| · They’re the best band in the U.K.! Ever! At least, according to the British press!
So this is the next big thing from across the pond – a Scottish quartet that marries the detached coolness of the Strokes with the cloying, disco punk jerkiness that Hot Hot Heat have staked their career on. And while few bands from the U.K. succeed when they spend so much of their time worrying about North American fixtures (see: Bush), with Franz Ferdinand, it works.
Maybe it’s the historical reference (though I didn’t know that First World War history became indie hip), maybe it’s the look (although I didn’t know fashion mattered to kids still wearing trucker hats), maybe it’s their youthfulness (although all those thirtysomethings in Broken Social Scene seem to be doing fine). But Franz Ferdinand actually manage to live up to their hype – no mean feat.
The album starts out with the glorious "Jacqueline," a piece of NYC cool that was so desperately lacking from the Strokes’ last album (yes, that’s the second reference to them in the review – trust me). "Take Me Out" only serves to reinforce the fact that the last Strokes record sucks. (Yes that’s three). For a band that claims to live by the credo of making music for girls to dance to, Franz Ferdinand succeeds admirably – there might even be guys who dance to this. Most importantly, the whole affair is couched in a sense of casual ability that almost all of their peers are desperate for.
As much as this is a throwback, it is also a bracingly good time. While the Rapture wants you to sway with your hands clasped behind your back, looking down and contemplating lost relationships, Franz Ferdinand would have you all up in the person you’ve been eyeing all night. Forget the introspection, forget the West Coast humidity-inspired big hair, the stylist-chosen vintage clothes, forget the Brooklyn cred – it’s time to get your dance on.
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