where would suburban bands be without the "commuter-belt boredom" that, like somebody said, inspired St. Albans' Friendly Fires to create the pop/rave hybrid that constitutes their debut album?
the trio seem to be on the fast track to mainstream success: they've already played in America and Japan, setting the scene for a Klaxons-style upward trajectory.
the surprise is their sophistication; like Klaxons, they're just fluorescent enough to keep club kids interested, but their real commitment is to sparkling, modern pop: the album is full of it, every track pulsing and clattering around an electronic heart and almost never exceeding three minutes.
singer Ed Macfarlane's voice rarely rises above a blissed-out murmur except when the whooshing party anthems Lovesick and Paris move him to unfurl a falsetto.
lyrically, they veer between odes to suburbia and dreaming big dreams.
either way, they couldn't be more likable.

ARTIST: Friendly Fires
TITLE: Friendly Fires
LABEL: XL
GENRE: Indie-Electronic
TIME: 37:04 min
SIZE: 57,12 MB
BITRATE: VBR 204kbps avg
RIP DATE: Sep, 01-2008
RELEASE DATE: Sep, 01-2008
WEBSITE: www.wearefriendlyfires.com

TRACKLIST:
01. Jump in the Pool [03:37]
02. In the Hospital [03:51]
03. Paris [03:55]
04. White Diamonds [04:12]
05. Strobe [03:05]
06. On Board [03:43]
07. Lovesick [03:54]
08. Skeleton Boy [03:33]
09. Photobooth [03:24]
10. Ex Lover [03:50]

preview:
♫ Friendly Fires - On Board
♫ Friendly Fires - In the Hospital