New Franz Ferdinand: Fabulous or Fatigued?

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Was feeling very over FF, but having just listened to the entire new album on JJJ, this stuff is a lot better than the first album. So far favourite track is "Eleanor Put Those Boots Back On" - very Beatlesque. Question is: is this an immediate must-buy or wait until it goes down in price?

― salexander (salexander), Sunday, 25 September 2005 06:45 (twenty years ago)

Immediate download then buy in the sales.
That way everyone wins!

― Lorne, Sunday, 25 September 2005 07:37 (twenty years ago)

It's alright. Their situation reminds me of the Strokes in 2003 where they had a solid debut album with more or less the same song being recycled (it's a good song btw) and go into the studio again factoring in the good and bad similar bands that had also emerged and needing to distance themselves and avoid the inevitable backlash that was about to happen within their little genres.

The Strokes were said to be bringing back some sort of garage-rock attitude and Franz was doing a mash of early-80's things and both "revivals" seemed kind of tired by the time the second album came out. Also coming along with the second album was a sort of watered down group (critics would say even more watered down than the original group) who seemed to almost parody them. The American Strokes released their second album on the heels of Australia's own Jet having a hit with Are You Gonna Be My Girl and Scottish Franz releases theirs with the American Killers being the mainstream version of them. Jet getting the kind of hit the Strokes always seemed to be close to having and the Killers becoming the really mainstream New 80's band (is there a name for this genre yet? I'm grasping for straws trying to create one) that Franz were partially, but didn't fully realize because they write songs about dancing with men (that is homosexuality). How any of this factors into the quality of Franz's new album is beyond me. I just think that Franz is oddly similar to the Strokes career wise and if this continues then we should expect Alex Kapranos to be dating Alyssa Milano soon and to release an 'authentic' crunk album in January 2007.

― Cunga (Cunga), Sunday, 25 September 2005 08:00 (twenty years ago)

i never much cared about ff, but i like it when "the fallen" comes on the ipod. and i think the single is pretty good too.

― jermaine (jnoble), Sunday, 25 September 2005 09:07 (twenty years ago)

I like the Strokes a lot better, but their second album seems more similar to their debut than Franz's does to theirs...

― JoB (JoB), Sunday, 25 September 2005 11:28 (twenty years ago)

"but didn't fully realize because they write songs about dancing with men (that is homosexuality)"

b-b-but The Killers sing about boyfriends that look like girlfriends that they had in february of last year!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 25 September 2005 12:15 (twenty years ago)

i agree, that FF seem in a remarkably similar position to the strokes, earlier. also, interesting that they are bands that, to different degrees, have gone from being seen as calculating 'plasticy' lowcomdenoms to first wave originators usurped by more commercially focused bands (the killers/jet) (whether correct or not)

― terry lennox. (gareth), Sunday, 25 September 2005 12:39 (twenty years ago)

They are in quite similar positions, also "You Could Have It..." is clearly stronger collection of songs than "Room On Fire" was.

― zeus, Sunday, 25 September 2005 12:48 (twenty years ago)

i'd agree with that statement, only reversed

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Sunday, 25 September 2005 13:30 (twenty years ago)

Room on Fire is an absolute masterpiece compared to this little dull thing. The only track I like is "Eleanor, put these boots back on" but hey, I'm a big Fiery Furnaces fan...

― snowballing (snowballing), Sunday, 25 September 2005 13:33 (twenty years ago)

I'll go with fabulous though the live setting is probably the best take on the songs. I imagine.

― gspm (gspm), Sunday, 25 September 2005 13:47 (twenty years ago)

OK. I haven't got any problems with Room On Fire, just it was a bit dull, too many songs sounded the same. I would still give a 7/10 for it. But Franz II. is so much better (haha), they pull out their "not a single bad song" trick again, and it works.

― zeus, Sunday, 25 September 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

"What you Meant" and "This Boy" are sheer class. Reminiscent of the Chilli Peppers at their funky best

― Mark, Sunday, 25 September 2005 17:36 (twenty years ago)

"i agree, that FF seem in a remarkably similar position to the strokes, earlier. also, interesting that they are bands that, to different degrees, have gone from being seen as calculating 'plasticy' lowcomdenoms to first wave originators"

Did people really see FF as being "calculating?"

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 25 September 2005 17:41 (twenty years ago)

This record really is just too dull for words. I count 4 good songs at the most, and the rest is just yr generic everyday indie. WAY TO DISTANCE YRSELF, FF!

Two steps backward. Where is this "white crunk" ?

― Suedey (John Cei Douglas), Sunday, 25 September 2005 18:27 (twenty years ago)

they sound like they've been listening to a lot of abba, i think.

― hold tight the private caller (mwah), Sunday, 25 September 2005 21:44 (twenty years ago)

The new Franz is definitely more solid than their first one. Not a bad track on the whole album.

And I think "Room on Fire" is more solid than their first one too. Yeah it sounds a lot like their first one, but a lot more solid and precise. Like a more accomplished band re-recording their first album.

― Erock LAzron, Sunday, 25 September 2005 22:10 (twenty years ago)

they sound like they've been listening to a lot of Franz Ferdinand, i think.

― snowballing (snowballing), Monday, 26 September 2005 07:49 (twenty years ago)

b-b-but The Killers sing about boyfriends that look like girlfriends that they had in february of last year!

A-ha! But there's a difference between, "Your boyfriend's gay!" and "I'm gay!" that is crucial to many people.

― Cunga (Cunga), Monday, 26 September 2005 16:40 (twenty years ago)

The American Strokes released their second album on the heels of Australia's own Jet having a hit with Are You Gonna Be My Girl

??? I fail to see how Jet and the Strokes are related musically....One sounds like Foghat and one sounds like Blondie with a mumbling dude.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 26 September 2005 21:40 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

i like do you wanna quite a lot. sort of glamstomp, it reminds me of someone, but...who?

― terry lennox. (gareth), Friday, 18 November 2005 11:36 (twenty years ago)

that '80s track 'we close our eyes' i think is the agreed blueprint.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 18 November 2005 11:40 (twenty years ago)

by go west??

― terry lennox. (gareth), Friday, 18 November 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

it's sh it compared to WE CLOSE OUR EYES.
it's pretty sh it full stop actually. it's their COUNTRY HOUSE, as i'm sure many must have already said.

― piscesboy, Friday, 18 November 2005 13:43 (twenty years ago)

yeah by go west. the riff.

it's my fave ff song by a long way. 'country house' stands up ok, imo.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 18 November 2005 13:46 (twenty years ago)

I like this album a lot.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 18 November 2005 13:50 (twenty years ago)

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