Published by Mason Oldridge, 19 December 2024
If you’re here to read about the Austrian archduke whose assassination sparked the First World War, you may be disappointed. However, if you’re here to read about the Scottish rock band that dominated the 00s music scene, you’re in luck! 20 years on from their immensely successful debut album, we take a look back at their musical career on the cusp of their next release in the New Year.
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish alternative rock band with an original lineup consisting of lead vocalist Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy on rhythm guitar, Bob Hardy on bass guitar and drummer Paul Thomson.
Although Darts of Pleasure was their first single, it was the monumental Take Me Out, released in 2004, that shot the band to fame. Their signature song, the track is instantly identifiable from that first opening guitar and is mainly defined by its catchy melody. Furthermore, the irony of a band named after someone who was ‘taken out’ is not lost here. Their eponymous debut album shortly followed and spawned more successful singles including The Dark of the Matinée, This Fire and Michael, the latter of which contains not-so-subtle homoerotic lyrics. While the album is very much indie-focused with its blaring guitars, there is welcome variation as piano features on the more laid-back Auf Asche. Finally, 40’ closes the album and is a more notable track thanks to its epic opener.
The group wasted no time cracking on with their follow-up and You Could Have It So Much Better was released the following year in 2005. The Fallen opens the album with its electric startup and fast-paced vocals before lead single Do You Want To asks its titular question. Walk Away is a cohesive sounding single whereas Evil And A Heathen draws parallels to Arctic Monkeys, who would arrive on the indie scene a year later. Elsewhere, Eleanor Put Your Boots On and Fade Together are acoustic tracks featuring piano. However, closing track Outsiders is the highlight as rhythm guitars bless us with an addictive groove throughout, along with eerie sounds in its lengthy intro.
Their third album Tonight was released in 2009. This saw a major shift in their sound, moving away from their indie origins towards a more alternative outfit, adopting a more electronic feel. The album opens on single Ulysses, in which whispering vocals grow into proclamations of “come on, let’s get high!” Turn It On features what can only be likened to sounds of power tools and No You Girls discusses how a girl can make a boy feel before turning it on its head to point out how boys never care. Bite Hard opens on floaty vocals set to gentle piano before building up on the verse to a more energetic chorus. Live Alone is aided by beeping sounds whereas Can’t Stop Feeling is supported by its electronic melody. However, Lucid Dreams is the highlight. The almost eight minute epic is a majorly restructured version of the prior year’s single and a vast improvement on it too. With an awesome chorus alone, it is followed by one minute of instrumental before evolving into a three minute outro of fuzzy techno. Afterwards, Dream Again is like a distorted nursery rhyme and Katherine Kiss Me is an acoustic reworking of No You Girls.
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action is the band’s fourth album, released in 2013, and is arguably their most experimental work, earning high praise and merit for the successful effort as well. Lead single Right Action launches the record and lends its lyrics to the album title before Evil Eye opens to a roaring scream and is a short and snappy track. Love Illumination is an upbeat song with an addictive post-chorus melody. Stand On the Horizon is rather atmospheric, beginning with a gloomy feel before bursting into the chorus and then eventually returning to a feel that mimics the drizzly North Sea it sings about. If Stand On the Horizon inhabits a Winter feel, then it serves as a nice prelude to the Spring-sounding Fresh Strawberries, which is a lot more upbeat with its harmonic chorus. Treason! Animals is the highlight, seemingly discussing mental health and needing company and background noise to distract from recoiling inside your own head. Furthermore, it contains what can only be described as boing sounds and the instrumentation quickens in pace towards the end, creating a claustrophobic, threatening environment and an impending sense of doom. The Universe Expanded is another atmospheric piece as reverberated music plays with a haunting beat throughout, as is Brief Encounters as it incorporates otherworldly sounds, whereas Goodbye Lovers and Friends is a nice closer with its dark theme.
The band then underwent a lineup change when founding member Nick McCarthy left and was replaced by Julian Corrie on keyboards, synthesizers and lead guitar and Dino Bardot on rhythm guitar. A bigger focus on keys and synth is placed on fifth album Always Ascending, released in 2018, which works in the band’s favour as we see even more of their potential unleashed. The lead single and title track opens on a slow-build piano section as the music seemingly ascends towards the verse. Paper Cage delights with playful keys, The Academy Award is a sonically negative song and Lois Lane utilises synthesizers for its joyous sound. Huck and Jim is heavier and excels with its grinding guitar on the chorus and slick bass on the verse whereas Glimpse of Love bathes in its floaty light dance melody. Feel the Love Go adopts an electronic beat before descending into a funk outburst featuring sax and tambourine sounds, then Slow Don’t Kill Me Slow is a sinister closer with haunting guitar and stretched out crash symbols.
Audrey Tait replaced Paul Thomson as drummer in 2021 and greatest hits album Hits to the Head was released in 2022. So what is next for the Scottish rockers? Well you’d have maybe thought they would continue to experiment with new sounds but, judging by the new singles from upcoming sixth album The Human Fear to be released in 2025, the electronic influence seems to be absent, so perhaps they’re returning to their rock origins? Either way, one thing is for sure… Audio Visual will be here in the New Year to check it out!