Franz Ferdinand has worked more profoundly on the third record

After the success of two stunning and notably different albums the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand needs no presentation. Its music wonderfully combines the classic art rock elements with its own inimitable performance which has attracted the attention of millions of fans all over the world to these young and talented young men. If somebody thought that they would now relax and choose to rest on their laurels one would be completely wrong. In fact two years after the sophomore effort You Could Have It So Much Better was released the collective got to work on its next collection and if the first two were made in a comparatively short period of time Franz Ferdinand has decided to work much more profoundly on the third record. Finally the guys had had enough material by last autumn but were not yet ready to release it and did not have an album title. It came later and at the end of January the record Tonight: Franz Ferdinand has seen the light of the day.

No failure tracks on Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

As Franz Ferdinand has claimed itself the album has proved to be a bit experimental. First, drummer Paul Thomson has been listening to a lot of African music lately, so his percussion definitely reveals some new tribal notes, and on No You Girls it is a human skeleton to play this part. Second, a Russian synthesizer Polyvox has been adopted in the recording. Finally, this record has absorbed the influences of several genres and directions at the same time, from punk to pop music, from dub to reggae, from dance rock to electronica. Besides this is also a concept album, on which all the stages of a hot young party are reflected, with the joyful and free attitude of the night and a sad, disappointed in the morning. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand opens with the first single Ulysses, declaring the band’s return in an elegant way with a powerful bass line, lyrics that is worth the title (which is the name of James Joyce’s romance, one of the greatest in the world literature) and a contagious dance rhythm. A splendid tune of composition Turn It On is sure to linger in the mind of all those who like everything simply genius and Send Him Away is remarkable for the Britpop elements in the vocals and guitars. Definitely one of the album highlights is almost eight minute long track Lucid Dreams reminding simultaneously of the late Beatles’ best works and the 80s pop music, conquering with faultless drums, a complicated changeable rhythm, an inimitable tune and the guitarists’ exemplary playing. Besides this song can boast successful concentration of electronic effects which we have practically never heard before with Franz Ferdinand. On the whole there are no failure tracks on the record, it is just that some of them are especially outstanding against the others and are sure to become hits.

There is always room for perfection

Along with powerful songs, rich in their sound and emotions the album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand offers beautiful, tranquil and a bit sad compositions, placed at the end of the record on its official edition. Such is Katherine Kiss Me, one of the best acoustic ballads you have ever heard dramatically contrasting with the album’s first few tracks and representing a wonderfully heartfelt appeal to a girl. All this means that the members of Franz Ferdinand have really approached the working process more seriously and the result is as impressive as it is only possible. The two previous records are not in the same league with the great stylistic variety of the third album and seem almost light-minded next to Tonight: Franz Ferdinand even with all their immensity. No doubt the Scottish guys have easily made a grand leap forward retaining their imperturbable self-confidence, demonstrating their professional growth and proving once again that there is always room for perfection to the whole world.

Alexandra Zachernovskaya
28.01.2009