Customer Reviews
Very good CD - By: Jonathan Baggs, 09 Sep 2010 
Really like this Band. Most tracks are very good & some are bordering great.
Its called Funeral... - By: Jez, 23 Aug 2010 And that's for a reason, during the time the album was being pieced together the band member's experienced some deathsin their families. The sound of the album is completely alive though. The emotion that is poured into the album is really very raw & real, the accompanying music is also astoundingly gritty yet complex & beautiful. The album is full of love, (Win & Regine were married also mid recording) sadness, death & family. It's about finding new starts & coping with loss, it tells stories & teaches lessons: "if you want something, dont ask for nothing". The ecclecticness of the music & vocals (somein french) all come together so well & uniquely that the album really must be considered a masterpiece. There isn't any sound like it & it manages to be very truthful & sensitive ("My family tree/is losing all it's leaves") without being too emotional to deal with. It may not click with some at first but anyone with an appreciation for real depth will surely get it sooner or later.
Poor - By: M. Jackson, 11 Aug 2010 
This is pretty dreadful. There are virtually no melodies or bits of musicianship. Every song is driven by a pounding/plodding arrangement. I can't play a note, but reckon there is so little skillin the playing I could pick up any part within 5 minutes. I like music from classical to Van Morisson to The Cramps to Snow Patrol to The Ting Tings to Sigur Ross, but this CD is headed for the charity shop for someone else who believes the Hype.
Best album I have heard in ages! - By: binrider, 05 Aug 2010 Yeah, great album.
Good from the beginning to end - romantic, emotive, tuneful, intelligent.
Just get it. XXX
Bombast covering weak songs - By: BS on parade, 01 Aug 2010 I don't like this album as it's boring, & it quickly becomes wearying to listen to. I can hear technical meritin it but it does nothing for me. Frankly, only the first song is worth a damn. The problem is that the songs are empty & bereft of any real content. They were a band with an epic soundin search of meaning & a purpose when they recorded this. The empty bombast has resultedin a boring, flat, lifeless album that's no fun at all to listen to. Personally I've always found that my attention quickly wanders as there's nothing here to concentrate on.
1. "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" 4:48 (7 out of 10 stars)
The lyrics are very good & very intriguing. A strong, very interesting song but lacking something to truly make it take off. Nice piano parts.
2. "Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)" 3:31 (7 stars)
Loud with shouted vocals. More tuneful than you might expect. I really like the female backing vocals.
3. "Une Année Sans Lumière" 3:40 (5 stars)
Quieter, more subdued song with some of the wordsin French. Pleasant enough & a nice contrast with the previous track. Has a tacked on heavy climax for no obvious reason. Nothing to get excited about.
4. "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" 5:12 (3 stars)
Indifferent song & messily mixedin my opinion. The song does nothing for me. Plenty of noise but I'm not sure it's been applied to much of a song.
5. "Neighborhood #4 (Kettles)" 4:49 (4 stars)
More singer-songwriter sounding song. Lyrics aren't anything to write home about & the music is serviceable at best (although that appears to be on purpose). Nothing wrong with it, just nothing right with it either.
6. "Crown of Love" 4:42 (6 stars)
More tuneful than usual. Has an interesting musical change at the end. Effective enough but a bit whatever overall.
7. "Wake Up" 5:35 (3 stars)
A load of noise that isn't gripping enough so my attention keeps slipping. Not a good sign.
8. "Haiti" 4:07 (5 stars)
Female lead vocals. Nice sounding but there doesn't seem to be much of a song under the pretty sounds.
9. "Rebellion (Lies)" 5:10 (7 stars)
Propulsive rock music. The vocals (not necessarily the lyrics) are disappointing. I don't think his non-shouty voice fits the music which could do with some angry shouting.
10. "In the Backseat" 6:20 (3 stars)
Female lead vocals over (mostly) restrained piano music. Banal. The sort of thing people assume they should like as it's tasteful, but if they actually thought about it they would realise that they don't care for it one bit. Goes on too long. Has a big loud instrumental coda.
I like to make EP playlists out of some albums on my iPod. Tracks 1, 2 & 9 made the cut.
I think they got better with each album. Neon Bible is pretty decent with a few great songs (EP 1, 7. 9 & 11). The Suburbs, although flawed, is their strongest album so far (EP 9, 10, 11, 13 & 15).
2 out of 10 stars overall.
