Friendly Fires is a pop trio from the UK and one of my favorite bands of the year. They’ve been making quite a name for themselves and were one of the nominated for this year’s Mercury Prize. I haven’t listened to their entire album in whole, but I keep running across its songs on different occasions and find myself loving them. I think I’ve covered the whole album by now and nothing on it disappoints me. They also make really fun and creative music videos, which all contain some pretty wild and funky dance moves by lead singer Ed McFarlane, which he alone could only pull off so that they don’t look lame, but instead rather impressive. 
.Friendly Fires – “Paris”
“Paris” was the second single released from their album and a track that really started to get them noticed. It features backing vocals from Au Revoir Simone during the chorus, which to me is the best part of the song. I say so because the vocals are matched with Ed McFarlane’s words, which are sung so high they express a youthful yearning for something out of reach, both combining for a stargazing chorus. Musically it’s quick with soft percussion featuring cowbells and an immensely depressed synthesizer for an organ feel.
.Aeroplane Remix
I like this mix a lot more than the original. It starts off with moody synthesizers with every press on the keyboard an isolated note. The track employs some mixed cool and refreshing musical ‘ah’s’ that are more windy than wordy. It also isolates the best part of the song, Au Revoir Simone’s vocals. In fact, McFarlane’s vocals are absent, which isn’t really a loss, just because the female vocals make it an intimate song. The mix also takes the cowbells from the original and amplifies them with a slight electronic touch that bounce and prance across the song for a glockenspiel effect. It’s really just a pretty mix.
.Arto Mwambe Remix
A little rougher take on the song but still creative and good nonetheless. The Arto mix takes the soft, shoe gazey feel of the original and breathes a little more of a dance club vibe. We have some heavier dance beats, a touch of trance synths, and the lyrics come off more like rap than singing. This mix gets a little repetitive at times because it fails to diversify itself, but it really locks you in a trance if you’re on the dancefloor taking some medication you shouldn’t be taking.
.Justus Kohncke Remix
I have to say I really like this mix. It’s the most re-worked of them all with a long instrumental intro that keeps the soft, intimate mood of the track. It breaks in with the vocals, which are heavier, coming across more direct to the listener. It then features a multitude of sounds that keep churning in a light trance/electro vibe.
Friendly Fires: website | myspace | Friendly Fires review | remix monday: “skeleton boy” | @ black cat | @ Dot to Dot Festival | interview with pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3 | @ Lollapalooza 2009 | @ le poisson rouge | @ music hall of williamsburg
Photo by: Bethany Smith
