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Assured, short and ultimately sweet, Friendly Fires is a glib reminder that you don’t need an M6 underpass, New York penthouse or guestlist to have an all night disco party, and remind us there’s no shame in getting your groove on.
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Quite what has held back the milieu of meandering morons that make up the music scenes mid range, mid class, middlemen is probably this intelligent and creative leap; crossing genres and keeping your opus open and fresh.
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Friendly Fires songs are all manufactured to a similar formula but there’s a whole lab shelf lined with addictive variants.
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Lyrically, they veer between odes to suburbia, such as 'Photobooth,' and dreaming big dreams ("One day we'll live in Paris"); either way, they couldn't be more likable.
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Eclecticism like this can be a drag when it’s forced or disingenuous, but Friendly Fires’ enthusiasm is disarming.
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Under The RadarGiven the humble, lo-fi beginnings of Friendly Fires, the sheer breadth and scope of the band's gloriously funky, expansive sound is quite remarkable. [Fall 2008, p.75]
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The trio offers copious catchy bits, more tonal variation than the usual guitar-plus-beats norm and an appealingly pleading frontman in Ed Macfarlane. [Nov 2008, p.91]
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UncutTheir debut reveals a band bristling with ideas who've taken the time to streamline their influences into a syrupy white funk. [Nov 2008, p.98]
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At heart, they are strict pop formalists, packing each track with peppy hooks ('On Board,' as heard in a Wii ad), gushy New Romantic choruses ('Jump in the Pool') and Talking Heads-style nerd funk.
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Friendly Fires is teeming with ideas, and although the record's consistent sound can be exhausting--there is no release, no relaxation in tempo--it's encouraging to locate a new band with too much passion, so much that it can hardly execute its ideas on one page.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 28 out of 32
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Mixed: 1 out of 32
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Negative: 3 out of 32
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Apr 25, 2013
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ValM.Apr 14, 2009
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dand.Mar 22, 2009Young band, with a lot of passion, lot of energy. An addictive album. And that useful thing an almost perfect album to work out to!