Of the endless multitude of post-punk/new-wave bands that broke between 2004 and 2005, the Scots of Franz Ferdinand were, without question, the most confident and swaggering, helping to usher in the dance-rock wave of the new millennium on the success of their angularly sexed-up debut, with singles like Take Me Out"" and ""Dark of the Matinee"". The band may have overplayed its hand in 2005 by rushing out a relatively strong, but inconsistent, follow-up with You Could Have It So Much Better. But they seem to have recouped that lost focus in the ensuing years, as their latest, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand , is a tightly-sequenced success, as well as one of the best dance-rock albums since their own 2004 debut.
Franz Ferdinand's strongest point has always been their own cheeky self-awareness and the sense that the band is enjoying itself thoroughly, a trait that continues to make them stand out among more somber peers. On Tonight, the band brings their acumen to the forefront on a group of songs that frequently shun the muscular guitars of their first two albums for a sound that's more disco, more new-wave and sometimes almost dub, yet unmistakably their own.
The album begins locked into ""strut"" mode with ""Ulysses,"" which kicks off with a half-limping drumbeat and gradually ratchets up at singer Alex Kapranos' suggestion, eventually reaching a chorus made for jumping around one's living room, screaming ""I found a new way!"" in a sweaty, homoerotic falsetto.
""No You Girls"" and ""Twilight Omens"" follow shortly afterward, providing the most succinct examples of the band's refurbished sound. The former is a tightly coiled disco track with bass guitar and drums pushed prominently to the front, resulting in a dark and - for a band of Glasgow art-philes - improbably funky song. The latter also downplays the spy guitar riffs that served as the group's trademark on its earlier albums, but this time in favor of a set of keyboard hooks that create an understated new-wave vibe that perfectly complements the track's relaxed flow.
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand's biggest improvement over its predecessor is its contiguity, remedying the disjointed track sequencing that harried You Could Have It So Much Better. Even when pulling back to a lonely piano introduction on ""Bite Hard,"" or the percussion-less ""Katherine Kiss Me,"" which closes the record on an unusually melancholy note, the album's changes in tone sound natural, making the record more rewarding to listen to from start to finish, and creating an inviting sense of continuity between the debauched dance-floor episodes and its quieter, contemplative moments.
That said, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand doesn't quite match the energy or immediacy of the band's debut (though ""Ulysses"" and ""Lucid Dreams"" are among Franz Ferdinand's very best up-tempo tracks).
But after almost four years between albums, hearing the smartest, most entertaining band of the post-punk revival return stronger than before by successfully extending their range is much better than most would have expected and much more than anyone could have asked.
