Dream Alone

Recording Project

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Modern Classics: Arcade Fire - Funeral Pt. II

“ They say it fades if you let it Love was made to forget it I carved your name across my eyelids You pray for rain I pray for blindness”

'Crown Of Love' goes to a much more personal place. The verses speaks from the side of the protagonist, and the chorus the one he loves. From the themes of prior tracks, the protagonist falls into further despair.

“ Something filled up My heart with nothing Someone told me not to cry But now that I'm older My heart's colder And I can see that it's a lie “

'Wake Up' brings back the power last seen in 'Neighborhood #3 (Power Out).  The references to abuse and pain are at the top layer, and how growing up deals with that. The track evokes a sadness through power chords and turning to a softer being at the end.

“Haïti, mon pays Wounded mother I’ll never see Ma famille set me free Throw my ashes into the sea “

'Haiti' comes from a different perspective, detailing an escape from 1960's Haiti. Several of the metaphors used in prior songs are the basis of the historical events of a past Haiti. The violence mentioned are a stark contrast to the often emotional pain previously used.  

“ Sleeping is giving in No matter what the time is Sleeping is giving in So lift those heavy eyelids People say that you'll die Faster than without water But we know it's just a lie Scare your son, scare your daughter “

'Rebellion (lies)' uses the angst and pain of the album to tell the listener to fight back. Using sleep as a metaphor for losing freedom, the song yells that its all lies. The track finishes with a string section hook which revitalizes the track in preparation for the last song.

“ I like the peace In the backseat I don't have to drive I don't have to speak I can watch the countryside And I can fall asleep “

The final track, 'In the Backseat', deals with losing total emotional control. Through a metaphor of 'taking a backseat' to life, the album finishes on a crippling note of sadness. It's my favorite track.

The emotional power of this album has given a large amount of people the power to deal with grief of all types. By putting this into words, I hope that it says a lot about the strength of it all.

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Modern Classics: Arcade Fire - Funeral Pt. I

I'll go from A to Z in my iTunes and then return to some afterwards. These are all albums that to me are classics that have in some way had an impact on my musical influence.

The first being Arcade Fire's debut album 'Funeral'. Named due to the recent deaths in several of the band-member's families. Released at the rise of popular indie rock, Arcade Fire became a hit in both a critical and commercial sense.

The first track, Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), sets the melancholic stage. The lyrics give the imagery of a C.S Lewis tale and with it a cold, wintry isolation.

“ And if the snow buries my My neighborhood And if my parents are crying Then I'll dig a tunnel From my window to yours Yeah, a tunnel from my window to yours “ 

Those opening lyrics have stayed with me since I first listened to them. As a young teen struggling with abuse and grief, music like this is what pushed me on. Due to this, I will always be thankful to this band.

What else this album does through melody and lyrics is create a yearning for a place you haven't been to. This is another thing they and Lewis have in common. Known in German as Sehnsucht, there is no English translation.

“ Alexander, our older brother Set out for a great adventure He tore our images out of his pictures He scratched our names out of all his letters “  

The second track, "Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)", continues the theme of isolation through desperation. The mentioned Alexander is a reference to Alex Supertramp, famous for escaping to Alaska. He died there after four months.

It's a metaphor for escapism and why its so desirable.  The themes of alienation in a suburban neighborhood are at center stage in this part of the album.

“Hey! The streetlights all burnt out Une année sans lumière Je monte un cheval Qui porte des oeillères “

The third track, ‘Une Année Sans Lumière’, moves the story to the present day. The protagonist now lives in Montreal a Canadian city. The majority of the population speaks French, which is why half of the lyrics are french.

The song's lyrics continues the theme of the previous tracks relating to the new city they found as home. The 'streetlights' being the death of a close one, and hope.

“I woke up with the power out Not really something to shout about Ice has covered up my parents' hands Don't have any dreams, don't have any plans “

The fourth track, 'Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)' brings out the frustration in the past tracks. Using a metaphor of no power, the song deals with the social outcomes of struggling in life.

Throughout the album are lyrical references to 'neighbors' ignoring the social decay around them. The ice mentioned throughout the track brings the imagery of coldness to the forefront.

“I am waiting until I don't know when Because I'm sure it's going to happen then Time keeps creeping through the neighborhood Killing old folks, waking up babies just like we knew it would “ 

Track five, 'Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)' returns to a calmer melody. Using an acoustic guitar as the main instrument, the lyrics return from the last track to a softer sound. 

The references to time getting faster contradict the slow attitude of the melody. The softness of the track also brings out a sorrowful sound. 

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Track 7 of ‘Runaways’. This is the final track and is definitely the most blunt. Thematically, it ties the album up by letting go of my struggling with grief, and is the most stripped back. The piano at the end is my favorite part.

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Track 6 of ‘Runaways’. The 2nd instrumental track. The ‘loudest’ if that means anything.

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Track 5 of ‘Runaways’. Probably both the most hopeful and negative of all the tracks, and is the turning point in some ways. 

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Track 4 of ‘Runaways’. Its the feature track on Bandcamp, as it’s the most pop influenced of all of them. It’s also the most positive sounding, as much of the lyrical content on this album is dark.

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Track 3 of ‘Runaways’. The first of two instrumental tracks on this album. This is the most psychedelic I get on Runaways, and the most guitar heavy. I came up with the main riff whilst listening to Talking Heads ‘Remain in Light’, although it isn’t necessarily alike to it.   

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Track 2 of ‘Runaways’. This is probably the most progressive I get on this album, and is the longest. There are two unique parts which site on each side of the track.

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Track 1 of ‘Runaways’. It’s piano based (there’s two of them) which I built upon.

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Album Cover

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