Franz Ferdinand kicks it old skool

Franz Ferdinand is a group of skinny, sneering European boys who wanted to “make music that girls could dance to.” A group that’s been compared to the likes of the Strokes and the Libertines, Franz Ferdinand is becoming increasingly popular and spreading like wildfire across the pond.
This self-titled debut is all about mixing different styles. On more than one occasion, the album’s tracks mesh totally different approaches, yet somehow they all complement one another. An ’80s menagerie of keyboard-laced, new-wave, rock and punk, Franz Ferdinand is a trip down memory lane.
A spunky foursome from Glasgow, Scotland, Franz Ferdinand kicks as much a** as the band’s namesake.
Franz Ferdinand is a happy-go-lucky album. That being said, the band’s sinuous catchiness and an unwillingness to explore an eclectic range of notes could be the album’s only downfall.
The opening track, “Jacqueline,” begins sleepily with lead singer and guitarist Alexander Kapranos softly singing the seamlessly penned lyrics. Suddenly, the band kicks in, maintaining an unadulterated level of rock that keeps going throughout the entire album.
The second track, “Tell Her Tonight” is chock full of vocal harmonies and lighthearted guitars, exuding a Beatles-esque quality with a modern twist.
The first single off the album, “Take Me Out,” has become a huge hit with the band’s home-based U.K. audience. Less than a minute into the song, the pace changes from a ho-hum intro to a perky, bass-thumping, pop-rock motif. The repetitive lyrics and guitars are excusable on behalf of the song’s infectiousness.
Franz Ferdinand dishes up eclectic lyrics in “The Dark of the Matinee.” A roller coaster ride of emotions and speeds, the guitars shift from fast to slow over and over again as Kapranos sings: “Find me and follow me/ Through corridors, refectories and files/ You must follow, leave/ This academic factory.”
Although “Cheating on You” has annoyingly repetitive lyrics, bassist Robert Hardy and guitarist Nicholas McCarthy fill the gaps with fun and peppy tunes.
The ambiguous “Michael” is a homoerotic rollercoaster of faster, punky singing and guitars mixed with discothäque-worthy bass lines.
“Come on Home” showcases keyboards in true ’80s fashion. McCarthy plays a haunting refrain along to the track’s upbeat guitar strumming and Paul Thomson’s lively drumming.
Winding down the album with curious guitar rhythms and a breezy drumbeat, “40″ is a joyride of odd lyrics and whimsical singing. “The coldest calm falls/ Through the molten veins/ Cooling all the blood to slush/ That congeals around the brain/ La la la,” Kapranos sings.
Toward the end of the song everything begins to jumble and then abruptly ends, leaving the listener craving more.