Band: Arcade Fire
Release: 2004
Label: Merge

1. “Neighborhood  #1 (Tunnels)” – A+
2. “Neighborhood #2 (Laika) – A+
3. “Une Annee Sans Lumiere” – A-
4. “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” – A-
5. “Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)” – A
6. “Crown of Love” – A+
7. “Wake Up” – A+
8. “Haiti” – A++
9. “Rebellion (Lies)” – A++
10. “In the Backseat” – A

Comments: As the good man Matt alluded to a few posts back , this is truly a beautiful record. It does have tear-jerking attributes as well as uplifting pump-your-fists kind of moments. There isn’t much to critique, though I’d opine that some tracks definitely have more of an epic factor than others. Take “Crown of Love,” for instance. I don’t know whether to feel happy or sad. It’s like one of those feelings you get when you feel like you are going to pull through, yet you still feel a shitload of remorse. I guess that’s the best quality of this album: you can connect with it in a plethora of ways. I’m not good at interpreting songs from a lyrical point of view (at least the first time around), so I can’t comment too much on what’s actually going on during these ditties. It’s something amazing, though. Don’t know about your thoughts, but the transition from “Crown” to “Wake Up” is fucking incredible. You know the little old school jitter-and-jive on “Wake Up” gets me every time. It’s so random, yet so fitting. I’m going to wager “Haiti” to be my favorite song on here. It’s just about perfect. Not quite there, but just about. Ask your average AF fan, and they’ll probably say “Rebellion” is their flava-fave and it’s damn great, don’t get me wrong. In fact, it’s probably the most epic song of all time. Or something like that.

Final Grade: A (96)