'Funeral' by The Arcade Fire
Trotter’s Top Ten position : 1 in 2005
UK Chart high : 33 in 2005
Might as well get this out the way - I hated The Arcade Fire when I first heard them. There, said it. You see, first single 'Power Out' had an uncanny resemblance to Touched by the Hand of God by Trotter faves New Order - at least in a slightly-speeded up sort of way and I was annoyed no-one else had picked this up or the band admitted it themselves - upstarts! I did grudgingly admit that the track was still a corker though - full of energy, driving percussion and blazing guitars. The lyrics also were different from most things at the time (i.e. not about making a cup of tea or disliking your ex) conjuring up a snowbound childhood in a far off city. What really sold them to me though was their performance on 'Later...' which has to be one of the best debuts I've seen on that show. For one, there was a footie team-worth of them, they looked as if they'd been lifted from the '30's (especially the lovely Regine), they were playing with such passion and clearly really enjoying it - evident when band members were singing at the top of their voices despite being nowhere near a mike - and their string section ended up moshing and on the floor! Reports of crash-helmet wearing as a percussion-instrument followed as did the fact that several of the band would swap instruments through gigs as the mood took them. They seemed like a sonic army ready to make you love music as much as they did even if it killed them. As the band themselves admitted, it was a bold move that saw a debut album being named with such finality as 'Funeral'. But this was deliberate as several unfortunate incidents meant band members lost loved ones during the recording. This was shown to no greater effect than on the Regine-fronted 'In the Backseat' with echoes of Bjork and lyrics that perfectly evoked the rite of passage of having to grow up and take the wheel when an elder passes away - simply beautiful and a perfect ending to the album. There really isn't a weak track here and going back and listening again it's an amazingly high level of quality throughout - just when you're thinking the peak comes with 'Wake Up', shortly 'Rebellion (Lies)' begins and you have to rethink. It was a critics' darling too - getting 90 out of 100 on Metacritic based on an average of 33 reviews - which by any standard is fantastic and certifies it as a modern classic - even if it isn't on Spotify! As well as all the energy there's an honesty here and a complete absence of pomposity and laying it on for effect. The music and lyrics combine to create a cathartic atmosphere, with soaring sing-along choruses that completely electrify live. It's also gratifying to see them getting the recognition they so deserve without compromising on their integrity unlike other Noughties breakthrough artists (naming no names). There were times during this countdown that I toyed with not putting this at Number One, that the choice was going to be too obvious - but ultimately this countdown hasn't been about surprises (it's made up of previous Top Ten entries after all) it's been about the best. These Fifty are without a doubt my favourite albums of the decade and 'Funeral' is easily my favourite album of that time. Fitting one to end on really!
Look at Rebellion (Lies) ; Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out) ; Neighbourhood #2 (Laika) ; Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels) ; In the Backseat ; Wake Up (live with Bowie) ; Live on Later...
Listen to a sampling of the Top Fifty on Spotify as we go or the 'one from each album' version
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