They also made quite an impression. The album received a startling amount of critical success and had staying power with five successful singles, spots in film and television and a presence on nearly every “best albums” list. Pitchfork named “Funeral” second in the top 200 albums of the 2000s, just behind Radiohead’s 2000 album, “Kid A.”
I don’t want to sound like Natalie Portman’s character in “Garden State” (another product of 2004 that aged significantly less well) by telling you that when you listen to “Funeral,” it’ll change your life. But what I will claim is that this album at least has played a huge part in my own. It changed, in many ways, how I listened to music and the kind of music I wanted to hear. And I’m not alone. Several Scene writers and many more audiophiles I know brought up the album on its tenth anniversary this week, acknowledging its importance in their own musical lives.
While the album was released before many of us now-college-age listeners had taken an interest in music, the album has nevertheless permeated through our lives. It’s emotional and beautiful and dramatic in a way that made it a perfect soundtrack to many a millennial’s adolescence.
So, to pay homage to “Funeral” and celebrate its big 10th birthday, we are launching a special web series to reflect on the album. For 10 days, 10 different writers will tackle one of the 10 songs in Arcade Fire’s “Funeral.” We’ll not only analyze the tracks themselves but also give different perspectives on why “Funeral” was and is so important to so many music fans. Follow along this week and next week to get a breakdown of what makes “Funeral” so good, and don’t forget to give the LP a listen while you’re at it.
You can read all of the "Funeral" articles here.
