When Merge Records released Arcade Fire’s debut album, Funeral, on Sept. 14, 2004, nothing else sounded quite like it. With ramshackle, frenetic arrangements, thrift-store instrumentation and madcap performances, the sprawling group of twentysomethings delivered a portrait of grief and existential dread as euphoria. It was a surprisingly affecting approach that came at a time when guitars dominated the indie rock landscape. It was also earnest and serious, offering the kind of heartfelt uplift listeners were ready to receive in a 9/11 world, with wars raging in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On this episode of All Songs Considered, Raina Douris of WXPN’s World Cafe joins NPR’s Stephen Thompson and host Robin Hilton to look back at the legacy of Funeral, why it was so special, the ways it changed the musical landscape, and how it sounds two decades later. We also consider how the allegations of sexual misconduct against frontman and founding member Win Butler have changed our relationship with the album.
