If Only ...
There’s been a lot of talk about Franz Ferdinand’s third album. Three years in the making, ‘Tonight; Franz Ferdinand’ has been the topic of much speculation, even the instigator of debate, as Alex Kapranos and co originally opted for the guidance of the Xenomania production team whose clients have included the likes of Girls Aloud. The battle of indie versus pop never fully materialised though as the Scottish band’s brief flirtation soon soured, leaving them to revert to form and embracing their indie roots once more. The result; ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’, an album that splutters and blusters boldly for change but for all intent and purposes recoils back to the safety of Franz’s tried and tested formula. Well, if it isn’t broke …
Wielding a throbbing slice of hedonistic sleaze tethered precariously to jabbing dance inducing beats, ‘Ulysses’ kicks off proceedings with a flair of promise as infectious hooks jostle for attention amongst a catchy blast of “la la la”s that reminds all just how great Franz Ferdinand can be. 'Turn It On’ punches through with a lavish rush of electronic beats that inject a blast of adrenalin, matched only by ‘No You Girls’s pumping beats. Its classic Franz; all jerky riffs mingled with thumping beats, demanding that feet up and down the country tap along as Kapranos’ leads the charge with a sardonic tongue and a twinkle in his eye.
And classic Franz is all well and good but you can’t help wondering why there’s not more? As ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’ progresses, nothing new emerges, at times sadly things even start to seem repetitive as the Glasgow band cling to the original blueprint used over the past two albums. ‘Twilight Omens’ offers a slight spark of change as an ominous swirl of electronic beats twirl around a throbbing bass, but things quickly retreat to safer ground with ‘Bite Hard’, leaving Franz’s third album to be merely an extension of their previous two.
In the end you know what you’re getting with a Franz Ferdinand album and ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’ is no exception. There are no nasty surprises waiting to tackle you on the way to the dance floor, this is indie rock in all its angular, jerky finery, the type that we’ve come to expect from the Glasgow band. The formula may not be broke but it’s hard to shrug off the feeling of disappointment that escalates with each play of the album as the brilliance of a band who reignited the indie dance floor all those years ago juts its head out only to quickly return, not offering anything new to challenge the likes of Vampire Weekend who have since jumped into the ring to fight for the Glasgow quartet’s indie crown. This is Franz Ferdinand by numbers; it’s good but if only…