Good Weather For Airstrikes

YES. This is so awesome. First of all, who ever thought we’d have the priviledge of hearing a late-90’s boy band-revivalist group whose primary influence is shitty synthesized early-80’s disco, let alone that it would actually be something worth listening to. Fortunately, that’s exactly what Fibes, Oh Fibes! bring to the table, and it’s incredible. And best of all, the pretty-boy sextet is from Sweden, whose primary export these days seems to be ridiculously-trendy indie pop groups (though F.O.F! is pretty much purely pop without a trace of indie to be found), so no matter how cheesy the lyrics and that monologue toward the end may be you know it’s still certified-hip as a result of their nationality alone. Furthermore, they’re so good at being so unbelievably-80’s (their art direction! their music videos!) and they’re so hilarious in how seriously they take themselves that it’s really hard not to love them. Add in the fact that “Can’t Be So” is one of, if not the single most fun song of 2006 and you’ve got a hit on your hands.

First of all, you’ve got those twinkling intro-to-every-80’s-movie-ever opening bars, which lead directly into that incredibly catchy, dancey synth line that’s straight out of Miami Sound Machine circa 1984. Cue the howling electric guitars and those “oh-wha-oh-oh” backing vocals and shit just starts getting ridiculous. Have I used the word ridiculous enough in this review yet? Because honestly it’s the only way to describe Fibes, Oh Fibes! and “Can’t Be So”. Please feel free to check out the lyrics, they’re just as cheesy and terrible as you might expect, but if you’re looking to a song like this in search of lyrical profundity than you’ve got your shit all mixed up in the first place. Separating themselves from should-be contemporaries like the aforementioned Sound Machine and every other shitty synth-disco act of the eighties who consistently rehashed this relentlessly electronic (drum machines, synths, keytars, etc.) sound, F.O.F. actually play all of their instruments, sing all their backing vocals, and write their own music, thus lending them some artistic credibility, but seriously, if you’re looking at this song as anything more than a little slice of incredibly fun dancefloor heaven, you’re looking way too much into the situation. This isn’t the kind of song that’s going to change your life or leave you with even the slightest hint of deep meaning or profundity, but it’s three minutes and forty-three seconds of pure, unadultered pop fun and if you can listen to this without a huge smile spreading across your face than you’re a stronger man than I.

MP3: “Can’t Be So” - Fibes, Oh Fibes! ((highly recommended))

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 10th, 2006 at 3:50 pm and is filed under Single Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.