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album review
On their self-titled debut, Friendly Fires serve up a very slick -- and very appealing -- mix of synth pop and dance-rock with unexpected nods to shoegaze that suggest the hard-edged, nu-rave sound might blur into something more interesting. The band crafts a big, hooky sound that loves melody, rhythms, and choruses equally, especially on "Jump in the Pool," which is just as fun and refreshing as its title suggests (the tropical-sounding drum breaks don't hurt), and "In the Hospital," a sleek track that sounds like the D.F.A. collaborating with Franz Ferdinand on an especially poppy day. For the rest of Friendly Fires, the band switches between these two approaches, and while they do a pretty good job of bringing the punk-funk, particularly on "Lovesick," this is very familiar territory that the band doesn't embellish much -- and "On Board" and "Photobooth" narrowly avoid coming off as parodies of that sound. Friendly Fires are more convincing, and more intriguing, when they give into their lush pop side. "Strobe"'s aptly shimmering guitars, flickering keyboards, and almost ridiculously pretty melody nod to M83 and New Order, and the band saves the best for last with "Ex Lover," which pits steep, tone-bending guitars and sleepy vocals against brisk dance beats, suggesting what Chapterhouse might have sounded like if they were actually influenced by house. As it stands, Friendly Fires seem to be influenced by dream pop and whatever trend is big in dance music -- "Skeleton Boy"'s bleepy keyboards borrow from the 8-bit craze -- but when the results are as fun as this album is at its best, it's hard to slam them too much for being derivative; better just to enjoy Friendly Fires as fleeting fun. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
more albums by this artist
See all-
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- Paris (Single)
- Released 2008
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- Your Love (Single)
- Released 2008
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- Friendly Fires (Bonus Tracks)
- Released 2009
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- Skeleton Boy (3-Track Maxi-Single)
- Released 2009
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listener reviews
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Friendly Fires
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- By cs188
- 12/26/2008 23:54:30
- Great album, and a good "next big thing" prediction from Zune.
When I first heard "In The Hospital", I thought !!! had released a new album or something! It sounds so much like "Hammerhead", probably due to the funky bassline.
Regardless, these guys are a funky good time not to be missed. If you like indie/alternative bands such as Klaxons, !!!, and Men, Women & Children, you'll enjoy this. Highly recommended tracks are In The Hospital, Paris, Strobe, and Lovesick. - Be the first person to rate this review!
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This album rocks
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- By BigO007
- 12/17/2008 05:22:34
- This band has a weird, but cool name and a good album. Probably would have never discovered this band or heard this album if it was not for Zune Ignition. An album definitely worth owning if I ever cancel my Zune pass subscription.
- Be the first person to rate this review!
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Hells Yeah
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- By WRVbabe
- 10/30/2008 03:33:41
- Buy or Die!!!
- 2 out of 3 people
- think this is useful
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top listeners
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