Franz Ferdinand, “You Could Have It So Much Better”:
“When I woke up tonight I said, ‘I’m going to make somebody love me,’” declares Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos on the band’s new album, “You Could Have It So Much Better.” If the pop hooks and catchy “doot-do-doots” found on the first single, “Do You Want To,” are any indication, Kapranos and company will have no problem with the love factor. The Scottish quartet gives a second-dose of its ’80s post-punk style that left listeners yearning for more after its self-titled album was released in 2004. Once again, the band’s dance-rock beat inspires listeners to shake it up on the dance floor or bounce to the music through headphones.
With two more tracks than the debut album, the record lets the band expand beyond its usual dance-rock tendencies, with songs like “Eleanor Put Your Boots On,” a piano ballad about Eleanor Friedberger, singer for Fiery Furnaces and the girlfriend of Kapranos. The song, clearly inspired by a band that Kapranos listened to as a young teen – the Beatles – demonstrates that Franz Ferdinand is capable of producing more than a pop-heavy song. Kapranos isn’t a lyrical genius, but his words tend to explore dark themes with upbeat music. The best example is Kapranos singing, “I’m a heathen and evil, like you,” with a buoyant beat behind him. The lyrics often seem to be proving he’s better than someone else (“I am complete, invincible”). The Killers, maybe? Nah. After all, Franz
Ferdinand opened the door for such bands, leading the so-called New Wave Revival. And if Franz Ferdinand keeps putting out albums with new wrinkles of innovation that leave listeners with the inclination that it couldn’t get much better, the door could be open a long time.
-Trevor Davis