Franz Ferdinand used to be my favorite band. Hell, theirs was the first concert I ever went to (Electric Factory, Friday, September 10, 2004). To my 14-year-old self, they offered an escape from regular old radio rock/pop, from their well-planned fashion to their distinct-yet-accessible sound. I wasn’t looking for a band to change the way I listened to music. I just wanted a band that sounded a lot like The Strokes but had more “indie cred.”
I am now five years older and have come to appreciate noise rock, freak-folk, and a bunch of other scary-sounding genres. I haven’t listened to Franz Ferdinand since the beginning of 2006, when I gave up on You Could Have It So Much Better, a rushed and bloated sophomore effort that found the group growing far too self-consciously for their own good.
Needless to say, my expectations for the Scottish foursome’s latest release weren’t too high. It’s been three years since we went our separate ways, and our parting was hardly on good terms. But I guess the break did Alex Kapranos and Co. some good—they seem to have re-evaluated themselves and discovered what really matters. The old flame may have found its spark once more.
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is more homogeneous than anything the band has released, but it still finds the Scotsmen opening up to new styles. Tonight sounds like a Franz Ferdinand record through and through, one as well-sequenced and coherent as their debut.
Tonight keeps things together by focusing on the low-end, a nice contrast to the band’s usually treble-heavy work. Bob Hardy borrowed a few of Spoon’s bass lines and mixed them with some dub influences while the guitars—as angular as ever—simply accentuate the bass rather than stay at the fore. Lead single “Ulysses” and the excellent “What She Came For” make the transformation apparent; the latter even closes with the only guitar solo Franz Ferdinand have laid to tape (as far as this formerly rabid fan is aware of).
“Live Alone” similarly plays up the rhythm, while the nearly eight-minute “Lucid Dreams” features a lengthy electronic instrumental in its second half. But while these two tracks are more influenced by electronic dance music than “Outsiders” is, they never come off as trying too hard.
Tonight is the sophomore album Franz Ferdinand should have released three years ago. It may not redefine their sound, but it’s pushing it in all the right directions. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another four years to see where they go next.
Voice’s Choices: “No You Girls,” “What She Came For,” “Can’t Stop Feeling”
