Franz Ferdinand

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

[3/5]

When Franz Ferdinand’s 2004 single “Take Me Out” wormed its way into the world’s alt-rock consciousness, it heralded a new chapter in the U.K.’s storied underground music scene. On their self-titled debut, the Glaswegian quartet’s sublime angular pop reigned supreme and was even bettered by the following year’s sophomore-jinx-defeating follow-up, You Could Have It So Much Better. In addition to having great songs, unbridled energy, spot-on fashion sense and decent cheek bones, Team F2 also cultivated a taste for electronics and DJ culture, as exemplified by some of the vibrant remixes of their tracks by such respected names as Daft Punk, Erol Alkan and Justice. Somewhere between the previous disc and the first session for Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, a decision was made to explore that realm further.

Produced by Dan Carey (Hot Chip, Lily Allen), Tonight seems to dial down the band’s exuberance with a sense of urbane cool. At its best, the disc forges a middle ground where the trebly guitar power is fortified by the electronics, resulting in a new propulsion. At its worst, the disc is as meaningful as “superstar DJ” sets, designer drugs and having your picture taken by the Cobrasnake. For every entry with power (“Kiss Me,” “Bite Hard”), there’s something else (“Turn It On,” “Live Alone,” “Can’t Stop Feeling”) that’s as kitschy and annoying as going to a show where the opening act is a troupe of anorexic teens dressed in aluminum foil jumping rope to an 8-bit-spluttering iPod. Lyrically, frontman Alex Kapranos seems caught up in the vapidity of Club Land, regaling us with pickup lines of various inspiration (“Where d’ya get your name from?/Where d’ya see yourself in five minutes time?” from “What She Came For”) or assorted declarations of ennui (“Ulysses”). “Twilight Omens” is a treat, peppered with ’80s synths and some absurd lyrics about typing a girl’s phone number in a calculator and turning it upside down to reveal a dirty word. (Hey, Kapranos: What’s your favorite Sparks song?) The eight-minute “Lucid Dreams” is all drum machines, rolling toms and synth breaks as throbbing and psychedelic as they can get. It’s a fine groove, but one can’t help but wonder if it’ll be playing in the background during a club scene in an episode of CSI.

The closing “Katherine Kiss Me” is a plaintive acoustic companion to “Kiss Me,” that’s cut from the same heart-on-sleeve cloth as So Much Better’s “Fade Together.” Kapranos asks his gal, “Do you ever wonder how the boy feels?” as if he’s trying to find something real from the last 40 minutes of artifice. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand feels like you’re being asked a question by a mysterious stranger, who then thanks you by sliding his or her hands under your coat to give you a hug before they walk away. The gesture makes you think there’s something really special happening for a moment; then you realize it’s just business as usual at the after-party. (EPIC) Jason Pettigrew

Rocks Like:

Kasabian’s Empire

Jesus Jone’s Zeroes And Ones

Happy Monday’s Thrills ‘N’ Pills and Bellyaches

Tracklisting:

1. Ulysses

2. Turn It On

3. Kiss Me

4. Twilight Omens

5. Send Him Away

6. Live Alone

7. Bite Hard

8. What She Came For

9. Can’t Stop Feeling

10. Lucid Dreams

11. Dream Again

11. Katherine Kiss Me

Release Date: Jan. 27