Tonight we dance like twisted robots (Tonight: Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand)

Member Name: yourspawingly

Product:	Tonight: Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Date:	25/06/09 (6 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Contrary to my belief, a VERY new sound

Disadvantages: One poor and long track in my opinion

The first I heard of Franz Ferdinand's admittedly spectacular masterpiece 'Tonight' was on the Steve Wright In The Afternoon show, where said host duly bent the ear of lead singer Alex Kapranos and screamed, "Ere son, I'm loving the new style!" Because that's how Wrighty talks, you know. Annoyingly so, at 4pm.

Though I did chuckle slightly, under the illusion it was completely untrue - and rather just the usual sycophantic, hoity toity drivel we've come to expect from DJs and presenters. Everything's hip, new and happening these days. And blimey, it sounds like the kind of thing Lorraine Kelly would say to Marti Pellow on LK Today. Despite being a great fan of the Franz sound, there was nothing which led me to believe single track 'Ulysses' was anything more than what we'd already heard from them at all.

And there's the punch - pow! Right in the kisser... Was it really no good? He played a few more tracks and yet still I wasn't convinced. It was just the same Glaswegian four-piece I had always known and loved. Plus, I was at work, and I didn't really have the chance to listen in.

It took the overhearing of this in my friend Lucy's flat, to be cajoled into buying the CD for myself. I put the disc in my computer to spur me through my work at home... and I didn't get a thing done, because it was SO different; so fresh, powerful and such a beautiful rock/synth blend. I was wrong.

The rawness of the first album, the accomplishment of the second, had made me smile. This was making me jump for joy, swing round on my office swivel chair and thrash imaginary drums so hard I feared for the life of my furniture. Buy it now! I couldn't say it any louder - it's one of my favourite albums this year. Besides being exciting and undoubtedly their best yet, it's such a step forward from the brilliant stuff they were doing before.

Second single 'No You Girls' was much more to my taste, and after hearing the staggering originality that is using a human skeleton as a percussion instrument on the backing, my macabre love for them was greater fuelled. Even if it is used on an advert for my nemesis, Apple Mac's iPods. Other strong numbers include 'Turn It On', 'Can't Stop Feeling' and the bittersweet 'Live Alone.'

Though these tracks are power-packed, and particularly 'Twilight Omens' with its haunting organ melodies, let the ballads not be forgotten, as 'Katherine Kiss Me' and 'Send Him Away' especially, when thinking of my boyfriend, brings me to bed-time tears.

Am I 'What She Came For'? Or will I 'Dream Again' and simply have to "Bite Hard' until I wait for Franz' next record to come out? I shall wait and see. But until then, I'll certainly enjoy listening to this one. 10/10 from me.

Summary: Like a toaster plugged into the bath - rough, electronic beauty