New Franz Ferdinand album: You Could Have it So Much Better
Posted: 2005-10-04 10:59pm
No, that's not a comment, that's the actual title of the album. It came out today. I discovered Franz Ferdinand a bit more later than most people - earlier this summer - but I loved their first album all the same and have definitely gotten some funny looks from people while humming those insanely catchy guitar hooks.
After a few listenings, I'm pretty sure it's not as good as their first album, but that's no shame as every tune on the first one could have been a single. Maybe more listenings will change that. That being said, I still really like it and think this is a great album, and it's safe to say that the band didn't fizzle after their fantastic first album.
Basically all the stuff that made the first album great - guitar hooks, catchy dance tunes, and shifting time changes (well, I dug them, anyway) are here, plus a little more. The Fallen, the first track, opens with one of their trademark guitar hooks and has some of the most singable lyrics to come from the band. People say it's a political song, but honestly I don't really see it. I think it'll probably be one of the favorites and would be surprised if it doesn't end up as a single. The first single, Do You Want To, is at least as danceable as any of the songs on the first album and is similar to Take Me Out in that it opens with a relatively fast intro that shifts to a slower tempo for the bulk of the song. Also, more homoerotic lyrics. My favorite song is probably Well That Was Easy, which again features a number of tempo shifts and a truly brilliant 45 second conclusion that alone should make it a single.
There are also some slower songs that get away from the band's style. Eleanor Put Your Boots Back On has been compared favorably with the Beatles, and Fade Together isn't really like any other song I've heard from Franz thus far. In addition to this, there are some surprisingly raw, more punkish tunes like Evil and a Heathen and the title track.
The lyrics still are nothing spectacular, but who gives a shit, really?
Overall, a very fun album with enough of what made the first album great to make it worth buying, but at the same time enough to say that the band is growing and not just rehashing what they did last year. Still one of my favorite bands around. 4.25/5.
After a few listenings, I'm pretty sure it's not as good as their first album, but that's no shame as every tune on the first one could have been a single. Maybe more listenings will change that. That being said, I still really like it and think this is a great album, and it's safe to say that the band didn't fizzle after their fantastic first album.
Basically all the stuff that made the first album great - guitar hooks, catchy dance tunes, and shifting time changes (well, I dug them, anyway) are here, plus a little more. The Fallen, the first track, opens with one of their trademark guitar hooks and has some of the most singable lyrics to come from the band. People say it's a political song, but honestly I don't really see it. I think it'll probably be one of the favorites and would be surprised if it doesn't end up as a single. The first single, Do You Want To, is at least as danceable as any of the songs on the first album and is similar to Take Me Out in that it opens with a relatively fast intro that shifts to a slower tempo for the bulk of the song. Also, more homoerotic lyrics. My favorite song is probably Well That Was Easy, which again features a number of tempo shifts and a truly brilliant 45 second conclusion that alone should make it a single.
There are also some slower songs that get away from the band's style. Eleanor Put Your Boots Back On has been compared favorably with the Beatles, and Fade Together isn't really like any other song I've heard from Franz thus far. In addition to this, there are some surprisingly raw, more punkish tunes like Evil and a Heathen and the title track.
The lyrics still are nothing spectacular, but who gives a shit, really?
Overall, a very fun album with enough of what made the first album great to make it worth buying, but at the same time enough to say that the band is growing and not just rehashing what they did last year. Still one of my favorite bands around. 4.25/5.