Funeral (studio album) by Arcade Fire

Funeral by Arcade Fire
Year: 2004
Release date: 2004-09-14
Overall rank: 15th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
88/100 (from 3,595 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Best album of 2004 (1st)
Award Top 10 albums of the 2000s (3rd)
Award Top 20 albums of all time (15th)

Arcade Fire bestography

Funeral is ranked as the best album by Arcade Fire.

Arcade Fire album bestography « Higher ranked This album (15th) Lower ranked (46th) »
-FuneralThe Suburbs

Upcoming concerts

May
04
Sat
23:00
Shaky Knees Presents: An Evening With Arcade Fire | 18+
The Masquerade - Heaven, Atlanta, United States. United States
Tickets from $75.00 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
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Funeral track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 89 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Funeral rankings

Funeral collection

Funeral ratings

Average Rating: 
88/100 (from 3,595 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 3,595 ratings for this album.

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75/100
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3 days ago robertoveltri  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 33279/100
 
100/100
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03/14/2024 05:10 Kalos  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,09877/100
 
90/100
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03/10/2024 21:46 RadioGraaah  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 46878/100
 
90/100
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03/10/2024 21:39 liquidbottle  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 10193/100
 
100/100
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03/09/2024 14:40 poblo  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 16380/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 88.0/100, a mean average of 86.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 88.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.4.

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Funeral comments

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Rating:  
90/100
From 02/02/2024 17:24
A glance through a list of the albums in my collection, and those that I enjoy most, there has been a singular lack of quantity of material since Pink Floyd issued "The Wall" back in 1979. There has, of course, been much good music, during those forty-five odd years, and I have greatly enjoyed the odd album or two and have even been known to purchase a few.
There have also been many moments when I thought that I had discovered a great group or a truly magnificent album, but then later found it hard to remember the artist or release amongst the earlier, more memorable stuff. As one format has replaced another, I have often failed to replace a vinyl disc, or a cassette that ends up in a much cherished, but ultimately redundant, box in the attic.

In that context, it will be very hard to forget "Arcade Fire" or their album "Funeral". In particular, "Crown of Love" and "Haiti" are very special, and beautiful, songs. "Wake up" remains one of my favourite tracks, possibly of all time. The rest of the album, however, is also of such a high musical standard, that I can only offer it my own very personal top rating. You may not love it, you will almost certainly not hate it. I love it and recommend it to you.

"Funeral" is not, of course, at least for me, up there with "Abbey Road", "Abraxas", "Songs in the Key of Life", Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", "Led Zepp 2" or "Dark Side of the Moon", for example, but I think it might squeeze into a list of my favourite 100 albums of all time, if not the Top 50. It is clearly my favourite album of the 21st Century, and one that I will buy as soon as I get round to purchasing music again.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 05/20/2023 23:33
A beautiful instrumental album that deals with difficult themes and topics in such a genius way. As most people can probably guess from the title, this record goes into the themes of death and grief but also explores love and life which makes for a challenging listen. When given some patience however, this record will reward you as its complex soundscape will seriously impress you when you dig deeper. The instrumentation on here is rich, detailed and full of layering which results in an experience that is always engaging no matter how many times you hear it. When you pick the release apart song by song as well you start to see just how many outstanding tracks are present on here. The ones that stand out to me are Rebellion (Lies), Wake Up, Tunnels and the phenomenal closer that is In The Backseat. Not only are these the best songs on this release but they are also some of the greatest songs that have ever been released in the history of music. Another great thing about this album is just how consistent they are with their quality and style. They clearly know their sound extremely well and spread this across the whole run time which makes for a true classic album like experience where we are treated to a journey from beginning to end rather than just a collection of songs. In result of this, we receive a cohesion on this project that you only find on a truly special record. Overall, this is a beautiful album that is one of the grandest sounding experiences you will ever find and it deserves all the praise it receives.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From 03/17/2023 05:37
Nothing special, they copy The Cure and Radiohead. But Radiohead and Cure much more melodious. Radiohead and Cure are genius.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (0 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 02/18/2023 23:17
La muerte se entrelaza con la infancia bailando un alegre vals de rock orquestal, mientras la nostalgia se apodera de las guitarras.

La forma en que Arcade Fire trata estos temas es exquisito, las canciones están compuestas a manera orquestal, poniendo énfasis en el apartado instrumental con algunos arreglos vocales.
“Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”, “wake up” y “rebellion (lies)”, lo más destacado del album.

English review
Death is intertwined with childhood dancing a joyous orchestral rock waltz, while nostalgia takes over the guitars.
The way in which Arcade Fire deals with these issues is exquisite, the songs are composed as an orchestra, emphasizing the instrumental section with some vocal arrangements.
“Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”, “Wake up” and “rebellion (lies)”, the highlights of the album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (0 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 09/20/2022 16:15
A nice experience. Every track sounds great, giving the whole album a relaxing feeling.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 08/31/2022 03:20
Great album
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (0 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 04/13/2022 16:29
Brilliant artful alternative music that isn't pretentious about it. It is elegant and understated and leaves a long lasting impression on you.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 03/26/2022 21:03
Pleasantly surprised with this one. Way, way better than I was expecting based on previous albums I'd heard from them. This has a great feel and flow right throughout. Best album from them in my opinion.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 02/22/2022 17:06
I am loving the renaissance this albums is getting since the new Black Country, New Road album came out and people have been comparing it this one and realising again what a great album this is. Its reputation has gone a bit down recently mostly because of two factor - this sound has been emulated by lesser bands so much, and Arcade Fire's last album has been lackluster. Glad people are forgetting that and returning to this album which is a stone cold masterpiece.
Sids B is one of the strongest album sides ever, 4 out of 5 songs are among the decade's best songs.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 02/10/2022 12:24
It possible takes time and several listens for a boomer to understand the real magnificence of this album,
A rerun may better the score. This band has great forerunners and influencers in sound and tone(Velvet Underground, Iggy and David Bowie)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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