Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

Over the past few years, the garage rock sound has come back in a big way. Bands like the White Stripes, the Strokes, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are taking the garage band format and updating it, both sonically and aesthetically. Near the top of the heap, though, is Franz Ferdinand. Why are they at the top of the heap?; because they are a little more sophisticated than the down-and-dirty approach of the Strokes or the frenetic energy of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The very name of the band draws from an Archduke of Austria from the early 20^th century. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand started WWI, but most Americans don’t know that. The fact that Franz Ferdinand know that could be due to the fact that they are not American. Hailing from Glasgow, being Scottish lends them a somewhat different consciousness and outlook than us here in the U.S.A.

Also, the record just sounds better than those aforementioned bands do. The sound is tighter, more focused, and maybe a little poppier. While I normally shy away from pop, this is pop done correctly. It bears in mind the sound, the feel, and the overall experience. By pop I don’t mean mindless breakbeats marketed to teenagers, but sophisticated management of sound to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Now, if you asked Franz Ferdinand, they would probably say they don’t care about appealing to as many people as possible; they probably just want to play. But truly good pop music comes when you don’t try. It’s kind of like love in that way. You only find it when you’re not looking for it.

But I digress; on to specifics. The opening of their debut album is gentle and soft-handed, but that’s deceiving. In short order, it breaks into a hard-driving beat. Remarkably, unlike many bands nowadays, the record doesn’t break down as it wears on. Rather, it favors a steady stream over peaks and valleys.

The most intriguing track is a song near the end, called “Michael.” Now, I don’t know a great deal about the members of Franz Ferdinand, but I assume that they are just normal European musicians, which means they stay up late, drink a lot, and have over-active libidos, as well as somewhat chauvinistic ones. So where does a song like “Michael” come from? I’m assuming the members are straight, so a song like “Michael” seems dreadfully out of place. The sexual overtones of this song seem normal and standard, until one realizes that it is a guy talking to a guy. In addition, the machismo and testosterone associated with a guy talking to a girl seem to be completely intact. Still, the homoeroticism cannot be denied. Most intriguing.

Franz Ferdinand are very intelligent, and it shows, but not so much that it’s off-putting or seems other-worldly. They make visceral music that comes from and goes to the gut, while tempered with just enough subtext to make it interesting on multiple listens. As it is, they are a fabulous combination of the carnal and the well-read. But make no mistake; this is pop music.

Prime Cuts:
Take Me Out
Michael
Darts of Pleasure
Come On Home

22 Rating: 14