(Domino)
To make their eponymous debut album, the Scottish quartet Franz Ferdinand followed the British route of creativity: take an already existing American trend and perfect it. In this case, the current post-punk revival has been reworked to include their unique brand of intelligence, cynical sense of humor and a healthy dose of traditional Brit-pop.??
With this established equation in place, it's no surprise that the British press and the British charts have fawned over the Darts of Pleasure EP and now the debut LP.??Some critics have even dubbed them \the Scottish Strokes."" This unfortunate label belies Franz Ferdinand's strong points. They rely heavily on formula, but do not shy away from breaking their own rules. Their derivative dance-rock songs keep their sound fresh by twisting the pop blueprint enough to be unique while still being accessible.
The stand out track and hit U.K. single ""Take Me Out"" is a perfect example of this technique.?? The song starts with catchy dueling guitars that would fit nicely on Room on Fire, but changes quickly into a rock-disco opus with the addition of a jerky riff and a rhythm section with enough high hats for the next three singles.??The opener, ""Jacqueline,"" also avoids fallings into patterns by beginning with a gentle acoustic strumming and quickly adding a funky bass line and rising riff as it reaches the chant-like chorus. ""So much better on Holiday / That's why we only work when / we need the money."" The tongue-in-cheek slacker lyrics mostly describe the ups and downs of trying to get laid.??Lead singer Alex Kapranos detached vocal delivery comes in two varieties. During the up-tempo choruses he sings gracefully like a standard rock singer, but during the down-tempo verses his voice fills with a lazy sexiness reminiscent of Lou Reed.??
The record's high point comes when Kapranos expands his vocal variety to a David Bryne-like ranting in the bridge of ""Auf Achse."" This track hints at Franz Ferdinand's potential by its use of keyboards to create a haunting melody that still remains deceptively danceable. Amidst all of the testosterone fueled anthems, the track ""Michael"" stands out lyrically in its confession of homoerotic love. Kapranos yelps, ""Michael you're dancing like a beautiful dance whore.""??The record still maintains its sexy atmosphere and wit even when singing about man-on-man love, which is a rare feat.??
With their debut, Franz Ferdinand pull off a difficult balance act.??They are witty without being too clever and inventive without being pretentious. Franz Ferdinand's debut proves that you can have the best time by doing the least amount of thinking.
-Gideon Kalischer
(Kill Rock Stars)
All pretense aside, Deerhoof's new release, , is fantastic. The San Francisco-based band offers a weighted and focused attitude toward songwriting, which, when combined with their charismatically kooky sound, has produced a very catchy and well-rounded record. Allegedly a concept album inspired by the artwork of Ken Kagami, is a great record at face value. Its lightheartedness is more impressive than its concept.
Lead singer Satomi Matsuzaki's impossibly high-pitched vocals continue to bring an intentional foreign element to the band's sound, in the same vein as Cibo Matto but with less kitsch. The lyrics are adorably awkward and mostly resemble unsuccessful translations into English. Within the context of the record, it's not obnoxious for Matsuzaki to sing ""Sun far away / Go into the rocket / And see if it's brighter"" on ""Song of Sorn."" In fact, it's even better that the lyrics on other songs, especially ""Dog on the Sidewalk,"" suffer from the same simplicity because Deerhoof isn't trying to outsmart their audience. Granted it's a concept album that tells the story of a mysterious character who traps children in a fantasy universe, but there's no overly complex, contrived theory responsible for the album's existence. Leaning heavily on the fun and bounce of the music and less on Deerhoof's supposed storyline won't detract from anyone's enjoyment of .
Deerhoof's sound is where the band's true accomplishments lie. Twisting spunky guitar around Moog-like keyboard effects, 's eclectic tracks are overqualified for discman use, and could probably hold their own on a party mix, right along side the White Stripes and the Pixies. ""Desaparacere"" and ""Dream Wanderer's Tune"" are poppy and driving songs that bend the beat around the vocals. ""Rainbow Silhouette,"" perhaps the best song on the album, starts softly and abruptly breaks into a wall of guitar sound, teasing between crescendos. The closing number, ""New Sneakers,"" is an obscenely sugary tune, obviously inspired in some part by the simple joy of wearing new shoes. This record's cache of songs is nothing less than well-executed absurdity.
This year has witnessed overdone and overextended albums hitting the independent music scene. Keep in mind that Deerhoof's natural progression toward defies the notion that every album needs to be a major leap in musical development or a Liars-like attempt to redefine a genre. The band's music has always been zany but, unlike their earlier work, exhibits a higher level of songwriting and restraint, strongly suggesting that they have evolved from their experimental roots into an established and well-toned band.
-Kristen V. Johnson
(Red Ink)
Sometimes when a band finds a formula they succeed only when they stick to it. This can happen for a whole career like AC/DC or for only an album like some of Neil Young's genre specific releases. It's easy to write off bands whose formulas fail, but the best templates remain interesting for a couple of albums.
The Damnwells clearly establish a pattern early on in , one that should make fans of guitar pop with wandering verses and catchy choruses happy. This is a time-honored formula and they exploit it at almost every opportunity. Many of their songs could have received some radio airplay four or five years ago, but the Damnwells are just a little too late. The radio-ready guitar pop sound is most effective on ""Sleepsinging,"" which seems designed for a soundtrack of a teen drama.
There are subtle deviations from the formula that show the operation is not completely cookie cutter, like the horns on the very Wilco-like ""I'll Be Around."" Alex Dezen, guitarist and lead singer, sounds like Jeff Tweedy minus a couple packs of cigarettes here and there. The main problem is that his voice is just not nearly as expressive as Tweedy's on classics like ""Misunderstood"" and ""She's a Jar."" Although it is not fair to compare the Damnwells to Wilco, the Damnwells are not running away from the comparison either. Many of their songs sound like the missing link between and Summerteeth without the country and rock 'n' roll tinges of the former and the juxtaposed pop of the latter, but with an absence of memorable hooks overall.
The Damnwells do break away from their formula in the vein of Wilco's -era acoustic folk. The opening track, ""Assholes,"" is an acoustic track that tries to be funny, and falls far short during an almost uncomfortable 42 seconds. They realize their mistake and do not try out humor again, and mainly stick to heartbreak and longing.
Luckily, they did take notes when listening to Wilco's emotion on while performing the 11-minute long album closer ""Texas."" It is actually two songs with a lot of space between. The first song is touching and could go on for 11 minutes and the record would be the better for it. This song has the most slightly country influenced folk, while staying away from sounding like Wilco or a pop throwback to a few years ago.
If the Damnwells album closer, ""Texas,"" is any indication, then they may be leaving the radio pop-rock, Wilco tributes and generic template behind and moving on to their own sound. This will only strengthen the Damnwell's sound. One album of formulaic rock will be more than enough before they generate a style more their own.
-Eric Van Vleet
