The band that go by the name of Franz Ferdinand have had a rather spectacular 2004. Going from alternative underdogs with a limited cult audience at the start of the year, they ended 2004 and began 2005 as the biggest band in the nation, seemingly adored by everybody from the media to the alternative ... Read review
the secret weapon that'll kick-start the British fight against the White Strokes. Though they have a reputation as being bohemian art-obsessed dilettantes, they're ...
A review by Ryan74 on Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand June 3rd, 2005
Author's product rating:
Originality
Groundbreaking
Lyrics
Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks
Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Not applicable
Value for Money
Excellent
Advantages:
Danceable, great lyrics, effortlessly cool, influential
Disadvantages:
Nil, other than the bandwagon - hoppers it may cause
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
The band that go by the name of Franz Ferdinand have had a rather spectacular 2004. Going from alternative underdogs with a limited cult audience at the start of the year, they ended 2004 and began 2005 as the biggest band in the nation, seemingly adored by everybody from the media to the alternative hipsters who declare what things are cool to your average record buying public. Even my mother likes to tap her foot to Franz Ferdinand, a quite amazing fact given that she hardly ever likes any of my music (well, apart from the Bowie and Blondie she listened to in her youth). While this says that Franz Ferdinand are admittedly a 'safe' band to admit to liking by your local freak without fear of a beating from the local school bully, it also is testament to their cross-cultural appeal.
Taking their name from the Archduke whose assassination brought about the First World War (see, that History A Level was bound to come to some use), Franz Ferdinand consist of Alex Kapranos (vocals/guitar), Nick McCarthy (vocals/guitar), Bob Hardy (bass) and Paul Thompson (drums). Their success over the past year-and-a-bit is stunning and completely deserved, as this album is brilliant from beginning to end, without a single weak link.
The initially low-key 'Jacqueline' begins with a soothing, lilting pace and a spoken word intro reminiscent of Jarvis Cocker at his most mordant but this is a deceiving intro to a clever album as soon enough the bass starts to rumble until the song builds to a crashing crescendo. The album is a veritable of statement of intent of what is to come, a mixture of taut guitars and extremely danceable beats, bouncy tunes with a darker side, a bit rough around the edges. 'Jacqueline' hints at a lyricism with a naturally sharp wit, Kapranos announcing drolly "I'm alive/And how I know it/But for chips and for freedom/I could die". The band follow in the vein of kitchen-sink working class melodrama that has served bands like Squeeze, Pulp and Blur, and, to a lesser extent, the likes of Dubstar and Menswear, so well. 'Tell Her Tonight', with its darkly disco hi-hat drums, has the same effervescent bounce while also hinting at something darker and esoteric alternative, an unorthodox yet catchy number with wonderful singalong harmonies.
But it is once the third track, 'Take Me Out', kicks in that you know that you are listening to something a bit special. It is one of the zeitgeist moments where a band just manage to write something so special, so spectacular, the nation takes it to their collective bosom and hold it there for some time. Even though it has been played to death on radio and music TV, the song, a wonderful exercise in punk-funk, still sounds as utterly fresh and vital as it did when it was given its first listen. The change in tempo after one verse is startling, urgent and enticing, the lyrics brilliant and the drum beat oh-so-catchy and the spiky guitars quite spectacular. The lyrics deal with a typical boy-loses-girl theme but from the set-up of the protagonists as star-crossed snipers. It's so deceptively simple, you wonder how nobody else has created a song like it before. It sounds quite unlike anything else, yet it has such an innate swagger and confidence you would expect it to come from a band more experienced than an unknown band on their first album. That's why it's so bloody good.
'The Dark Of The Matinee' (complete with Terry Wogan reference) doesn't hold up on the frantic pace already established. An ode to romantic overtures during an arthouse movie, the song is undeniably catchy and memorable. It has a wry sense of humour, like much of the album, reminiscent of 'Different Class'-era Pulp. The band have said that from the very beginning their sole intention was to 'make music to make girls dance', and 'The Dark Of The Matinee' validates this manifesto with brilliant verve and style.
There is not a single song on here which is unmemorable. No weak links in this one there are, as a certain green Jedi would say. The mockingly perverse debut single 'Darts of Pleasure' is an undoubted highlight, a throbbing, sexy song that demonstrates the fact that Franz may have songs which make people dance but also that they are rather weird, as the songs morphs into a bizarre German chant that would sound equally at home on the football terraces or (alarmingly) in a march sometime during the Third Reich. It is perplexing but breathtaking at the same time.
'This Fire' deserves mention for its urgent, almost desperate drums which begin the song, and the taut, tight guitar riffs that herald the arrival of Kapranos and his lyrics. The chorus is easily memorable and makes for a gloriously riotous song to be heard and enjoyed, while also hinting at something darker: "This fire is out of control/I'm going to burn this city/Burn this city".
This is a band playing with almost military precision, never injecting a guitar solo unless it is absolutely necessary. Such an economical approach makes for a highly listenable album that is rich in hooks and catchy melodies and low in pointless, meandering solos which have no end result. The drums throughout the album deserve a mention, a sharp contrast to the new wave guitars in that they pound a distinctly disco beat, sounding like they should be backing Kool & the Gang if Kool & the Gang had gone to art school and bought their clothes at Oxfam. Bob Hardy's basslines are also effortlessly cool throughout, most notably on 'This Fire' and the pounding, insistent 'Michael'.
'Michael' is quite a curious beast because it has led to the band, or rather, frontman Alex Kapranos, accused of being gay. Indeed, taken at face value, 'Michael' seems to be a straightforward love song to a man (and quite a dirty little song at that), but this belies a sly, sneaky sense of humour, which is thankful as when bands usually stab at sexual ambiguity (usually under the umbrella of playing 'characters', such a pretentious concept, for which we have Bowie to blame) the results seem more like a lecture from the pulpit rather than a song. Thankfully, Franz have the verve to pull it off. (In any case, the band have admitted in interviews that it is based on a man in their hometown (bet he loves them now…).
The band take the traditional love song and give them a twist, a sting in the tail. Take as an example Exhibit A, the lyric of the wonderful 'Cheating On You': "I'm cheating on you/You're cheating on me/It's only love/So who cares?". The carefree lyric combined with the clipped, staccato guitars to create a divine monster of a song. Alex Kapranos's vocals are consistently great. He cultivates an edge of aloofness and ironic detachment while also sounding completely original and distinctive. It is quite refreshing to see a band with a bit of wit and intelligence to them, going against the grain of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll that seemed to have been the craze in the music scene lately, with bands like Jet and the Kings Of Leon pillaging their way across the nation's village bicycles and then boasting about their sexual prowess to an over-eager music media. Franz Ferdinand are a band unlikely to be engaging in such activities, and for that they should be praised.
The band's appeal lies in their ability to be many things to many people. Franz can write love songs without sounding wimpy. They can be angry without sounding forced. They can be clever without being over-bearing or pretentious. It has an art school wit that Bryan Ferry would be proud of while also sounding very 'of the people' and having a universal appeal. And they certainly can rock out with the best of them. It's an album that evokes some very fine bands (Television, Gang of Four, The Fall, early Elvis Costello, Talking Heads) while simultaneously sounding fresh and original, like nothing ever heard before, an alien descended from the planet Franz to invade our radios and steal our children. It is eminently listenable and the lyrics are tremendously intelligent, while the melodies ensure that the songs are thoroughly danceable. They are a band for both the feet and the grey matter within our skulls, a rare combination in modern music, and a most welcome one. Franz Ferdinand have created a memorable and, dare I say it, timeless album which has such zealous self-confidence that it should rightfully be considered as one of the best British albums of recent years, and over time this status will grow with the band's reputation.
This is the ultimate pop art band, the perfect synthesis between image and sound, evident even by looking at the sleeve. They sound necessary and vital, like nothing else around at the moment or what has gone on before. They are like something out of one of Andy Warhol's wildest (wettest?) dreams. Furthermore, never mind the flamin' Libertines, if ever there was an album which kick-started the recent British rock revival, this is it, and the slew of bands which have followed in Franz's wake (Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Razorlight, to name but three) is an effective testimony to this. This is a very necessary purchase, an album which belongs in everybody's record collection, and one of the finest debut albums by a British band in some time. This warrants your attention.
'Franz Ferdinand' is available from Amazon.co.uk for £7.97
Advantages: Quality tunes, British band Disadvantages: Too short
...choice as at the moment Franz Ferdinand has found it’s way into my CD player and not returned to it’s case a week later! The Band
Some of you may never heard of Franz Ferdinand or if you have you may not know much about them and their music. Well allow me if you will to firstly introduce the band. They are a four piece band fronted by Alexander Kapranos, who also plays guitar. The other guitarist is called Nicolas McCarthy. The bassist is called ... ...This shows just how popular Franz Ferdinand have become. Personally, I have liked what I have heard by them but for some reason never really thought to buy their album. However, I listened to someone else’s copy and realised straight away I had to have it! This album is very cool and great to listen to when you want to relax. They have also recently won the Mercury Music Prize and have had lots of nominations for the up and coming Q awards.
Track ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Enjoyably listenable without descending into ear shattering noise Disadvantages: Final half of the album starts to tire
...album of the Glasgow-based band Franz Ferdinand, ingeniously titled "Franz Ferdinand". Now before I really get into the meat of it I think it will be good of people to note that I don't usually listen to music of this kind, so my approach will probably differ somewhat from the established norm of fanboyish glowing and centre more on the actual musical merits and enjoyability from my point of view (which my complete inability to actually listen to ... ...may the dissecting begin.
Franz Ferdinand's roots lay with the impromptu idea of two Scots, Bob Hardy and Alex Kapranos, to set up a band after acquiring a bass that Bob learned to play and write music that would be something "girls could dance to." Shortly afterwards they met Nick McCarthy in the kitchen of two chick friends or alternatively some restaurant type place (the bio on their website was a little vague, probably assuming that I know who ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: The are From Scotland Disadvantages: Glasgow Actually
...they are rubbish. Franz Ferdinand on the other hand are not, they are pretty dam good which is difficult for me to say as they come from Glasgow. An other great Scottish band is the Rezillos and they more sensibly came from Edinburgh, but I am not here to talk about the greatness of the Rezillos so I will leave them for another day.......
Let us start with the cover of the album Brown Art deco lettering on a black background, I like art deco so ... ...Little Richard to contend with. Franz Ferdinand sum this up perfectly on "Michael" opening with a superb subtly fuzzed lead into a great disco grove then not so subtle lyrics about gay lust on the dance floor. "Beautiful boys and the beautiful dance floor, Michael your dancing like a beautiful dance whore" is pure lyrical genius......
"Come on Home" and "40'" round of the album perfectly the latter providing great atmosphere...............
You ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: 11 Solid tracks without any weak links Disadvantages: It ends far too quickly
...arrival of Snow Patrol and Franz Ferdinand on the music scene shows that for every Mull Historical Society Scotland is still capable of producing a few decent bands. Having already told you about Snow Patrol it’s obviously the turn of Glasgow based Franz Ferdinand who got together back in 2001 after a couple of friends decided to form and band and then happened to come across another couple of guys who they didn’t know but fancied giving it a try.
... ...the self titled debut album Franz Ferdinand.
The opening track “Jacqueline” is a contrast of 2 very different styles, which really compliment each other well. The start is much slower than the rest of the album, with the vocals leading in over the odd strum of the guitar. Then the main part of the song really gets going as the guitar really speeds up and takes over, with a drum beat adding into the back ground and the real start to the album. The ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Brilliant songs, catchy, happy fun music Disadvantages: An odd drop or two
The debut album from the this groupd of Scottish Rockers was released in 2004 (was it really that long ago?...) around the same time as their breakthrough hit "Take me out" reached number 3 in the UK. This album also includes the singles "Matinee", "Michael" and "This fire" and the lead song form the "Darts of pleasure" ep. The opening track is "Jacqueline" a soft slow starting vocal intro eases you into the album, before a solidly polished and produced ... ...guitar. Kapranos' vocals lead the way right through this wonderful toe tapping opening track with a chorus that tempts you to sing along.
8/10
The second track is "Tell her tonight" starting much differently to the slow misleading beginning of the previous track. This track seems to be sang through a device of some sort due to the drastic change in the vocals. A simple guitar and drum accompanyment paves the way for this slightly dissapointing ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Something a little bit different. Disadvantages: n/a
...I have always been a fan of FranzFerdinand yet so far I have been unable sadly to watch them play live. The albums they release will be as close as I get to them. Thankfully they have once again produced a kicking third album!
Tonight was released late January and I have been unable to stop playing it. Lead singer Alex Kapranos stated that "The last record was...like a teenager having sex. This one's a bit more assured and a bit friendlier for the dance floor." And to be honest in an odd kind of way I agree. Not that I didn't like their last album but their most recent wipes it under the carpet.
The songs on this album still have the thumping guitar and drums backing but they've been added with slightly electro style sounds. Making it stand out more so in difference to the others. I get the feeling that they were told they...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Discovering why this is NME's album of 2004 Disadvantages: Only having 16 songs when you long for more
...Last year was undoubtably a great year for British music. The Libertines, The Futureheads, Bloc Party and of course these guys, FranzFerdinand. Cleaning up at every award ceremony last year (except the Grammy's, give it another year I reckon) the whole of British society cannot be wrong about this band.
For those who have been living under a rock for the past year Franz make dance music, exchanging decks for guitars, mixers for drums, and voice sythesysers for untamed Merchant City accents. The lyrics may not match the thought-provoking potential of Up The Bracket by The Libetines ( the only British band who have shared a success as big as Franz) but they are two very different bands.
Inside the two discs are sixteen perfectly formed songs garenteed to make you dance "like a beautiful dance whore". Simply, pure-pop-perfection!...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: 80s revivalists, great tunes Disadvantages: None, for a change
...into a crashing finale with vocals becoming ever more emotive and the washing synths becoming more layered and volumous. Cracking.
10. Midnight Show
An uptempo track aimed at the FranzFerdinand fans, this one. A really thumping beat and U2-esque chiming guitars are the stars. The vocals are a bit more manic this time and the stop start chorus of "drive faster, drive faster!" coupled with passionate whoops and yodels is pure piss-take (I hope). Brilliant, hi-octane track.
11. Everything Will Be Alright
This starts off sounding like a cross between Portishead and Tears For Fears because it's so mellow and the vocals sound a little bit like Roland Orzabel singing down the phone whilst drunk. There are a couple of tempo changes and Beatlesey touches, but otherwise it's a chilled six minute with which to end the album.
GET THIS...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Album Notes: Franz Ferdinand: Alexander Kapranos (vocals, guitar); Nicholas McCarthy (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Robert Hardy (bass); Paul Thomson (drums, background vocals). On their self-titled debut, Glasgow foursome Franz Ferdinand lift the jagged, danceable sounds of British post-punk to elegant and dizzying new heights. While they may seem to have much in common with the wave of American bands emerging in the early 2000s, Franz Ferdinand demonstrates a close study of the genre and proves its prowess. If the Rapture is a rowdy kegger in a Brooklyn loft, then Franz Ferdinand is a gin-soaked dance-off at an outdoor European cafe where no table remains untipped. As disciples of the Fire Engines, Josef K, and Orange Juice, chief songwriters Alex Kapranos and Nicholas McCarthy temper the edges with a sense of melody that wisely falls just shy of Blondie-style bubble gum. The centerpiece is "Take Me Out" (a U.K. top ten hit), which plays out a series of come-ons between rival assassins, over what begins as a sneering slice of mid-1990s Britpop, only to morph into a funky dance-floor tune. Kapranos is often quoted as saying that the band was started in order to "make music that girls can dance to," but this unusually assured debut is quite likely to affect discriminating boys in exactly the same way.
Album Reviews: Rolling Stone (p.142) - Included in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Records Of 2004 - "[T]heir album is one killer song after another..."
Spin (p.68) - Ranked #3 in Spin's "40 Best Albums of the Year" - "[T]his Scottish quartet's debut feels life-altering from first listen..."
Q (3/04, p.102) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[U]tterly unique. Setting them apart is a bizarre military chic, the best basslines since peak New Order....The most ebullient British debut since Elastica." Mojo (3/04, p.95) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[T]hey see things in their own way and the songs feel like they're boiling over, there's so much heat under them." Uncut (3/04, p.88) - 5 stars out of 5 - "A dynamic, direct debut from funky, punky junk-shop monkeys who strut, swagger and shrug nonchalantly." Uncut (p.74) - Ranked #10 in Uncut's "Best New Albums of 2004" - "[With] precise guitars and jagged rhythmic angles, flushed with the arthouse swagger of Talking Heads and XTC..."
Magnet (p.66) - Ranked #7 in Magnet's "The 20 Best Albums Of 2004" - "[P]acked with stuttering mechanical riffs and smoking-jacket panache..."
Titles on disc 1
1.: Jacqueline
2.: Tell Her Tonight
3.: Take Me Out
4.: Dark Of The Matinee
5.: Auf Achse
6.: Cheating On You
7.: This Fire
8.: Darts Of Pleasure
9.: Michael
10.: Come On Home
11.: 40'
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Listed on Ciao since : 21/02/2004
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01.04.2005
