i wouldnt listen to this record for a long time until the hype died off. i actually finally broke down and borrowed it from a friend after i found the much more talented imho Owen Pallet (Final Fantasy) arranged all the strings for it. I finally let it play all night, and then slowly i started to get it. It is a bit overrated, but i think it would transfer great in a live setting. Its romantic without being sappy, a little dark without being obnoxious, and hectic without being chaotic. I reccomend pushing all your preconceived notions aside and just listen to it.

The first time I listened to this album, I didn’t like it. I felt it resounded as if Talking Heads had been raped by Doves [those are bands] and I didn’t care much for the lead vocalist’s voice.

Now I’ve turned around. I think the melodies are good, the sound very interesting, and their cover of “Brazil” is grand.

That song is, by the way, included in the Japanese limited edition version of this album.

I listened to the entirety of this several times while in record stores. The album repeatedly goes over my head… there’s one song near the end that’s a bit pretty and is somewhat catchy (before the gobbling/yelping overtakes the mix), but otherwise, while it’s not bad, it’s incredibly overrated.

If anything, The Arcade Fire remind me of a more sluggish Polyrock, who were one of many frenetic guitar pop bands from NYC in the early 80s, except not as proto-Stereolab-ish as Polyrock’s first two albums were.. so if you like Funeral, you might want to check out the first two Polyrock albums.

The best thing to come out of Funeral is more money to the great folks at Merge records. This probably means more funding of releases of great bands from New Zealand related to the Flying Nun family. :)

With an interesting combination of instruments and lyrics that are vaguely reminscent of Talking Heads, Roger Waters, Pink Floyd, and other more album-oriented rock, I just love, love, love this.

Read my review here:
http://askani97.blogspot.com/2005/10/arcade-fire-funeral.html

This album only continues to grow on me. One of my all-time favourites. Ever.

I thought this was overrated the first couple of times I listened to it. Then, I heard the first bit of “Tunnels” and I very suddenly loved it. Sort of early-nineties rockish, crossed with occasional bright eyes melodramatics. I listen to this mixed with Joanna Newsom, which causes my brother to call me a hipster.

I am loving listening to this loud on my headphones, while doing mindless work on my computer. I trust pretty much anything that Spunk put out in Australia. Tasty.