Friendly Fires - Pala
MORe of the same from indie's most boring disco. In late 2008 Friendly Fires' self-titled record dropped and made a ripple of carefree indie-pop. Singles such as 'Paris', 'Skeleton Boy' and 'Jump in the Pool', with the help of Radio 1 and their "we can be cool too!!" team, pushed them into the outskirts of mainstream success. They filled the void that Klaxons had opened the year before - but with nothing as revolutionary. That much is devastatingly clear on their follow-up, Pala. It starts pretty much where they left off, and as they mean to go on. Single 'Live Those Days Tonight' is a mixture of hazy dream sequence synths, echoed vocals and jaunty drumbeats that all build towards their signature, almost latin, indie disco sound. To its credit it's a faultless interpretation of the synth-and-optimism anthems that currently dominate the pop world. However by 'Blue Cassette' we're reminded of that world's many, many pi...