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Burn baby burn. “They were, like, powdered or something. Isn’t it easier to just get real eggs, anyway?” Having recently finished their first headline US tour and a breakfast of dubious provenance, Win Butler and Regine Chassagne – husband and wife, and songwriters in Arcade Fire - are travelling in Europe for two weeks, “telling people what our band’s name means”. Needless to say, they’re not here for the food. The album, Funeral, is an extraordinary debut. A remarkably fully-formed sprawling record that highlights either a devil-may-care eclecticism or a ragbag of barely disguised influences: from Pavement’s golden nostalgia to the self-conscious funk of Talking Heads. David Byrne is a fan. “He emailed to see if he could come to the show. I was like, ‘Yeah, if you sing with us.’ We played [the Talking Heads song] This Must Be The Place and he sung it. It was really special.” With five members originating from the US, Canada and Haiti, and the band including siblings and partners – home, memory and family are clearly important. The album loosely revolves around a mythic “every neighbourhood”, the memories of childhood friends, relationships you’re given and those you choose. ![]() This and the death of several family members prior to the recording has led to the album being read autobiographically. A suggestion that bristles with Win. “I definitely don’t feel comfortable with that kind of three-funerals-and-a-wedding crap. It’s like, ‘Oh it’s their schtick – people died when they made the record.’ You don’t realise the microscope you’ll be under. I know by calling the record Funeral it’s going to lead people to listen to it in a certain way, but it’s interesting to see the extent to which it leads people’s perceptions.” It’s a heartfelt candid record – yes, emotional even – but it avoids the maudlin affectations of so much indie rock, as on Wake Up when a skyscraping riff turns on its heel for a joyful, barrelhouse piano knees-up. “I don’t think the emotional quality is the defining quality of the music but it’s definitely something that people have picked up on a lot,” says Win, especially reluctant to play the tortured artist. “The stuff I listened to growing up, like Robert Smith or Bruce Springsteen, is so much more over-the-top than our stuff. Listen to Born To Run then listen to our album. Like, gimme a break.”
James Cowdery
Arcade Fire – Funeral, released 28 February 05 on Rough Trade.
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