Friendly Fire. We have Friendly Fire the album. We have Friendly Fire the short film. What’s the verdict?

They’re both great.

In terms of the album, I’ve always been a fan of Jon Brion, and I was a sucker for Sean’s 1998 debut album, so this new record touches me in all the right ways. It’s pop through and through, but with a cloudy tinge that echoes the late, great Eliot Smith. Friendly Fire the album is surprisingly dark compared to the love letter that was Into the Sun. The themes on Friendly Fire range from anger to defeat to consignment, never really resurfacing from the emotional abyss. Where Into the Sun ended with “Only wanted to be glad, see things I never had…”, Friendly Fire ends with “Stay away, I’m not myself…”. Both albums represent opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, yet it’s very clear that the same idealistic soul was behind both. As a pop record, the darker themes intersect with the more playful melodies in a delightful way. Life is fucked up and wrong so just enjoy what you’ve got… the favored message of the fallen idealist.

Friendly Fire the short film doesn’t directly echo this theme, instead focusing on issues of emotion and reality. As that description hints, the film is somewhat abstract, sometimes in a David Lynch sort of way (I meant that in a good way). Primarily, the film starts by peering into the mind of Sean through a series of short, self-contained stories (of which Parachute is one). By the second half of the film, the lines between fantasy, imagination, and reality slowly begin to blur and the videos generally become much more abstract and less self-contained. By the finale “Falling Out of Love” all sense of bearing is lost as the various characters and situations begin to intertwine. Thankfully, the film respects itself to avoid wrapping everything up in a nice bow for you. In the end, the piece may be flawed and a little self-indulgent; better short films exist no question. However, as a commercial product coming from Capitol Records of all places, Friendly Fire is goddamn ray of hope.

Do the videos work on their own? Yes, especially the first half, but even the second half can be enjoyed in a discordant, surreal way. Do the videos actually come together as a film? Definitely. There is a strong theme that scaffolds the project and a very apparent and clear progression is seen with each track. Working successfully on both levels is not easy feat, but Civetta and Lennon knocked it out of the park while Beck was busy hitting foul balls. If you find Sean’s sound the least bit appealing and consider yourself to be a fan of film (not of movies, of film), you owe to yourself to pick up this album.

**Update: Los sez there is a highly insightful and damn good (tiny) interview with Civetta over at Video Static. Check it to get some extra info that James hasn’t already wrapped for you in bows and ties. Los out.**

After Falling Out of Love, Parachute is probably my favorite track. It’s romantic but in a pessimistic, bittersweet fashion ((I think I’ve just summed myself up in less than a sentence.)), perfectly summarizing the message Sean is driving home on this outing. This track is a great Litmus test… if you can’t find something to like here, don’t bother with the rest of the album. This is Sean Lennon, and while his footsteps are obviously following those of his father, at least Sean has some very obvious reasons to be doing so, unlike everybody else who rips off the Beatles with reckless abandon. Sean pays homage, but he never loses respect for his heritage, building on the past while moving on with his own vibe. (This may be as much Brion as Lennon, but either way it still holds).

The video itself represents a 19th century stage-show love triangle. It’s one of the more simple and less involved bits from the film (see Dead Meat for a much more elaborate sequence). Acrobats, love, jealousy, and spectacle remind us that no matter how much we love entertainment, we’re always much more interested in what’s going on behind the scenes. When real life is commoddified as entertainment, is there any difference between truth and fiction?

Sean Lennon – Parachute, directed by Michele Civetta

Shots Ring Out Exclusive – Download Only

Quicktime 7 (iPod compatible) via SRO [Short Film Version: 45.2 MB]

MP3 via SRO [4.6 MB]

Buy the album! CD and DVD all in one shot!