Franz Ferdinand: 'Tonight'
Franz Ferdinand started a musical revolution back in 2004 but what have they got for us Tonight?
They seemed to have gone off to America never to return but they’re back, fresh faced with a new album and a new sound after painful underground gigs (at least painful for those fans who woke up at Glastonbury last year to discover they missed Franz’s secret appearance on The Park stage yesterday...)
So what have we got Franz? Instant thought: the vocals are refreshingly familiar. This album attained its name for its “night time feel” and although they’ve taken the more laid back funk route, there’s still Franz’s traditional sound embedded within. That familiar beat runs throughout the album and there are even echoes of the first album in 'No You Girls'.
This isn’t an album you can listen to once; it’s one of those that gains more layers the more you listen to it. It might be less punchy than their earlier albums but there it seems deeper. 'Ulysses', is a good launch pad for the album and it really seems to be the journey of a night out with the boys and both 'Ulysses' and 'Turn it On' are at the beginning of the evening when the anticipation is rife. 'Lucid Dreams' begins with echoes of The Killers, but one does wonder if they were influenced by Franz in the first place so is it all just coming full circle? This track does go on to have an electro interlude that goes on for over 3 minutes so if you’re not into that; which to some may be musical genius but to others it’s frankly annoying, there’s always the skip button on iTunes.
'Twilight Omens' has that fairground feel with the synth and the 70s vibe that gave Franz the edge back in 2004 has been maintained, but the synth has definitely gained a prominent spot on the album and it definitely compliments their new angle. 'Dreams Again' begins to draw the album to a close, the pace of the album has slowed and I can’t help but think this would fit really well with Ashes to Ashes (especially with the crossover of Alex being the name of the lead character and also lead singer of the band.) Point being, Franz have still managed to set this album in another time period but have still allowed it to be one that we can relate to.
'Katherine Kiss Me' is the last and the only acoustic track on the album; it ends the night out perfectly. The whole night has drawn to a close and it all boils down to getting the girl at the end of the evening.
Overall Tonight is a good album, if you’re expecting old Franz you may be disappointed but it’s five years since their first album and the band have clearly evolved since then but fundamentally the vocals are the same and they haven’t completely abandoned their roots. I also think this will make awesome live material and with an up and coming UK tour Franz might be about to make their comeback!
Words: Hannah Ross
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