Album: Funeral

As of late, The Arcade Fire have found themselves in danger of earning that dreaded label: overhyped. Whatever your personal view on the band's status, put that aside for a moment, and listen to them with fresh ears at a time when they were brand new and label-free. Listening to their debut album Funeral for the first time is a moment I like to recall. As I always do when listening to something completely unknown and without preconception, I waited with anticipation for the music to unfold. And unfold it did. Coming out of my computer speakers back in 2004 was an exuberant yet mournful, delicate yet aggressive, insular yet relatable string of songs that were decidedly fresh-sounding. With each track, I experienced that rare feeling of complete sonic satisfaction...roughly the verbal equivalent of "That's it! Yes! Score!" Here's hoping you'll be compelled to similar exclamations.

A good choice for: fans of large, full, somewhat bombastic, wall-of-sound type sounds; Led Zeppelin's more ambitious pieces; The Polyphonic Spree; The Flaming Lips in certain moods; those who have experienced the loss of family members.

Tracks to try: The "Neighborhood" songs - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), Neighborhood #2 (Laika), Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)

Listen here.