The Results of the First Five-Year Plan
Scottish post-punk pin-ups Franz Ferdinand have always had a close relationship to the dancefloor. Since their very first single, 2004's "Take Me Out," took them from obscurity to obscene popularity in the space of four minutes, the quartet's twitchy, slinky brand of angular guitar-rock has been synonymous with hipster club-nights, indie dance-parties, dorm-room blowouts, and, even, superstar DJ sets.
Which made it strange, then, that Franz's second longplayer, 2005's You Could Have it So Much Better, seemed slightly uncomfortable with making dancefloor fodder. Perhaps best seen as the 'difficult second album,' the quickly-turned around set was at its best when completely eschewing the 'Franz Ferdinand sound.' Its standout song, "Eleanor Put Your Boots On," was, notably, a tender acoustic ode.
After three years on the sidelines, the gamine Glaswegians return with the third FF LP, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. Which happens to feature a veritable sequel to "Eleanor Put Your Boots On," in the form of "Katherine Kiss Me," another stripped-down love-song showcasing the glorious of Alex Kapranos' casual tenor. Yet, rather than taking pride-of-place in the middle of the album, "Katherine" is the last song; a comedown lullaby delivering as Tonight is winding down. What's preceded it, however, is a different story entirely: 40 minutes of pure dancefloor fodder.
Nothing Matters When We're Dancing
Tonight kicks off with something resembling a statement of intent: "Ulysses." Three minutes of pushbeat bass and squelching synths and Kapranos exhorting "come on let's get high!", the exuberant single sets the tenor for the rest of the set.
"Lucid Dreams" starts off as overdriven keytone-pop —a kind of art-school, darkened-up redux of Duran Duran— before shedding its rock instruments entirely, and transforming into a stark, Detroit-techno-copping electronic track; which sends retro-futurist Polyvox synth squelches back and forth over a harsh, mechanized kick-drum. "Can't Stop Feeling" is a dancefloor stomper, all bustling electronics and tonking cowbell and hot-footed rhythm. And "What She Came For" is classic Franz to the point of bordering on self-parody; all disco bass and angular guitar klang and yelled choruses and radical tempo shifts.
What this amounts to is an album that manages to feel, somehow, both more satisfying and less satisfying than it really is. There's no doubting that Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is a more straight-forward, almost superficial album when compared to either of its predecessors. Yet, by working wholly towards (sometimes mindless) dancefloor fervor, Franz Ferdinand have authored an album of simple, unfettered enjoyment. Meaning, essentially: what Tonight loses in artistry it gains in functionality; this so-so album truly coming to life when played loud, and danced to.
Record Label: Domino/Epic
Release Date: 27 January 2009
