Every once in a great while, a group comes a long
and makes the standard rock format of guitars, bass,
drums and voice sound completely new. Franz Ferdinand
are not that band.
No, this is a far more familiar proposition. You
may have heard phrases like "new-wave" and "punk-funk"
and "1979" cropping up in discussion of the band,
and fair play: their raw, rattling sound is not unfriendly
to the current iteration of revivalist zeitgeist.
But it's perhaps an indication of how unfunky rock
music has become that Franz Ferdinand have been talked
about as dance-rock fusionists. They do have an excellent
drummer in their midst, and he does enjoy opening
his hi-hat on the downbeat in the way that disco drummers
used to … but, ya know, that's about the extent of
it. To their credit, Franz Ferdinand seem to recognize
that rock'n'roll is already quite danceable when it's
played well. The Rapture
they are not.
Their lineage really extends well beyond post-punk,
and as early as last year's Darts of Pleasure
EP they were showcasing the kind of stomping rhythms,
sticky choruses and predilection for looking daft
and talking bollocks that have been the hallmark of
great British artrockers from The
Kinks to Blur
via The Smiths. (Indeed,
the post-punkers they recall most may be quintissential
artschoolers XTC). With
album-teaser "Take Me Out" finding a deserved place
in the upper regions of the pop charts in Britain,
their (inevitably) self-titled debut now has a question
answer: do they have the songs to match their obvious
ambition?
Looking good, lads. Franz Ferdinand is a
very confident debut, not least because it shuns two
of the stellar b-sides from Darts of Pleasure.
They've added subtlety without sacrificing their boundless
energy or taste for the absurd: Indeed on the gay
dancefloor-cruising "Michael" they prove they're still
willing to take an hilarious step too far. The arrangements
are splendid, wearing British Invasion pop, disco,
punk and indie like so many lived-in jumpers, and
absolutely everything packs a tune. Most songs have
two or three.
Franz Ferdinand's weakness, if they have one, may
be their archness, and the fine line they walk between
enjoyably daft artrock and ironically-mustachioed
ridiculousness. "Cheating On You" is a great tune
undermined slightly by its nasty smirk, "Darts of
Pleasure" is -- well, it's called "Darts of Pleasure,"
ferchrissakes -- and "Michael's" lisping German homoeroticism
is just silly. But all three feel at home here, and
it would be a mistake to sacrifice their spirit of
adventure for a further taste of the chart action
afforded by the comparatively straight (if absolutely
ferocious) "Take Me Out." If they're going to take
their place next to their forebears, they'll have
to do it on their own terms. Franz Ferdinand
is a good start.
If you like Franz Ferdinand, check out:
XTC Drums
and Wires
Blur Modern Life Is Rubbish
The Smiths The Smiths
Gang of Four Entertainment!
