Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
By: Mark Runyon | Category: Album Reviews | 10/02/05 | 01:58 AM
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Grade: A | Genre: Brit Rock
Summary: You Could Have It So Much Better is pure fun locked in a CD case.
You'd think that after surviving an explosion of success, it would cause a group of guys to kick back and milk that puppy for every dollar its worth. Not the Scottish working class lads of Franz Ferdinand. A year and a half after their stunning debut captured the esteemed Mercury Prize and their hit single "Take Me Out" splattered over the airwaves, Franz is back packing so much heat its likely to singe your eyebrows. You Could Have It So Much Better is a tasty treat fueled by a battalion of slick beats with disco's shimmer and punk's snarl. Get ready for Franz Ferdinand to take you out and rip you up. |
It was a good year to be the archduke of Austria whose assassination sparked World War I. Just a quick refresher for those whose Western Civ class was lost amongst a pot induced haze. The Franzies have been everywhere and become relished by virtually everyone. Kanye West declared Franz to be the magical "white crunk" and modeled some of his latest album Late Registration after their sound. "Take Me Out" pulsed from every radio and served as Apple's poster boy for dressing the world in white iPods. They turned down the dream gig of opening for Coldplay on their current "Twisted Logic" tour (see review) because they've outgrown the offer. They were the band that was indie cool no matter how overblown they got. Clocking in over 3 million plus in international album sales is quite an eye opening stat for any band fresh off the farm. After you've set the bar that high, how do you spring off the high dive, do a 3 1/2 somersault, without smacking your head on the board? Very carefully it seems.
The album's first single "Do You Want To?" is a simulation of an art gallery party where everyone is shouting over one another as you pick bits and pieces of conversation out of the chaos of words. The lyrics were actually gleaned from a party frontman Alex Kapranos attended, featuring choice lines like "Your famous friend, well, I blew him before you." The tune is supped up on a bouncy beat, juggling the tempo changes like a confused equalizer.
"Fade Together" is one of a handful of tracks that pull back gently so the boys don't blow their wad prematurely. It sounds like Alex has just gotten tipsy on a bottle or three of wine. Maybe not even good wine, as the world seems to get all loopy, dizzily spiraling around him. It is the album's most peculiar track, which is very reminiscent of the Stranglers' "Golden Brown." "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" is a similar tune that has a light dusting of Beatles to it. This one seems to be toying with his ex, Fiery Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger, unable to decide if, should she decide to hurl herself off the top of national landmarks, would he be there to catch her fall? It's certainly a clever way of portraying those ambivalent feelings birthed after a breakup. The stages of a broken heart echo through this album from "You're the Reason I'm Leaving" to "Walk Away." They each pack a raunchy punch of confusion and anger in lines like "I love the sound of you walking away" only to count the ways his life is disintegrating with each footstep.
The best tracks are definitely those that flirt with the chaos of noise. "Evil and a Heathen" is a prime candidate for losing control of its racing beat to plow over sightseers on the sidewalk. The song is supported by a constant thump and the spiral of sound winds around that central focus. Kapranos' voice continually threatens to become unhinged mid-note. The closing number "The Outsiders" is of the same pedigree. Just try to sit still while this fiery beat works over your eardrums. It can't be done. These charged anthems seem to come equipped with a trendy bar furnished with wall-to-wall people sweatily writhing into each other like some Old Spice commercial.
You Could Have It So Much Better is pure fun locked in a CD case. I can sit here all day and study it against the light of how it compares their last effort, their contemporaries and evaluate its overall impact on music at large, but, in the end, all that overanalyzing misses the crucial point. How addicting is this work? Does your CD player greedily refuse to let it go and share time with the other shiny new disks? The answer is an emphatic yes. Once it goes in, it short circuits the eject button from the inside. These rhythms are ridiculously enticing, one song fusing into the next. So while this may not mark any new avenues for Franz per se, it does take the core formula they concocted on their fantastic debut and richly refines it. The hooks are catchier, the beats drill into you and you surrender any piss poor mood you might have been harboring walking in. I've got 5 albums duking it out in my head for the designation of album of the year, and this is one of the strongest contenders. Franz fans, camp out Monday night to get your grubby paws on this enlightening effort. For those who have only heard "Take Me Out," You Could Have It So Much Better is the perfect introduction to one of the most exciting bands of the moment. Don't let this train leave you behind.
Download the latest from Franz Ferdinand from iTunes or get yourself a hard copy at Amazon now.
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