[markl]

OK, as a long-term music geek, I'd given up on so-called "indie-rock" in the last 6-7 years. IMO, it was a hopeless mess, dominated by worthless crap, a haven for amateurs with the right haircut, designed to sell to younger people with no sense of music history, but who fancied themselves "too hip" for modern pop music. Sometimes being "non-commercial" simply means being unskilled and un-talented. And sadly, that can sell a lot of records to the wrong crowd.

Then, out of nowhere (well, Canada to be exact), comes this band. This is a fully-formed musical experience, a group flying under the main-stream radar that really lives up to the "hype".

Frankly, I'm stunned by their debut album, "Funeral". This is surely the calling-card of a band that will later be celebrated as pure pop genius. It has everything you could ask for in an album. It's a fully-formed thought, a true maverick album replete with good musicianship and production. It sounds like a million dollars even though it was likely produced for peanuts.

So thrilling, for even jaded elder indie-rock fans, I think this is a real treat, and a must. Check it out!

Mark

 

[recstar24]

I've been in love with this album ever since it came out, listening to it non-stop - simply fantastic, you need to see these guys (and gal) live, one of the most electric bands to see live out there! The guy with the helmet actually drums on his head and on the ceiling, totally wild.

But musically, they are great, the one track where they all sing in unison, omg its overwhelming, they've got great chops as musicians and they have a good time, what else can you ask for? The album as a cohesive whole is ace, to say the least..

...I've been noticing we like similar music, one time we should have a music mini-meet and share goodies

 

[strohmie]

Great CD, I agree. Power Out has to be one of my favorite tracks to come along for a while now. The whole album is excellent, but I'm not sure I'd quite put it into the modern masterpiece category. Certainly some of the best indie rock out there right now though, and another part of a powerful Canadian indie contingent.

 

[Bolt San]

I've been love with the album for over a year now, but I don't think it's a modern masterpiece. Extremely good, yeah.

 

[Borat]

If Broken Social Scene's double album turns out as awesome as I think it will, then combined with Funeral, Canada will officially own the US in music.

Speaking of Arcade Fire, I thought this was pretty funny:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddyhead.com "Some kid found a jacket that belonged to the singer of that weenie canuck band, The Arcade Fire at Coachella. So the dude put it up on ebay (click here) and the singer freaked out and told Goldenvoice to complain and said something to the effect of “make him give me back my jacket or I’ll never play a Goldenvoice show again”. He also emailed the kid asking for it back for free and told him that if he didn’t give it back he’d “never work in this industry again”. Lame is right. We understand you wanting your jacket back, but whining to the promoter and saying you’ll never play one of their concerts again is some total pansy whiney bi** sh**. Hey dude, you’ve got money now, buy a new thrift store jacket… or buy yours back from the kid who found it."

Oh, and if you haven't heard their live performance of The Talking Heads' "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" with David Byrne on vocals, get it. It should be floating around the net somewhere.

 

[en480c4]

I picked it up after seeing it listed here in the music forum on so many people's "Top 10 of 2004" lists. And I have to say I'm a big fan. I think it's one of the more cohesive albums I've heard in a long time... the sound is like a continuous throughout the album, tying everything together, but not in a way that becomes repetative or boring. I also like how it manages to display it's influences yet still come across as a fresh and exciting. For this reason, it seems to be a galvanizing album, where there is little middle-ground. People either love it or, like many reviews I've read, dislike it because they feel it's somehow derivative. To each their own, I suppose. I'm just glad that I found it, thanks almost entirely to the Head-Fi music forum!

 

[strohmie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borat If Broken Social Scene's double album turns out as awesome as I think it will, then combined with Funeral, Canada will officially own the US in music.

I hadn't even heard about that. Dammit, now I'm getting anxious...

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by strohmie I hadn't even heard about that. Dammit, now I'm getting anxious...

I should've clarified this in my earlier post. At this point, that is the rumor. According to the band, they have enough new material to fill 3 albums and are figuring out how they are going to spread it out. I'm anxious, too. They have been playing some of the new tracks at shows recently, one of them has become popular already called "Shorelines"

*Sorry about the thread crapping*

My favorite track from Funeral is "Wake Up." The way that it starts all aggressive and becomes completely transformed at the end with the "You Can't Hurry Love" beat. It is totally seamless.

edit: Hey, I just stumbled on a live clip of AF playing "Rebellion (Lies)" from the Ashlee Simpson thread

http://www.muchmusic.com/events/mmva...s/performance/

 

[Newbiez]

If you like Arcade Fire, then you'll find Hope of the States equally amazing as well, markl.

 

[adhoc]

i first ran into TAR in soulseek in jan 2005 - it was actually an accidental d/l. iirc, i was looking for franz ferdinand's 'this fire'.

while i, for some reason, disliked it at first listen - it grew on me with time. by the fourth listen, i was hooked.

like any and every other album that i d/l, i bought it once i was sure i liked it. (in case you're wondering, i also bought franz ferdinand)

who said p2p killed the music industry?

 

[Homeless]

I love the first track on the album, neighborhood #1 (tunnels), I remember when i first got the album that song played and i was like "YES!" something different for a change...

 

[tortoise]

Yes, definitely the indiepoprock album of the aughts so far to my ears. They have instilled a long-missing sense of unmitigated, UNIRONIC passion back into indie music.

Passion in rock music? It'll never work!

 

[silentperfection]

I remember receiving the single for Tunnels a few months before the album came out. I placed it on my turntable and was amazed right away. The song filled one of those empty places in my mind where songs I want to hear are found. It was the sound of something I had been looking for but had not yet found. Even more amazing is the B-Side. It's absolutely amazing!!!!

And yet...when I got the whole album I was not really impressed. It didn't really do anything for me. And I really don't know what it is. But then all this hype got poured onto it and I revisited. Again, still no go. It was like I couldn't crack the code or something. To me...Tunnels is still an amazing single. A skyscraper of ominous doom compared to Lights Out which merely sits in its shadow. But I really don't understand this being one of the best albums of last year and much less already a classic. It just feels like a modern revamp of what had been done to death in the indie rock of the nineties. To me, as I listen it doesn't offer anything new. It's a good album but IMO does not warrant all the praise heaped on it. Is it me???

**walks away with a morose slouch**

 

[bln]

It's funny how markl is so critical of Pitchfork and indie rock in general ...

then decides to fall in love with the album that Pitchfork made album of the year, almost singlehandedly shooting the band to popularity ...

only he's almost a full year late.

 

[britishbane]

Listening to the vinyl Funeral, its great.