MALLINation

Franz Ferdinand grab a bite

My initial response to Franz Ferdinand’s third album, titled perversely (for a non-live album) Tonight: Franz Ferdinand was tempered by the pre-release press and band statements that suggested a major sea-change for the band.

Lo and behold, on first listen there are some departures but this is very recognizably the work of the Scotsmen who gave us “Take Me Out.” That is, Danceable rock that’s more sprung than the Strokes but less overtly discofied than The Rapture.

There’s also Alex Kapranos louche lyrics and the bands tightly packed hooks and changes  – all in place as per usual. You could even sing “Take Me Out” over first single “Ulysses” and hardly notice the difference.

Except that damn single stayed in my head – Bob Hardy’s nagging bassline and the subltle skittering of Paul Thompson’s drums reminding me that Franz have one of the bets rhythm sections in rock. Unlike their last album You Could Have it So Much Better, the two have a lot of breathing space with guitars and more keyboards than usual providing wider swaths of coloration.

Maybe there’s more than met the ear here.

You still have to paw through a few songs on the first half like “Turn it On” that are quite fine but don’t really sound like much of a change before you get to the interesting stuff like the ode to non-marriage “Live Alone” which is like the bastard child of Blondie and Iggy Pop in his Lust For Life phase. “Can’t Stop Feeling” whomps in on syths and rhythms that an 80’s new romantic band would stab themselves for and “Lucid Dreams” throbs into a song-length outro worthy of The Chemical Brothers.

After all the heavy breathing Franz end things with one of their best ever ballads, the lightly skipping “Katherine Kiss Me”, which recalls their charming “L. Wells” single from a few years ago. It’s of a piece with “Eleanor Put Your Boots On”, one of the highlights from the last record.

So while it may not be the beginning to end masterpiece of their debut, Tonight has the feel of a transitional album into what will really be Franz Ferdinand’s next phase. And oh, what a rhythm section!