
"The methodical approach definitely pays off – ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’ is their best album yet, a dark, dancefloor art-pop neo-classic that uses ‘You Could Have It So Much Better’’s closer ‘The Outsiders’ as its touchstone. Initial sessions with Girls Aloud producer Brian Higgins – aborted one song in – may have suggested they were going to add to the excessive production that epitomized its predecessor, but ‘Tonight…’ goes the other way, a stripped-down, sometimes stark, pop album that renders every riff, rhythm and beat utterly vital. The Bowie-esque patter ‘Ulysses’ kicks things off, Kapranos’ mischievous whispers giving way to the swirling-synth chorus, ‘Turn It On’ is a swaggering, shouty anthem that rides on a bassed-up groove, sounding ramshackle and impeccable at the same time, whilst ‘No You Girls’ sees Kapranos at his pouting, charming best, his vocals yearning over descending, staccato guitar lines. Crucially, there’s no filler – where before, there was a feeling that they’d taken their foot off the pedal once they’d nailed the big singles, here every song outdoes the last; ‘Live Alone’ is a 70s disco romp that winks knowingly towards Blondie, ‘Can’t Stop Feeling’ is a dreamy, percussive stomp and ‘Lucid Dreams’ is a psychedelic, reverb-soaked electro-surge that slowly dissolves into a synth-sparring outro that Metronomy would be proud of.
‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’ captures everything that’s great about Franz and their playful, pop brilliance, a thrilling listen that shows that, just as much as they’re a band driven by the arty elegance of their heads, the impassioned beat of their hearts is of equal importance.
Three albums in, the archdukes of British art-rock are still unrivalled."
Niall Doherty
Уже хочу... *______*