Franz Ferdinand

Lineup: Alex Kapranos: guitar, vocals. Nick McCarthy: guitar. Bob Hardy: bass. Paul Thompson: drums.

FRANZ FERDIANAD

2004; Rating: 2.54/pi

Composition: ++ / Lyrics: ~ / Production: + / Innovation: −

• 01 Jacqueline [A−]
• 02 Tell Her Tonight [B−]
• 03 Take Me Out [A]
• 04 The Dark of the Matinee [A]
• 05 Auf Auchse [A−]
• 06 Cheating on You [B−]
• 07 This Fire [A]
• 08 Darts of Pleasure [A]
• 09 Michael [B−]
• 10 Come on Home [B+]
• 11 40’ [B]

Well, this is a little bit disappointing. One of the things that appealed to me about Franz’s debut EP was the fun, geeky side that made them more than just dour hipsters. That side is largely absent on this album, replaced by straight-ahead dance-rock. The intriguing but unfinished-sounding demo of “Tell Her Tonight” has metamorphosed into a sterilized but still unfinished-sounding studio take. Oddities like “Van Tango” and “Shopping for Blood” have been replaced by bland lust songs like “Michael” and “Cheating on You”. You can’t tell me that’s right.

All is not lost, however. Whatever my expectations, this is still a pretty high-quality set of pop songs. You’ve all heard the infectious single “Take Me Out” by now, but “This Fire” may be even catchier. And “The Dark of the Matinee” trumps them all, combining a splendid melody with lyrics that show the band hasn’t entirely forgotten how to engage the soul as well as the body…they just need to be prodded.

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