I was surprised to hear that Friendly Fires actually took their name from a Section 25 album track. Surprised because you’d expect such an act to occupy the very alternative area of synth/dance music. In fact this Hertforshire trio may as well have been named after a Duran Duran record, given their commercial-friendly funky sounds. Their self-titled debut is a little too stylish and knowing, yet it has moments which suggest there will be better records to follow.

On a rather mixed album, there are at least two excellent singles. ‘Jump In The Pool’ revolves around a stunning shoegaze chorus, its hook of “I breathe out, I breathe in” being perfectly judged and suited to the music. The second stunning moment is ‘Paris’; once again a cracking dreampop chorus dominates and is complemented by verses filled with cowbells, cool vocals and synth loops. Disappointingly the formula dries up pretty soon up after and only recovers excitement again for the tightly-wound euphoria of ‘Skeleton Boy’. In between are too many artificial funk workouts like ‘On Board’ and ‘Photobooth’, which may be suitable for catwalk models to strut along to but fail to cut the mustard for the more discerning listener.

In many ways, Friendly Fires sum up what is good and bad about the synthpop revival. For every brilliant burst of inspiration there is a piece of disposable disco-pop. There’s a sense this album was put out way too early to capitalise on a fleeting glimpse of fame so what we have here is a clutch of cracking singles and some forgettable filler.

Web Sites:
Friendly Fires Official Site
Friendly Fires MySpace

Further Listening:
We Are Scientists