You Could Have It So Much Better With Franz Ferdinand
The Inside Pulse:
*Steps up on soapbox wearing stewardess uniform*— Hey, welcome to 2005! We hope you enjoy this flight through the musical scene. Our two popular choices are tired, droning mainstream hip hop, and a refreshed britpop scene thriving on a strength not seen in nearly ten years. If you take this option, then you’ve already enjoyed selections from Bloc Party, Mercury Rev, The Doves, Kaiser Cheifs, and other four-five piece guitar bands built on the intent of making you dance while at the same time using great songwriting and charisma. Well, tonight we have a special treat for you ladies and gentlemen, and that is a new disc by Franz Ferdinand. *Holds up Jewel case like Vanna White*— Look, they’ve made a clever title that’s both backhanded and charming. *Puts CD into the plane’s totally kick ass stereo system, takes off stewardess uniform, kicks back with hugantic pair of headphones*—Yeah, this is the good stuff people.
The Positives:
You Could Have It So Much Better is a damn kick ass dance-rock album that will be busting out of hipster bars everywhere for the next three months. You can’t help but be picked up by the beat that carries the entire fourty minutes. One or two songs slow down here and there, but you totally don’t notice, since it seems to be more in the middle of fast songs, because by the time you realize you’re in a slow song they speed it up and you begin to wonder if Franz Ferdinand can actually read your mind. It’s quite possible that they can.
Franz continues the great streak of Brit-pop albums this year with this one. There isn’t a single miss on this record. It’s straight awesome from beginning to end.
The Negatives:
While You Could Have It So Much Better is a great bit of fun, tt’s not exactly Revolver or anything, either. There’s a big difference between a record being mind-numbingly-awesome, and a record being important. You’ll dance and get drunk to this record, but there’s nothing in here to write a thesis about or even be alone with. This is a social record, and if you’re the type to like upbeat music but not actually dance, don’t buy this CD. It will make you dance, and this might be embarrasing to all parties.
Cross-Breed:
This one’s easy, since Franz Ferdinand is deeply entrenched in an easily categorizable fad, there’s lots of bands that sound like them. Jet, Bloc Party, Joy Division, The Raveonettes, and about three dozen other bands that use fuzz pedals and a fast-as-hell drummer.
Reason To Buy:
You’re about to throw one hell of a house party. Or you want to disrupt the house party going on next door by playing something louder and better than the crap techno the yuppie you share a duplex with decided to throw on. Don’t you just hate that guy?
