2. Rebellion (Lies) (Funeral, 2004)
Universally ranked as one of indie rocks’ best songs, a huge fan favorite when played live. Most AF songs end “big,” filling the room, but this one moves through its shout-along chorus of “No!” and then closes with strings, gentle and sad.
1. Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels) (Funeral, 2004)
This song blew me away the first time I heard it, on headphones, walking home from work. Neighborhood 1 might not have been the first “epic indie rock anthem,” but it’s certainly the one by which all later ones were measured.
First released as a single, Tunnels became the lead track on the band’s game-changing album, Funeral, and is a chilling, post apocalyptic vision of a future where snow has covered a town and two teenaged lovers meet to escape the sorrow of it all, and dream of growing old together. Every time I hear it, it makes my chest feel hollow and I feel like crying.
