Album of the Week #25 - Franz Ferdinand

"Ich heiße Super Fantastisch!" - "Darts of Pleasure"

Five years ago, music changed for me. The repercussions may not have been fully felt for a year or two later, but 2004 had a bunch of amazing debut albums, marking the year where new music began to get good again. Along with The Killers' Hot Fuss and Arcade Fire's Funeral, Franz Ferdinand's eponymous debut is a landmark in retro-sounding art rock. All three take heavy influences from various rock movements of the late 60's and 70's, whether it be punk, glam, or even traces of disco. 

Franz Ferdinand 

At the time, Franz Ferdinand was my favorite, and I must have listened to it dozens of times the summer and fall after its release. A Scottish band named for an assassinated Austrian Archduke, they sound like a cross between T. Rex and later Velvet Underground, though the most apt comparison would easily be to mid-70's David Bowie, circa Ziggy and "Rebel Rebel." 

The album opens with "Jacqueline," which serves as a great introduction to the band in all respects. The lyrics are typical of the band, somewhere between storytelling and non-sensical. Paul Thompson's drumming style, which I would describe as intricate and manic. 

"Take Me Out," was really the band's breakout single, as this song was everywhere at one point. It's a powerful party anthem, both joyous and angsty, a surefire hit. "The Dark Of The Matinée" is maybe my favorite song off the album, a "Karn Evil 9" like romp through a darkened theater. 

Meanwhile, "This Fire" is probably the best song written about sexual desire since the mid-Eighties. It's also notable for being played during during Calgary Flames home games. 

"Darts of Pleasure is my second favorite song on the album, and is just a "super fantastic" fun song. The popularity of the song among FF fans has led to at least one incident of darts being thrown at them on stage. 

Overall, I don't think the album quite holds up to the heaps of praise it received in '04, but I still think the album is infinitely listenable, an a spectacular debut. Their two successive albums have not been quite as good, but I will always have a fond place for Franz Ferdinand for brining me back...to the present.