Review Summary: For Tomorrow: A Guide to Contemporary British Music, 1988-2013 (Part 74)
If the history books are to be believed, in 2003 indie drummers all across America (or at least America’s biggest city) figured out they could play their kick drums in 4/4 time with just 4 hits. Yes, the 4-to-the-floor pattern that had been powering dance music for decades was now rescuing the right feet of drummers across the globe from having to sustain complicated kick/snare patterns. Even better, notoriously stoic indie kids would dance to that irresistible pattern. This, along with a growing interest in the sharp post punk stylings of Gang of Four and Wire, merged to form dance-punk. Heralded by NYC act The Rapture and production team DFA, these acts were championed by a still young Pitchfork Media who, excited to have a musical movement they could participate in, contributed greatly to the popularization of the movement and the general cutting loose of the artsy types populating their shows.
The UK, as they so often do, decided they could do better. So the following year Scotland produced Franz Ferdinand, who were not only more stylish and composed than their panicky American forebearers but they beat the brakes off of them commercially too. The UK has always been friendlier towards indie acts with chart dreams which bred indie acts with commercial ambitions which is why Franz Ferdinand had three top 20 entries there in 2004 and even moved a million copies stateside.
This success comes from two sources, a general right place/right time and “Take Me Out”. Even if a decade of overplay has dulled the initial impact of the song, it’s still fun to appreciate just how adventurous it is structurally. We take the verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-bridge order for granted now but it’s still thrilling and unique to hear the opening verse get stripped for parts in real time so the rest of the song can lunge forward unencumbered by the pressure of having to return to it. From there it’s all hooks
bay-bay and “Take Me Out” presents an EP’s worth of great ones for your listening pleasure. Powered by a glammy stomp, the instantly recognizable guitar riff and I say/you say back and forth of the chorus only give way for a brief bridge that leads straight back into the chorus. When you’ve written hooks this good, verses aren’t even necessary.
“Jacqueline” opens
Franz Ferdinand with the same sort of fake out that starts “Take Me Out”. Lead singer Alex Kapranos gently strums an acoustic guitar and sighs out some scene setting. This balladry is quickly replaced by a thrumming bass line, joined by the sparring guitar and escalating drums before the song bursts forward with the confidence of a band thats been putting rhythm before melody for a while. “It’s always better on holiday,” smirks Kapranos, “That’s why we only work when we need the money!” A clever acknowledgement of Franz Ferdinand’s class flexible boarding school appearance.
Franz Ferdinand prize rhythm over hooks and hooks over melody. So, those hooks get their point across through the unstoppable momentum of the rhythm section. “Tell Her Tonight” rides a jittery drum beat for the verses until everything is put in order for a smooth, soaring chorus. “The Dark of the Matinee” (For my money, the best song on the album) surges on a shadowy guitar riff and a subtle call and response chorus culminating in a dynamite third verse featuring Kapranos sitting down for a chat with Terry Wogan on BBC2.
Debut single “Darts of Pleasure” flaunts just how solid Franz Ferdinand’s aesthetic was on impact and fits nicely into their debut. Its giddy "Ich heiße Super Fantastisch!" refrain brings the song to a rousing close after coy verses and lyrics about “Words of love and words so leisured” breed tension. “Michael” lends Franz Ferdinand more depth than your average super-hetero skirt chasers by explicitly flirting with homosexuality (“Beautiful boys on a beautiful dance floor/Michael you're dancing like a beautiful dance whore”). Closer “40’” could have been their bid for a James Bond theme, with its quiet, creeping guitar lines building towards thundering choruses.
Their haircuts were sharp, their style was impeccable, the NME was in love, it was 2004 and Franz Ferdinand were the latest Saviors of Rock.
Franz Ferdinand showcased a band jumping through the open door of opportunity at precisely the right time, with an album, not just filled with exciting music, but of an entire aesthetic that felt wholly their own. Their Russian avant-garde art work and tightly tailored dress made them a band to believe in with a frontman to swoon over. But as they, and almost all of their peers, would soon discover, breaking through is hard but maintaining intrigue is much harder.
