Friendly Fires vs. Wolf Parade

The name of the band “Friendly Fires” seemed so familiar to me I thought sure that I must have known them. I think I’ve been avoiding writing this review for so long because I’ve been searching for something not too biting to say about them. But here it is: I don’t get this band. They’re supposedly hailed as a great “party band” but everything I hear is recycled 80s – and I mean bad eighties. “Paris” seems to have a sound somewhere in between Duran Duran and Depeche Mode, but not as good as either of them. At first, I thought “Skeleton Boy” was a little more interesting – but it soon grew too poppy and repetitive. Once I hit “Jump in the Pool” and “Kiss of Life” the repetitiveness was out of hand. It sticks in your head the same way that a praise song sticks in your head.

I hadn’t heard of Wolf Parade, and it wasn’t immediately palatable, but I soon grew to like it. I had the same sense of “Who do they sound like?” as I did with Friendly Fires. But rather than deciding that it merely sounded like a generic 80s band, I figured out (ok – by looking it up, I admit) that it was because one of the members, Isaac Brock, used to play with Modest Mouse. That makes sense now. Unlike Friendly Fires, Wolf Parade gets more interesting every time I listen to it. Favorites including “Sons and Daughters of a Hungry Ghost” and the strangely-titled “Grounds for Divorce.” Plus, they’re from Montreal, home of another great band “Stars” who was callously struck down by Steve TenElsof. (not that I hold a grudge or anything) I was sad to read that they’re currently on hiatus – I hope that’s temporary.

Choice? No question – Wolf Parade moves forward.