I continue to return to “Neighborhood #2 (Laika)” not because of the brilliant technical complexity, but due to the transformative power of the accordion. In step with the marching beat and swelling strings, the optimistic bellows give the song a country-folk flavor. Listening to that whimsical accordion chord progression transports me to a small, European town— a winding labyrinth of cobblestone streets, an open-air plaza with a few scattered benches, and a few reclusive cafés. For just a couple of sporadic seconds throughout the song, I picture the accordion drifting up and out through the windows of a café or being played by an elderly man asking for a few tokens to be dropped in his black fedora cap. A few notes later, Win Butler ends my trance with a forceful, declarative “Alexander!” and the magical moment fades.
Arcade Fire builds “Neighborhood #2” upon multiple juxtapositions of musical tensions and lyrical paradoxes. How can something be both for “your own good” while also being “for the neighborhood?” In a society that prioritizes the community over the individual, the nation over the person, Arcade Fire evokes a romantic escapist fantasy. The song manages to capture a spirit of ebullient and defiant adventurism while also conveying a deep communal bond.
Each emphatic strike of the kick drum during the opening ten seconds reinforces the song’s anthemic quality. Yet, the strong, blaring power chords and Butler’s bombastic intonations mask the song’s delicate underbelly. Juxtaposed against the rambunctious, Bowie-inspired chorus, the defiant accordion perfectly blends with the high-pitched musings of a violin and even the occasional pings of a glockenspiel. The weavings majestically come together to produce a magical sensation that stays with me for the rest of Funeral.
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