Franz Ferdinand
There are people in the record industry who don't know much, if anything, about music. But there are a lot of people who understand everything about marketing. When the machine gets rolling it's truly an awesome sight. For Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand it was in overdrive.
Being tagged the "next big thing" by people paid to create the "next big thing" led more than a few to suspect the group was the sum of its hype. Their self-titled debut album came out in early '04, led by the single "Take Me Out." Franz Ferdinand was everywhere; music magazines had extensive stories (complete with numerous photos) and their songs/videos were in high/burn-out rotation. Even the mainstream media was fawning over the group. Franz Ferdinand had arrived.
It all started just three years earlier, rather awkwardly, when singer/guitarist Alex Kapranos and bassist Bob Hardy began working together. They were joined by drummer Nick McCarthy, a classically trained pianist and double bass player. The trio became a quartet when former drummer-turned-guitarist Paul Thomson began working with the group. But McCarthy wanted to be a guitarist so Thomson went back to drums.
For those who aren't history majors, the original Franz Ferdinand was the Austro-Hungarian Archduke whose assassination by a fanatic triggered World War I. The Archduke's murder, while riding in an open car (which, as history has proved repeatedly, is not a good idea for rulers or politicians), was linked to the Serbian independence movement. Using the Archduke's death as a pretext for righting old wrongs and grab land, European nations enthusiastically marched off to war thinking the thing would be over in a couple months. Four years later, Europe was exhausted while kings, a kaiser and a czar, the ones who rushed into the whole thing, were dispatched, some violently. So what's all that got to do with a pop-Rock group? Nothing really. The name is an interesting, if obscure, choice.
Franz Ferdinand took up residence in an abandoned warehouse where they held rave-like events that built their reputation. Their '03 EP "Darts Of Pleasure" EP came out on the Domino label. The next step was opening for Hot Hot Heat and Interpol, which continued the momentum. Their debut LP nailed the U.K. and U.S. charts. Over a year of touring followed. Franz Ferdinand's second album "You Could Have It So Much Better," containing "Do You Want To,"arrived in '05.
Cha-ching. That was the sound one of the hottest bands in the world cashing in. An '05 self-titled double DVD had two live shows and studio tracks. There was also a karaoke version of a couple songs and some early performance footage. Absolutely charming.
Franz Ferdinand is a perfect example of how good Britpop can be. A confident strut and swagger laced with 80's Wave makes an irresistible combination. There isn't a weak track on their debut with the pulsating come on of "Take Me Out" and the catchy "The Dark Of The Matinee" being exceptional.
Sophomore albums are often disasters or at best pale remakes of the group's debut. They regularly become the group's take fame and associated difficulties - road life, changing relationships and the stresses and strains of success (tough life). There's none of that on "You Could Have It So Much Better." Franz Ferdinand still has plenty in the tank and are looking outward rather than inward. The thumping Rocker "Do You Want To" and "The Fallen" blast out of the gate. The group agreeably slows down with the '60s influenced/touch of The Beatles ballad "Eleanor Put Your Boots On."