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Dec 9, 2011A headlong rush of an album, Pala is accomplished, bold, and very, very danceable; everything Friendly Fires' debut promised and more.
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May 16, 2011Friendly Fires have already proved themselves, but this second effort is a mighty step upwards. It is another terrific, clattering celebration of an album that sounds nothing like its peers, but hopefully will be rewarded with sales to dwarf Lady Gaga's.
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May 31, 2011Naturally, each successive track is more feel-goody than the last; every chorus is a confessional, a burst floodgate, a pleasure in a few minutes.
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May 16, 2011One thing is for certain: they've produced a much more pop orientated album. Clash isn't anti-pop, but we are anticheese.
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May 24, 2011Yeah, you could tag Pala as any number of things, but there's no arguing that this is anything but pure, unadulterated fun.
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May 27, 2011It's big, it's shiny, it's unashamedly happy and we wouldn't want it any other way.
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May 16, 2011What we have in Pala is not some great band reinvention, or some desperately profound effort; it's giant choruses, relatable lyrics, a million earworm riffs and 11 dance anthems.
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Entertainment WeeklyMay 24, 2011The indie dance act hits those heights [of single "Blue Cassette"] 10 more times. [27 May 2011, p.79]
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May 23, 2011Friendly Fires are still learning how to control their talents, but boy can they move.
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MojoMay 16, 2011This crisply produced second LP sticks rigidly to the same mandate--big beats and bigger tunes--and feels a little dated as a result. [Jun 2011, p.97]
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May 16, 2011It seems Pala is Friendly Fires' successful attempt to translate their positivity-injected carnival live performances into a record. In the process, it just so happens they've delivered what deserves to be the soundtrack to the summer.
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May 16, 2011Big, bounteous of hook and packed with more senseless beauty than an acre of rainforest, Pala offers the sort of agreeable nonsense every good summer needs as its soundtrack.
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May 16, 2011Pala is music for the here and the now, with a hedonistic samba swing and a cheeky smile – don't start worrying about tomorrow – after all, it's still a day away.
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May 27, 2011Pala is a party record aiming directly at the pleasure centres – not at all a shallow pursuit.
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May 25, 2011Wisely, the band's sophomore effort, Pala, wastes no time submerging itself into its own indulgent environment.
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May 23, 2011I'd never advise any one to turn off their brain when listening to a record, but Friendly Fires certainly seem to encourage this. The euphoric dawn rising off their island getaway is mighty persuasive.
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Q MagazineMay 31, 2011There is sparkling pop invention in abundance here, and, homage or not, that surely transcends any decade. [Jun 2011, p.106]
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May 24, 2011Pala feels like a great shindig-starter, complete with wiggly, disco basslines and subtext-free lyrics like "All I want is to feel true love."
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Jun 6, 2011For a densely layered, expertly produced dance-rock album, this second full-length from British three-piece Friendly Fires is perplexingly bland.
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May 16, 2011It's all done with such passion that the more sugared tracks avoid the risk of boyband smoothness, and will surely blast out across barbecues and festivals this summer.
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May 16, 2011Friendly Fires' follow-up to their Mercury-nominated debut is a huge disappointment.
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May 26, 2011Ultimately, it's a comfort zone guaranteed to get bodies on the dancefloor, and it becomes difficult to argue predictability verses innovation with a drink in your hand and a groove in your step.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 20 out of 24
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Mixed: 3 out of 24
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Negative: 1 out of 24
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Jun 11, 2017
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Jan 12, 2012
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Aug 10, 2011