Friendly Fires - Late Night Tales (Compilation Album Review)
Monday, 04 March 2013
Written by Emma-Louise Newlyn
Anyone who has begun their collection of 'Late Night Tales' compilations (and it will turn in to a collection when you start listening to them) will know that they’re a brilliant way to discover music you’d be hard-pressed to stumble across.
Established in 2001 with Fila Brazilia being the first to compile a selection of musical choices, the series has gone on to bring us hidden gems selected by the likes of: Groove Armada, The Flaming Lips, Belle & Sebastian and Fat Boy Slim to name but a few. Joining the list of contributors, Friendly Fires have rummaged through what seems to be an eclectic mix of their influences and favourite tracks.
Kicking off with Junior Boys’ ‘Under The Sun’, we’re greeted with a rather moody riff-driven, lo-fi electro-disco feel (if by any chance that feeling exists!) Blurring wonderfully seamlessly in to the Blondie-esque disco sounds of ‘Change Your Style’ by Renee; the wah pedals, disco beats and over all ‘sparkle’ give a more chilled out but danceable vibe, followed by ‘Love Vibration’ which again only needs a slight tempo change to switch from song to song unnoticeably. What could be mistaken for tongue-in-cheek cheesiness comes across more as a track picked by a band who really know their stuff about music. Continuing the disco theme, Dennis Parker’s ‘Like An Eagle’ and ‘Carry On, Turn Me On’ by Space are more relaxed tunes which still provide a very danceable beat and are full of synths and elegant string sections.
Next up, Attention Seeker brings us ‘Iron Galaxy’, a more 90s house inspired track, all echoing and spacey, while Bibio’s ‘Don’t Summarise My Summer Eyes’ is a flowing mish-mash of detailed percussion meandering between electronic sounds. Continuing what seems to be a very relaxed part of the album, Stereolab’s ‘Black Arts’ is introduced all twinkling and creschendoing cymbals, evolving in to SBTRKT’s ‘Hold On’; a lo-fi, pulsating track accompanied by Aaron Jerome’s fresh vocals and understated synths.
‘Why Don’t You Answer’ is Friendly Fires’ exclusive Late Night Tales cover version, originally sounding much more Krautrock and by Sting and Eberhard Schoener for Schoener’s 1978 album Flashback. What follows is a shimmering, echoing offering from Sonna, matched with reverb-laced vocals and rumbling drums. DJ Sprinkles’ ‘House Music Is A Desire You Can Own’ follows in a suitably looping, chilled out flow, while ‘Invisible’ by Grouper is ethereal and dreamy, all child-like vocals and gently strummed acoustic guitar.
While 'Late Night Tales' albums like the one compiled by The Flaming Lips is a collection of seemingly random chosen songs (although very good choices at that) Friendly Fires seem to have managed to create something which could easily be conceived as a DJ set, transporting the dance floor from a 70’s disco to a present day indie club.
Kicking the album awake again, Melody’s Echo Chamber provide us with the almost psychedelic but poppy ‘Endless Shore’, and The Cocteau Twins’ ‘Cherry Coloured Funk’ add a moody female synth-lead offering to proceedings.
Approaching the end now, and Slowdive’s ‘Shine’ hypnotizes us in to a blissed-out daze, to be followed up by the simple, beautiful and tender ‘Love Song’ by Olivia Newton-Jon.
Sending us peacefully off to bed now, the closing track ‘Over There It’s Raining’ is a beautiful and emotive piano piece by Nils Frahm. Now we’re all ready to be tucked in and read to Benedict Cumberbatch, who is one in a group of chosen few who end 'Late Night Tales' albums with a passage read from various poems and stories.
Friendly Fires successfully take you disco dancing, moving on to another place full of cool electro and alternative tunes, lull you in to a sleepy state on the way home, and let you drift off with a bedtime story. This particular album really does manage to proudly live up to the Late Night Tales’ tag line of ‘Music and Stories Worth Staying Up For’.
Friendly Fires' 'Late Night Tales' compilation is available now.
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Established in 2001 with Fila Brazilia being the first to compile a selection of musical choices, the series has gone on to bring us hidden gems selected by the likes of: Groove Armada, The Flaming Lips, Belle & Sebastian and Fat Boy Slim to name but a few. Joining the list of contributors, Friendly Fires have rummaged through what seems to be an eclectic mix of their influences and favourite tracks.
