to help the overall atmosphere of the album, but they kept the beat and had some nice little fills here and there. Kudos to the drums for being the proverbial man behind the curtain, holding the show together.
Overall Rating: 5/5
Pros: Vocals
Range of instruments
Unique-ness of the overall sound
Cons: Instrumentals could've been a bit more complicated
And so concludes my review. I
strongly recommend looking into this. I can almost guarantee it's like nothing you've ever heard before. And no matter who you are, you can enjoy it. I myself am primarily am into metal. But this is still one of my all-time favourite albums. So, until next time keep your stick on the ice.
