Having released their first four albums within
9 years, Franz Ferdinand return with their 5th album after an absence
of 5 years (not counting 2015’s collaborative FFS/Franz Ferdinand Sparks) and
also their first without founding member and guitarist Nick McCarthy. Not a
band that has ever gone off the boil in their 16-year history, their last album
was their lowest charting yet. McCarthy was also along with singer Alex
Kapranos one of the bands mainstays in the song writing dept, so how will the
band fare now as it ventures forward post McCarthy?
The pre-album ‘singles’ and TV appearances have
been promising, the sound edging more towards New York new wave and post punk,
more Talking Heads than XTC (imagine David Byrne singing pre-album single ‘Feel
the Love Go’…). Less of a dancey sound than the previous album, vocals are
clear in the mix, guitars perhaps slightly less prevalent than before though very
much still essential, keyboards and percussion fleshing out the tunes to a much
greater level. The production and mix (by Frenchman Philippe Zdar of production
and Cassius fame) is very sympathetic towards the songs. The songs mix the simplistic
to the interpretational in their lyrical approach, ‘Lazy Boy’ is virtually a
nursery rhyme for lay-ins whilst ‘Always Ascending’ is possibly and ode to the
departed McCarthy?
Like many bands though some of FF’s early
identity seems lost, the essence of what attracted their fans in the first
place, the sound is more mainstream than ever before. That’s not really a
criticism, it’s a rare band or musician that can maintain their individuality,
especially when the pressure’s on to deliver a hit. And ultimately the band do
deliver here, the album might be a little singular in pace, but the sound is
strong, the songs generally strong and hook laden. The quirkier moments for me
stand out the most, ‘Finally’ with it’s shift in pace and odd hooks and ‘Huck
and Jim’ has a guitar driven intro that turns out to be a soundtrack for the chorus,
there’s shifts in gear, creepy lyrics and invention.
Elsewhere ‘The Academy Award’ is an odd little
song about the clamour for approval that the world of social media creates
amongst its users, the imagery is clever, but the track is an example of
musically the band losing some of it’s individuality. Maybe that’s the point? ‘Slow
Don’t Kill Me Slow’ is a creeping ballad of sorts, for me it invokes some of
the last David Bowie photographs and has a Bowie-esque sheen in its guitar and
keyboard arrangements. There is some filler (‘Lois Lane’); ‘Glimpse of Love’ is
awash with keyboards but ends up being the most typically FF track.
Still, you have to say the album is better than
you’d expect from a band who’ve taken 5 years to get there. It’s solid,
occasionally inventive, though perhaps not as hit laden as previous FF albums.
But I’m glad they’re back and I hope another one comes along in decidedly less
than 5 years.
(A solid) 7/10.
