Franz Ferdinand
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action
Domino
****
Franz Ferdinand emerged in 2003 with the perfect noise for this new approach. The Glaswegian quartet’s angular but accessible blend of guitar rock and quirky pop proved an instant – yet enduring – hit with global audiences. Meanwhile, over the course of three albums, their propulsive riffs backed gadget commercials and video games, sport montages and reality shows. Fun for the whole family.
Further on, however, cartoonish tunes turn out to be Trojan horses for adult themes. On the Talking Heads-flavoured Treason! Animals, Kapranos breezily declares that "I'm the king of the animals!" before descending into narcissistic madness. And the seemingly playful chorus of Brief Encounters is actually a knowing reference to sordid events in suburbia.
That song also features hints of retro sci-fi throughout and pleasing references crop up regularly. Evil Eye is particularly nostalgic, a pastiche of old horror-movie scores, but generally the tone resembles a subversive 1980s school disco. The eerie synths powering The Universe Expanded conjure Ultravox, while Fresh Strawberries begins with Goth-band bass before hurtling into a fabulously cheery chorus. That sums up this admirably rule-free album rather well.
“We will soon be rotten,” insists Kapranos during a more thoughtful stage of the latter song. “We will all be forgotten.” Not for a few years yet.
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