Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Arcade Fire

Neighbourhood #2 (Laika)

Label: Rough Trade Release Date: 28/03/2005

8027
Matthewjbutler by Matthew Butler March 31st, 2005

This is quite possibly the best song about a canine cosmonaut that DiS has heard in weeks. As a fitting tribute to the Soviet’s first dog in space, Laika, The Arcade Fire really do sound like they’re from another planet here with lots of high pitched yelping thrown in for good measure.

Everyone should have already, by law, bought ‘Funeral’ and fallen love with this piece of demented loveliness. For those not yet familiar with the strange neighbourhood The Arcade Fire have built, welcome in to number two which soars for three and a half minutes of demented pop perfection.

However there is also an aggressive, dark quality with choppy guitars battling away with heart-melting xylophones as singer Win* cries out _“Come on Alex, you can do it!”_ It is this delicious contrast – similar to how their songs about death feel so vibrantly alive - which makes the band so intriguing. Sort of how The Flaming Lips* might have sounded if Wayne Coyne hadn’t fallen in a vat of acid as a child.

Penned for an imaginary brother named Alex, this is bonkers enough for the CD itself to be sectioned. Which would be madness as you wouldn’t want this record taken away by men in white coats, purely because then you wouldn’t be able to listen to it. Out of this world.

  • 8
    Matthew Butler's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Drowned in Sound's Albums of the Year 2025


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing



Left-arrow

The Explosion

Black Tape

Mobback
8024
8026

Roots Manuva

Too Cold

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Drowned in Sound's Albums of the Year 2025

  • 106149
  • news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145

    news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143
  • news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141

    news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139
  • Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138

    Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137
  • Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
MORE


    news


    Can You Help?

  • 105927
  • review


    Kate Nash - Made Of Bricks

  • 26283

    feature


    DiS is 6: Our 66, the top six

  • 95297
  • DiSband


    DiSband #7: Viva Brother

  • 77972

    Playlist


    15 Years of DiS in 15 Videos (Vevo Playlist)

  • 101593
  • Column


    Drowned In Sound's 40 Favourite Songs of 2014

  • 98608

    news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143
  • Column


    Lost Albums 2000-2015

  • 101481
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND