Sound of The Week: Friendly Fires, Ramones & Updates.

Gosh, is it really that time of the week again already? I swear the weeks seem to be flying in faster and faster as the year goes on! It's been a strange week for me music wise: I haven't actually been dominated by any one particular artist - although my new found love of listening to Simon & Garfunkel is still going strong I finally recieved my copies of Lou Reed's Transformer (remastered), and the special editions of M.I.A's Kala and Goldfrapp's Supernature albums also. Not to mention I also got Little Boot's new album, Nocturnes. Definitely a busy week for me in that regard, although I hope to pick up a few bits and pieces online this coming Thursday. After that then I seriously need to start saving money, although trying to resist the urge to buy one more record is one I find next to impossible. I must try though!

So, in a first for my blog I have not one but two sounds of the week! These are songs I have fallen back in love with, and they sound-tracked what was a pretty great week of weather all round for Northern Ireland. Gloriously sunshine, a far cry away from the snow we received around Easter! So, both songs have a summery feel and that's about all that they have in common. First up, its True Love by Friendly Fires from their second album Pala. I don't feature them on my blog nearly as much as I should, but I love these guys. Probably my favorite band to emerge in the last few years and I simply cannot wait for their third record. Pala is my favourite album of theirs, and one of my favourite albums ever in all honesty. It's one album that I can listen to on repeat. One of my favourite songs from it is True Love, a great song that I'm surprised doesn't get more attention (although I share that opinion for all of Friendly Fires recorded output). It's one of - if not the - most paciest tracks on Pala. It also has piano chords during the chorus that sound like they were lifted straight out of a vintage house track. As you could imagine, I rather love it!

The other song for the week is a completely different sound, but it is also fast paced, exciting and summery. Most of all it is also very addicting! The track is The Ramones cover of California Sun (originally released in 1961 by Joe Jones). It was a track on their second album, Leave Home and it also served as a B-side to the album's first single, I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You. There's two things I love about this: the pounding drums, in particular those during the verses, and the fact that the chorus is one of the catchiest things I have ever heard. For whatever reason, I just love how Joey Ramone sings the chorus.  And in true Ramones style. it's fast, rhythmic and exciting and it makes for a track that I must have listened to five times in a row whilst doing some surfing (pun fully intended although this was of the internet kind) in that gorgeous weather we had. To be honest, I would have to say its one of my favourite cover versions by any artist, ever!

So, that's it for this week's sound of the week. An unusual post perhaps. As for posts this coming week, I have a few songs I wish to discuss and maybe even a book review. Well the book review is nearly totally finished. I keep promising a picture of my ever growing Clash collection but it won't be this coming week, hopefully the week after. I still haven't got a notification of my Strummerville shirt and postcards being dispatched, although because its being delivered first class I hope that when they are dispatched it will be a speedy delivery. Although the local post service can be... erratic, to say the least. I'm actually ordering two Clash/Joe Strummer related items at the end of the week too, so I'll need to wait until the following week before they're even here. Until next time, thanks for reading though!

Friendly Fires - Why Don't You Answer?

Also, in the last few days Friendly Fires have released a new track, to promote their entry in the series Late Night Tales. For those who are maybe unfamiliar with that series, essentially an artist is given the chance to compile various tracks from their record collections to create a mix which they feel is at its most effective to listen to at night. Many electronic artists have entries in the series like MGMT, Metronomy and Groove Armada. It's also a traditional feature for artists to record a cover of a song exclusively for their set, hence why we have Why Don't You Answer. The original of Why Don't You Answer was by Eberhard Schoener with Sting on lead vocals and it was released in 1978. I have to say I really like the original although in some ways I think Friendly Fires version brings out more of the intended feeling of the song. In many ways I think Why Don't You Answer embodies the main objective of the Late Night Tales series. It has this dark and moody atmosphere to it and it just feels like something you'd listen to late at night, if that doesn't sound too ridiculous. Its a stark change in direction for Friendly Fires, and it's growing on me with each listen. The change in sound is just highlighted when you compare the sound here to their excellent sophomore album, 2011's Pala. Pala has an exuberant and heady disco oriented dance-pop sound whereas Why Don't You Answer see's them going in a much more experimental and darker direction. What I think makes the track is its deep bass-line, it adds a very dark layer to the track. The bass-line does sound fundamentally quite disco to me but its almost like they've taken their usual disco flourishes and approached it from a very different and morbid sounding angle. I guess I'd describe Why Don't You Answer as dark disco really. The lyrics of the song are as simple as the title suggest, the narrator is torturing themselves that their lover hasn't called. I think the lyrics suit Ed McFarlane's voice very well really. The constant stuttering synthesizer just makes the song sound rather haunting too I think. Its strange, because I'm enjoying this song more and more with every listen but I do prefer more traditional sounding Friendly Fires material. I'm not sure if I could take a whole album of songs in this vein. I've been left worried for Friendly Fires upcoming studio album, which I hope is released sometime next year after reading reports that they're looking to go down the experimental route with their third offering. Whilst artistic development is key I don't know if they shouldn't change what isn't broke. Pala is one of the best albums I've heard in recent times. Having said that, Why Don't You Answer? is a most interesting song that proves that maybe, just maybe they'd pull off an experimental electronic album better than I'd ever thought.

Friendly Fires studio albums and autograph

A fantastic group who I discovered last year. Honestly, they're one of my favourite contemporary groups! I bought their debut album in an HMV store whilst on a trip to Bangor, and listened to the album on the car ride on the way home, so I've got a few memories accosiated with it. The debut album was brilliant, but sophomore album Pala was even better I felt. I pre-ordered Pala from Play.com after seeing that there were signed copies of the album as a pre-order special. Pala is one of my favourite albums ever probably, so to have it with a signed slip just makes it that bit more special!