Friendly Fires – Pala album review

Friendly Fires Lights it Up

Friendly Fires dropped their second release, Pala on May 16th in the UK, making us Yanks wait another week before it was released in the States. It was worth the wait.

After a three year stint of touring since their self-titled debut album, Friendly Fires is out to prove the first go-around was not a fluke. With a solid set of alternative dance cuts that burn up the dance floor (UK’s dance floors are somewhat more flammable that our own…), any fan of Friendly Fires’ first go-around will not be disappointed by the second.

Starting out with vocals reminiscent of the Beach Boys, “Live Those Days Tonight” kicks off the foray into tribal drums, tightly woven synth textures, dripping wet vocals, and vintage tape simulation. The upbeat backing on most cuts belies vocalist Ed MacFarlane’s melancholy lyric choice, even if it is delivered with gusto.

The title track “Pala”, centered squarely in the middle of the album, is the low point both in terms of tempo and appeal. When you hear that the track was inspired by the dry Aldous Huxley novel Island, you have to question the band’s reading material.

The second half of the album finishes strong, however, and even amid the hype around “Show Me Lights” and “Pull Me Back to Earth”, gems like “Chimes” are laying low, waiting to be discovered.

Granted, this band isn’t for everyone. It is well known that the underground/alternative dance scene is much more well developed overseas than here, and the popularity in Europe hasn’t quite made the transition to full-on raging fan following in the US. There is a distinct sound of the band and the genre at large which may not appeal to the average ‘radio is fine’ crowd. If you want to try out their live show, it’s not too late Left Coast – their US tour wraps in LA June 10th.