Franz Ferdinand is one of my favorite bands. That says a lot, since I only like bands that are awesome. This band is a little more mainstream than those mentioned in my previous entries, but they still don't have the following they deserve. The band, which hails from Scotland, has had great success in the United Kingdom, and has had several songs chart fairly well in the United States, but a lot of people in the U.S. are unfamiliar with them, apart from a few select hits (you most likely have heard
'Take Me Out' or
'The Fallen').
Last month Franz Ferdinand followed up their first two hit albums (
Franz Ferdinand and
You Could Have It So Much Better) with a new release:
Tonight. This album exhibits a more mature sound, yet doesn't stray far from the band's previous focus on songs that have dance-floor-filling potential.
Tonight is supposedly a concept album, but is only loosely so...it is tied together by vague theme in a way that makes sense without forcing the album to fit a certain formula. As opposed to their previous albums,
Tonight has the brilliant touch of increased keyboards, something that adds a nice flavor to the CD as a whole.
The album leads off with 'Ulysess' (see video below) which boasts an earworm of a bass line complemented by soothing high hat work by drummer Paul Thomson. Before too long the music is joined by lead vocalist Alex Kapranos who begins the song in a whisper that quickly elevates in volume and energy while calmly propelling the track forward. The guitars and keyboards in this song are excellent and help pace the song from slow to fast then back and forth again until the song ends in a sudden flourish.
Next up is the catchy foot-tapper 'Turn It On' which is overflowing with an energy that makes you want to sing along. 'No You Girls' is a bit of a slow-down after 'Turn It On' but is still dance worthy as Kapranos shares the unsureness of his feelings while lamenting the divide between male and female. An interesting note on this track is that additional percussion is played on an actual human skeleton. A couple tracks later one's ears are greeted by something entirely different in 'Twilight Omens'. On first listening to this track I almost skipped it, but it is now one of my favorites on the album. It is, musically, very reminiscent of the eighties...and yet I love it. The synthesizers are melded perfectly with the electric guitars in a way that will make the eyes of your ears glaze over. 'Can't Stop Feeling' is a song I had heard previously, as it was a B-side left over from FF's second album. I wasn't a big fan of the original version, but the band has re-worked it here, adding a heavy synth line covered with a circus of drums to form one of the best songs on the album. 'Lucid Dreams' is another track I had heard before, as it was released months before the album came out. Again, this one is completely different from the previous take. At first it seems to be the same song, yet it abruptly shifts into something else entirely. The track is a very interesting step for the band, one that evolves into an acid trance track by the mid-way point. Finally 'Katherine Kiss Me' is a soft and sweet ending to
Tonight. This track is basically a reprise of 'No You Girls' with nothing but acoustic guitar and Kapranos' vocals. The song pulls forth images of finally drifting off to sleep after a pleasant and full
Tonight...
Overall
Tonight is another excellent offering by Franz Ferdinand. It's in stores now, you shouldn't miss it.
Grades by track:
1. Ulysses:
A+2.
Turn It On:
A+3.
No You Girls:
A4. Send Him Away:
C5.
Twilight Omens:
A6. Bite Hard:
B+7. What She Came For:
B8. Live Alone:
C9.
Can't Stop Feeling:
A+10.
Lucid Dreams:
B11. Dream Again:
C+12.
Katherine Kiss Me:
AOverall Grade:
AVisit the band's website
here
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