#500: Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
Abraham (Chenzie) and AbraHAM (Guy) kick off their odyssey through the Rolling Stone 500 list with album #500: Arcade Fire’s 2004 debut, Funeral. The Abrahams endure the magazine's pretentious, "GPT-generated" blurb and immediately call shenanigans on the "symphonic rock" label (spoiler: a violin and a xylophone do not make a symphony).
They dig into the band's "sophisticated garageband" origins, their "outsized" live shows that feel like a "party on stage," and the album's core themes of suburban-Canadian angst. Is it a cohesive album or just a collection of emo songs? Does "Wake Up" sound just a little bit like Coldplay? And which song is the official "Ringo song" of the album? Tune in to find out.
In This Episode
(00:00:00) - Welcome to The Abraham Records
(00:01:07) - This Week's Album: #500, Arcade Fire - Funeral
(00:01:25) - Roasting the Rolling Stone Blurb (It's not "symphonic rock")
(00:08:37) - Band Origins: The "Main Butler" & Educated Musicians
(00:10:41) - The Funeral Sound: Sophisticated Garageband or Toned-Down Emo?
(00:11:40) - Track Naming, Haitian Backstories, and Suburban Angst
(00:14:48) - Is it an Album or a Collection of Songs?
(00:16:46) - Critique: "Anemic" Guitars vs. "Spacious" Mixing
(00:21:01) - Why They're a "Better Live" Band (It's all about the vibes)
(00:23:59) - Deep Dive: The Album Art (What does a quill on a snowy horizon mean?)
(00:27:45) - Track Attack: "Crown of Love" (Guy's Pick: Dark Emo Disco!)
(00:31:47) - Track Attack: "Wake Up" (The "Rock Arena" Anthem)
(00:37:17) - Track Attack: "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" (Chenzie's Pick: Shoutout to the Soviet Space Dog)
(00:41:01) - Track Attack: "In the Backseat" (The "Ringo Song" of the Album)
(00:45:00) - Fun Facts: Godspeed You! Black Emperor & a Swing Musician Grandpa
(00:49:16) - The Final Verdict: Does Funeral belong in the Top 500?
About The Abraham Records
Welcome to The Abraham Records, where we cover the 500 “greatest” albums of all time according to Rolling Stone Magazine, but certainly not according to us.
Join us on an odyssey of discovery to determine which albums are truly great and which ones will hurt your face.
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- Send us your hot takes: [email protected]
