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Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand are from Glasgow and are the British rock music press’s latest darlings. They say that they wrote music ‘for girls to dance to’ and this dancing feature is prominent in many of their songs.
They named themselves after the Archduke because they wanted people to see the name Franz Ferdinand and then think of the band. I read that interview a long time ago and doubted that would ever happen, but I have been proved wrong.
The band in some shape or other has existed since 2001 and they became well known by playing underground illegal gigs in Glasgow that soon attracted interest from the rest of Scotland and beyond, eventually resulting in a record deal.
Franz Ferdinand is their first album and has been nominated for the Mercury Prize this year.
Franz Ferdinand are:
Alexander Kapranos – Lead Vocals/ Guitar
Nicholas McCarthy – Guitar/ Backing Vocals
Robert Hardy – Bass
Paul Thomson – Drums
Review:
This album starts off slowly, as the opening of Jacqueline consists of mainly vocals with some very demur chords. However, as soon as we get to the chorus the band kicks into another gig and anyone listening to them for the first time will begin to pay attention. The band has a gift for writing simple, catchy tunes that will stick in your head and refuse to leave for days. Possibly the best example of this is The Dark Of The Matinee which is a wonderful song that is quite capable of making you dance around in a very undignified way if you’re not careful.
The lyrics are a definite plus of this album, they are written with a lot of charm, wit and truth behind them. Possibly the biggest stir caused by the words has been Michael, a gay anthem which has led to many speculations about the sexuality of all the members of the band, Kapranos in particular. A personal highlight lyric-wise is Come On Home, an ode to the perverse joy of missing a loved one.
I really enjoy the guitar work on here, there’s a lot of very energetic rhythm guitar, which suits the style they are going for very well. There are also some very simple yet effective basslines.
In very simple terms, if you are looking for a happy album with some energy and just a little bit of a different sound then this is it. There’s a lot of sparkle on here and the songs are very well crafted for a debut, every verse on every song gives off the impression of being well thought out and well chosen. I for one am very excited about what this band will do in the future.
Track Highlights:
Jacqueline
Take Me Out
The Dark Of The Matinee
Darts Of Pleasure
Michael
Overall Rating – 3.9/5
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I've only heard two singles by these guys, and both of them followed the same kind of pattern in my mind. First I thought along the lines of "what the hell was that?"; they seemed so cobbled together, disjointed. Didn't like them, basically. After a few listens though, it all seemed to work - the bits that seemed out of place didn't any more. The vocalist in particular, he has a method of delivery that's kind of half-droning, relentless, and at first it seems like he's just talking through the lines regardless of what the music is doing, but it actually just drives the melody of the song along incredibly well, and makes them ridiculously memorable.
Great review, too.
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This album rocks. :thumb:
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[QUOTE=Iai]Hah, it's funny because I just wrote about them in my Reading review, and I too called them the music press's latest darlings.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, so true isn't it? I just hope they appreciate the NME love, for it is a fickle beast.
I'm listening to an interview with Alex right now, and apparently they're doing a matinee gig in Glasgow where adults are only allowed if they bring a kid as well... most strange. They've also written what they want to be the Scotland World Cup '06 song, apparently it consists of three notes and one word. :lol: I would like to hear it.
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I like Dark Of The Matinee but none of their other songs really. I like them better than Maroon 5 though. (That's not saying much)
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Nice review, but I'm still undecided on these guys. They're as catchy as an infectious disease, but I can't help feeling the hype has been just a *little* too overdone.
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Good review. I like Franz Ferdinand, although I do find their work a little repetitive.
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Love this album. My favourite track is darts of pleasure.
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I like it.
Auf Acshe is the best.
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Nice review.
I kinda avoided these guys for a while, because the hype made me think they'd be another Strokes (ie: disappointing).
But I'm glad that I checked them out, because this album is awesome. So friggin catchy, and the lyrics are pretty good too. They're not the saviours of rock, but I likes them.
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Hmm, I got this a while ago, and listened to it a few times. I haven't touched it since. Best song = Auf Asche.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I like this album, but I think their songs are too samey. I don't really agree with your comments on the guitar, the rythm is OK but the lead is pretty dull. At first, the simplicity really works, but after a while it gets repetitive. Best part of this band is Kapranos, he's so charasmatic in his singing (see Take Me Out, Matinee and every other song on the album) even though he;s not actually the greatest singer. He's the core of the band. But on FIRE, as it says 'See how I buuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrnnn', Burn goes on for ages and consits of two notes, with a dip at the end. Sometimes I like to predict where music is going note-wise, and I thought this would go up, dramatically cuz it's right before the chorus but it went down low!
This is obviously cuz Kapranoz can's go that high but it really bugs me whenever I hear it, it just sounds wrong. Anyone else notice that?
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Good review.
At one point when I got the album I was completely obsessed, it never left my CD player. I haven't listened to it in a long time though... I'm gonna hive to give it a listen today. :thumb:
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wow...i'm honestly surprised no-one bashed them for being too ''pop''...but i can honestly say i like 'em, too. cool.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I like soem aspects of 'pop'.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I like 'pop'.
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yeah, they're pretty wicked. dark of the matinee is amazing. micheal is kinda weird though....still a good song :p
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I find 3.9 a bit low. While it's not quite an instant classic, like Nevermind or London Calling, this albums has, along with the afor-mentioned musical attributes, brilliant lyricism, a perfect example of which being the Dark of the Matinee. The highlight of the album is, in my opinion, the wonderful guitar harmony on the intro of Take Me Out. I would give this album about 4.5/5, and pray that this group can survive the second album curse.
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I love this album, didnt think i would but i did. 
Uh Ryanc thx for the triple post.
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i love these guys. i downloaded some live shows while although they weren't energy driven shows, they kicked ass. vocals were awesome, it seemed as if they were off the album. now if they pulled and ashley simpson, i'll be pissed
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Their Brit awards show was amazing.
It's kind of more polished "simple rock," like the Strokes or the Stones minus the dirt.
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