Franz Ferdinand - Franz FerdinandDominoMarch 9, 2004
Alex Kapranos wistfully recites a poem accompanied by the faint, occasional strumming of an electric guitar. And this is how the most vibrant, most energetic, most manic pop debut released since the Coral picked up a xylophone, opens.
Franz Ferdinand hopes to transform the British music scene, to launch an Anglican fight against the White Stripes and the Strokes. So how do they choose to do it? Well, instead of fighting fire with fire like, say, the Libertines, Franz Ferdinand have decided to bring back intelligent rock that makes you want to dance. Sound kind of out there? Well, desperate times call for desperate measures.
You wouldn't call it desperate though, not this album anyway. It's too well put together. The songs are too catchy and the lyrics too concise. Each of the 11 tracks on the disc pulls you in almost hypnotically. Well, most talented bands can pull that off, so what has the British press hailing Franz Ferdinand as the second coming of Britpop?
It's the bands underlying themes of lust, decadence and hedonism that serve to make the dance pop beats not only cool, but cooler than thou. On tracks like "Auf Achse," "Michael," and "40 Ft." the band will have you contemplating violent romantic longing, homoerotic escapism and suicide, but damned if you're not tapping your feet while you're doing it.
If you're looking for a rosier Interpol, or a more accessible version of The Rapture, turn to the UK and let them do what they do best.
