Franz Ferdinand at Madison Square Garden

[schwenko]

from the NY Times:

October 19, 2005
Music Review | Franz Ferdinand
The Punky, Propulsive Hosts of a Slightly Paranoid Party
By KELEFA SANNEH

Franz Ferdinand is a scrappy band from a small (some say imaginary) country called Scotland. That explains why, when the group packed the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Monday night, one fan wore his Franz Ferdinand T-shirt with a kilt.

Not coincidentally, Franz Ferdinand is also the most popular practitioner of a small (some might say imaginary) musical genre called ... well, it doesn't really have a name. But since the late 1980's, a self-elected group of Scottish bands have been keeping the genre alive, almost in secret. The lineage includes the rabble-rousers in Dawson, the absurd noise-punk act the Stretchheads, even the sly art-pop band the Yummy Fur; later lineups of the Yummy Fur included both Franz Ferdinand's lead singer, Alex Kapranos, and its drummer, Paul Thomson.

What these bands share, besides a sometimes bitter sense of humor, is a preoccupation with punky, trebly guitars and sharp, propulsive basslines; like the Gang of Four, from Leeds, these bands have invented their own furious versions of new wave. There's a conceptual preoccupation, too: a shared commitment to the notion of musical fun, and a sneaky skepticism about it, too. If the disco-ish rhythms suggest a party, the astringent lyrics and bladelike guitars remind you that it's an uneasy one.

Somehow, the four members of Franz Ferdinand have turned this tradition into a worldwide rock 'n' roll success story, one that even Americans can't ignore: the band's new album, "You Could Have It So Much Better" (Domino/Sony), made its debut at No. 8 on the Billboard album charts. And on Monday night, the group put on an exuberant but not quite friendly show, full of dissonant grooves. It was the kind of party that you leave feeling slightly dazed, ears ringing, 90 percent sure you had a good time.

The new album contains a few bittersweet ballads, including one ambiguous love song, "Eleanor Put Your Boots On," that can't help reminding fans of Eleanor Friedberger, of the Fiery Furnaces, with whom Mr. Kapranos has famously spent time. But the show mainly stuck to the stomping, angular style for which Franz Ferdinand is known. For Mr. Kapranos, part of the sweetness of success must be seeing a whole roomful of fans singing and dancing along to the deadpan same-sex lust song "Michael."

In the new songs, it's harder to ignore the undercurrent of anxiety, which seems like part of the point. "This Boy" has a minor-key riff and a too-eager refrain:

This boy is so spectacular

Not a boy, but a wealthy bachelor

I want a car, I want a car, yeah!

Even the band's current single, "Do You Want to," hides plenty of paranoia within its fat disco beat and do-do-do back-up vocals. The fans sang along, and Mr. Kapranos led them, but in his voice you could hear something much sharper than joy.

[ebbhead]

Were you there, schwenko? I wanted to go mainly for the opener, Cut Copy. If anyone here hasn't checked them out, do so. Very synthy new wave vibe. One of my fave albums of 04.

[schwenko]

[quote][i]Originally posted by ebbhead[/i]
<br>Were you there, schwenko? I wanted to go mainly for the opener, Cut Copy. If anyone here hasn't checked them out, do so. Very synthy new wave vibe. One of my fave albums of 04.
[/quote]

No, I wasn't there, and I didn't even see them on Saturday Night Live!
But I might go to see Bauhaus tonight in San Fran.