Is that all you've got? (Tonight: Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand)

Member Name: SaveMeTheMoney

Product:	Tonight: Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Date:	04/03/09 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Decent effort

Disadvantages: Same old, same old

I cannot quite work out the reason why I do not love Franz Ferdinand. Their music is the sort of music I love listening to, but oddly enough, I cannot completely warm to them. Perhaps it is the vocals, Alex Kapronas' voice is not quite exactly what I had in mind. It is odd, as Franz Ferdinand are responsible for some cracking singles recently and three of the best albums this century. But still, I only give this a 4 out of 5. Is it becuase now, with three albums that are extremely similar, that we are left feeling that this is all that they've got?

Don't get me wrong, the album is incredibly catchy and some of these songs really do make me just want to break out and dance. It's much more dancey than their previous efforts, but it's still same catchy, post-punk influenced rock that we've come to expect from the band. But I guess in a way, that's all we can expect from them. They still seem like just some band with uber-catchy riffs and hooks, but nothing beyond that. Are they limited?

The band say they have changed and yes, there are sprinklings of African influences, but they still sound very much like Franz Ferdinand.

"Twilight Omens" features a keyboard-heavy loop straight out of the 80s, but the thick guitars keep it grounded and fairly rocking. Meanwhile, "What She Came For" begins as pure disco, synthesizers on full blast but builds to a big rocky finish.

The only problem is that there are too many fillers on this album. Even Ulysses is a bit of a rip off - of their own stuff. Sounds very similar to Take me Out.

The one stand out for me is Katherine Kiss Me, an acoustic solo that is totally different from the rest of the album. It leaves me with some hope for the fututre.

Summary: Not bad, not great