Franz Ferdinand's new CD: so much better than I could have imagined I've spent much of the morning at the computer, catching up on work and playing the crap out of the new Franz Ferdinand CD, You Could Have It So Much Better. After all the pre-release hype this CD received, I was skeptical about whether it would be as good as FF's catchy debut from last year. Maybe I was just preparing myself to be let down. But I think this one is better than the debut. It's more infectious, and has a fuller, richer sound throughout. There's no real depth to the music -- no real message. But that's not what Franz Ferdinand is all about. It's about having fun with some catchy guitar hooks and a driving beat, and that's mostly what this CD delivers.
That's my quick and dirty review after four or five listenings today.
Pitchfork gives the sophomore effort 8.3 out of 10 and says: "Sometimes, when we call an act a 'singles band,' we mean something cruel and obvious -- that their album tracks just aren't very good. But with Franz Ferdinand, we mean something kinder: that their whole project, their whole system of stylish poses and cocksure guitar stomps, just happens to work better in discrete, surprising, three-minute blasts." (Full review.)