"Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)"

It's taken me a long time to get around to buying The Arcade Fire - Funeral, partly because some people that whose taste I respect thought it was overrated, but also because when an album is as hyped as this one has been it's rare that it lives up to expectations and often leaves me thinking, "It's ok, but is that really what they were so excited about?" The same is true for movies; but like movies there are the rare exceptions (Silence of the Lambs comes to mind as a movie that lived up to and exceeded my expectations). Funeral is one of these too I feel.

I loved the single, "Rebellion (Lies)," but it doesn't give a really full idea of what the album as a whole is like. It's a concept album (built around the rather meloncholy theme of deaths in the family), but also just a solid piece of music that really pushes the idea of a band in the opposite direction of the two-member rock duos, and incorporates multiple instruments and singers. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a great listen and definitely was work picking up.


I like these little guys.

The new video for "Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)" is up on Much Music's website now, under "High Rotation" (it's this weeks "Big One" and you may need Realplayer to view it). Check it out. I agree with the little write up on the Much website that the video doesn't really reveal the unique personality of the band, but at the same time it's a wonderful little piece of animation that while it serves as a perfunctory video (basically following the lyrics pretty literally) it is very pretty to look at.