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Arcade Fire and the Story of ‘Funeral’

Poetic Wax | January 2, 2026



From Grief to Greatness: this is a history of Arcade Fire’s album ‘Funeral’ and how it changed indie rock. Funeral was released in September 2004, birthed from the collective grief of the band after losing many family members. Finding joy in the sorrow, the album resonated with many across the United States and the world in the post-9/11 days, still fresh from a few years prior.

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WATCH NEXT:
✓ How The Decemberists Made History Cool: https://youtu.be/MAd8dJuvNF4
✓ Modest Mouse & The Story of Float On: https://youtu.be/33Ybj5zRg2U
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✓ Down With Wilco: https://youtu.be/OIeV2c5qwbQ

GET THE GOODS:
🔥 Funeral on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/4eI7Tnl
🔥 More Arcade Fire on Vinyl: https://amzn.to/4eHiCyE
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==========

CHAPTERS:
0:00 From Grief to Greatness
2:00 The Losses That Inspired Funeral
4:30 When Arcade Fire Almost Put Funeral to Rest
7:22 The Legacy of Funeral by Arcade Fire
10:35 Revisiting Indie Rock in the Mid 2000s

VIDEO CLIPS USED:
✓ Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels): https://youtu.be/TwisvB3PVpU?si=-7ISzQHn8jYOmh0S
✓ Neighborhood #2 (Laika): https://youtu.be/siFsdInZqC0?si=tTeuhbSS5bxJhxgw
✓ Rebellion (Lies): https://youtu.be/8vN2vqaEBhM?si=BfxblWdAFCGp73c7
✓ Alvino Rey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYuUnJxcMzU
✓ La Blogoteque: https://youtu.be/U9QrpIcncXA?si=xHq-exTAJtR17Pog
✓ Arcade Fire Grammy: https://youtu.be/f5npCMAok-M?si=Ps006lo2KTlYvDBK

FensePost Vinyl Channel is run by Andrew (Andy) Fenstermaker.

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Written by Poetic Wax

Comments

This post currently has 18 comments.

  1. @jeffreyhiatt3268

    January 2, 2026 at 5:11 am

    I remember I was living on Capitol Hill in Seattle when this came out, my friend just put it on during some lazy rainy day. It immediately grabbed my attention and I’m pretty sure gave me goosebumps in the first 20 seconds.
    Thank you for this video! I love revisiting that time in this way.

  2. @orkghoul

    January 2, 2026 at 5:11 am

    listened to this album for the first time a few days ago and its mindblowing, so excited to go through the rest of their catalogue!!! lovely video thank you so much

  3. @gwainwright82

    January 2, 2026 at 5:11 am

    Arcade Fire's 'Funeral' evokes a nostalgia for a world I never knew but wished I experienced. It is the small town charm, with warm glowing lights and meeting in the centre of town. It evokes a less twee version, more resigned, of Wes Anderson films set in a mundane northern locale. A beautiful, life affirming yet haunting album, a goodbye, before walking towards the dark shoreline and oppressive black ocean that is 'Neon Bible', exploration of fucked up tech Americana.

  4. @SkinnyEatWorld95

    January 2, 2026 at 5:11 am

    This is one of my favorite bands! They just dropped the new album 3 days ago! What're your thoughts on it? I really really love it and have been playing from start to finish for 3 days!❤😊

  5. @yanni2852

    January 2, 2026 at 5:11 am

    Excellent video, I subscribed immediately after watching it…I agree that WE is very unappreciative album, maybe after 10 years the critics are gonna appreciate it…after 40 years lightning 1 and 2 is gonna be something like what is today shine on you crazy diamond now…

  6. @ranlit7717

    January 2, 2026 at 5:11 am

    Just trying to provide some constructive criticism. I feel like the video is much too long for a story that isn’t really that unique (I love Funeral btw). Too many adjectifs and adverbs.

    Too many ‘buzzwords’, per say. It makes consuming this content draining, at times.

    I feel like we can at times forget about formulating every sentence like an essay, and just talk in a more concise way.

  7. @killerspade

    January 2, 2026 at 5:11 am

    You should also check out Set Yourself on Fire by Stars, which was another explosive canadian indie album released amusingly on exactly the same day.

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