Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Published in 2004
First off, I'm writing this on my iPod so if I say anything that is really crazy or completely doesn't make sense, the iPod decided to go crazy on me and I didn't notice.
Pangloss would have us believe that this is the best of all possible worlds, however, I would have to disagree with him on several points. One the world has a lot of things that are not the best they could be, and two, in the best of all possible worlds Franz Ferdinand would be much more greatly rewarded for being fucking awesome. Pangloss would then say, "ah, but because they aren't, poor people like you can actually go see their shows," to which I would eloquently and gracefully rebuke with a casual "shut your goddamned mouth." Also, Kings was cancelled, which not only proved months before the conan shit that NBC didn't know shit, but also proved that if god exists, he's a huge prick who takes the good tv shows away and leaves american fucking idol, although that sinking ship has rats fleeing the shit out of it. Also, you should be watching Archer.
I was going somewhere with that. I think.
Anyway, to the album. It's jus a solid beautiful peice of work. The band is sharp, the lyrics are incredibly charged with sex and seductive quality, and the songs are tight and interesting. It's so good that I don't have a ton to say about it. This is an album to open your eyes to an interesting band who is trying to just simply make some great music.
This is some sexy music too. It's obvious to me that these guys are fully aware that the purpose of being in a hand is to be awesome and make girls go crazy. Making great music is the most direct path to their other goals, so they slam the music out, with a huge amount of character and style.
It kind of reminds me of Star Wars, and not that prequel crap. The reason that A New Hope was good was because it opened up this different world where adventures could take place and the world was what drew you in. This album is the best kind of first album, because it makes you want to listen to the next one, just to see what else they can do in this musical space.
The analogy can go further. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is another great album and is on the list for the future, much like The Empire Strikes Back follows and supercedes it's predecessor. You'll just have to read to see which FF album I think is better.
This is one of my go to albums when I just want to hear some good music. It's not paricularly long, nor particularly ambitious, but it is a pinnicle of it's particular musical space.
Anyway, no one to thank today, so thank you Franz Ferdiand.
Potato, let me finish, salad,
Matt
This is one of my favorite albums, but their other two are pretty forgettable. I think that's why this band isn't that famous, and probably doesn't deserve to be. There is a whole lot to be said about writing an awesome album. Most bands can't even do that. But to be well-remembered you probably need to deliver more than once.
ReplyDeleteException: Neutral Milk Hotel. Jeff Mangum wrote one transcendent masterpiece (In the Aeroplane Over the Sea) and then petered out. But that album is legendary at this point. You should do a blog post on it, actually.
I think you need to give Tonight: Franz Ferdinand another shot, because it is growing on me pretty well. It's a pretty fun album.
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