Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Actions
Release Date: 26 August
Label: Domino Records
Rating: 10 out of 10
Label: Domino Records
Rating: 10 out of 10
Growing up as a 60's culture obsessed teenager in a stoic and straighlaced African household had it's frustrations. It's taxing to feel misunderstood by the chronically modern and unsatisfied by the terminally grey and khaki. All that changed when I heard the sonic angles and retro sharpness that sliced their way through the stale radio airwaves in 2004. The song was, of course, Take Me Out from their eponymous debut. The only time I had been as excited about anything was the first time I saw 'Barbarella' in all of it's uncut glory.
Retro single after retro single rolled out, each more impressive than the last and so began a lifelong love affair with the four lads and their sharp mod suits.
I was not overly enamoured with their sophomore effort (as so often happens), but they completely won me over with 'Tonight', which funnily enough the critics did not enjoy.
Say what you will about them, their ability to effectively harness the sunshine of the earliest Beatles efforts, the brazen cross over appeal of late 70s post punk bands like 'The Fire Engines' and Talking Heads and even dip into the recording processes of Baaba Maal proves that they are in a league of their own.
It was with intense joy that I skanked my way through first new singles 'Right Action' and Love Illumination, both released at the same time. Early forecasts of the album compared the similarity of it to their debut (still their best work in my opinion).
I LOVE this album. Every note, every thought, every action. It is quite simply superb and I don't praise albums lightly.
Blow by blow:
01: Right Action - If you haven't heard it yet and don't like it, you're no friend of mine. 'Almost everything could be forgotten' though. It has a similar feel (and video) to 'Take Me Out', although the production here (and throughout the album) is absolutely flawless. From the relentless rollicking rhythm, to the organ breakdown, to the sitar-esque post bridge bit, this song will grab by the guts and not let go. Catchy as syphillis.
02: Evil Eye - It has been pointed out that this track very closely resembles 'Backstreet's Back', with only really the video setting the two songs apart. This insanely catchy song burrows it's way into your head and lays alien eggs. All up in there. Evil.
03: Love Illumination - Arguably their catchiest single to date, the boys are joined a very brassy horn section for the chorus and that weird Russian synthesizer thing for the post chorus. It rollercoasters along to the peak at 3.04, teeters for a second and crashes down again to a smart stop. Brilliant. It's "illuminati" inspired video is gloriously weird too.
04: Standing On The Horizon - The single best track FF have done. Ever. In their whole career. A gentle guitar intro plays hosts to Alex's laments over his pride. Drums build. A disco bassline and drumbeat kick in, lifting everything a notch. "Come to me, won't you come to me" Alex croons the hook like a command you can't help obey. The party is in full swing. Robert Hardy meanwhile gets very funky on the bass as Alex continues to lament this time over his cruelty. It's not very sincere and you're on your feet by this time and don't care what he does to you. Nick gets very Gloria Gaynor on his guitar meanwhile, enhancing the whole disco effect. A pulsy, synthy, disco breakdown leads yet more hooks. This time about the North Sea. It's lighter than air and sweeter than candy floss. It builds to the point where it feels like the final track or something. Just as you reach the apex of complete disco-ness, vocals carry the hooks to fade out and you're onto the next track.
05: Fresh Strawberries - "We are fresh strawberries / fresh burst of red strawberries / ripe turning riper in the bowl". Well this is sweet. Oh so very Lennon. So very McCartney. "We will soon be rotten / we will all be forgotten / half remembered rumours of the old". Herein lies the enduring strength of the band. To not only create an update a beautiful pop melody from yesteryear, but to do it with meat and depth. Where the Beatles were singing about holding hands, Kapranos here is rueing the fact that life is passing him by and he has no faith in a deity. Over the catchiest pop hook heard since Pulp sang about the year 2000, Kapranos asks "wouldn't it be easy with Something to believe in?". The whole piece is about mortality and faith and human nature. He alludes to loving the bible because "liars swear that they never lie". In the end he concludes that he will accept the existence of a deity at the end of his life "on his way out". Can't remember the last time I heard blunt questions of faith and death on a pop song this sunshine-y and sugary sweet. Applause.
06: Bullet - Without losing any of the sunshine and happiness, the band kick into one of their post-punk rock tracks. Their other strong suit: guitar lead pop songs you can genuinely dance to. In fact it is sitting down that is hard with tracks like this. In under three minutes it's over. They never overstay their welcome these boys. A bullet is easier to get out of your head than one of their songs. "Get out of my head / get out of my head now". Please! No, not really.
07: Treason! Animals. - Not letting up, didgeridoos and a dirty bassline open this next dancefloor filler. I'm not sure what the song content is about, but it sounds like he's fighting animals for a crowd. Whatever floats your boat guys. Just don't stop. The happening is in full swing. It degenerates to another dark, 60's horror / sci-fi outro, where Alex details all the people he's in love with. Nemesis. Narcissist. Pharmacist. Dudes a slut. Keep dancing.
08: The Universe Expanded - I don't know what was in those brownies but stuff is getting trippy up in here. Backwards string samples open over organ and guitars. This is well after sundown. Or it's on Mars. There is a relationship's demise and a relationship unfolds backwards from the end of the world to the start of the relationship. At 1.54 it all turns to sunshine again. Briefly.
09: Brief Encounters - Things continue in this spacy trip to the outer limits. This time a quasi reggae beat drives a woozy, Sgt. Pepper type vibe. It's the Mad Hatter at a swinger's party. Those brownies are being passed around with relish. "Car keys / lose your keys / car keys / choose your keys". I don't know where this is going but I don't mind. It's the soundtrack to cheesy 70s porn. Not the heavily mustached type. The everyone's on mushrooms type. Is that a doorway in the sky?
10: Goodbye Lovers And Friends - "I don't like pop music / I don't like bright colours" Alex lies ironically over a disgustingly randy bassline that doesn't let up. A ridiculously catchy way to end an album. At 10 tracks you just want more. Luckily for you there is! If you were lucky this album came with the bonus live album 'Right Notes, Right Words, Wrong Order'. Listen to it now. Put track 7 on repeat. You won't be sorry.
Few bands make it into their 40s and still carry off genre-spanning feats convincingly. Few bands are able to combine authentic production, real instruments and pop hooks of enormous proportions as effectively. Few words need to be given when describing this album. Simply put, it's right.
WVS
Retro single after retro single rolled out, each more impressive than the last and so began a lifelong love affair with the four lads and their sharp mod suits.
I was not overly enamoured with their sophomore effort (as so often happens), but they completely won me over with 'Tonight', which funnily enough the critics did not enjoy.
Say what you will about them, their ability to effectively harness the sunshine of the earliest Beatles efforts, the brazen cross over appeal of late 70s post punk bands like 'The Fire Engines' and Talking Heads and even dip into the recording processes of Baaba Maal proves that they are in a league of their own.
It was with intense joy that I skanked my way through first new singles 'Right Action' and Love Illumination, both released at the same time. Early forecasts of the album compared the similarity of it to their debut (still their best work in my opinion).
I LOVE this album. Every note, every thought, every action. It is quite simply superb and I don't praise albums lightly.
Blow by blow:
01: Right Action - If you haven't heard it yet and don't like it, you're no friend of mine. 'Almost everything could be forgotten' though. It has a similar feel (and video) to 'Take Me Out', although the production here (and throughout the album) is absolutely flawless. From the relentless rollicking rhythm, to the organ breakdown, to the sitar-esque post bridge bit, this song will grab by the guts and not let go. Catchy as syphillis.
02: Evil Eye - It has been pointed out that this track very closely resembles 'Backstreet's Back', with only really the video setting the two songs apart. This insanely catchy song burrows it's way into your head and lays alien eggs. All up in there. Evil.
03: Love Illumination - Arguably their catchiest single to date, the boys are joined a very brassy horn section for the chorus and that weird Russian synthesizer thing for the post chorus. It rollercoasters along to the peak at 3.04, teeters for a second and crashes down again to a smart stop. Brilliant. It's "illuminati" inspired video is gloriously weird too.
04: Standing On The Horizon - The single best track FF have done. Ever. In their whole career. A gentle guitar intro plays hosts to Alex's laments over his pride. Drums build. A disco bassline and drumbeat kick in, lifting everything a notch. "Come to me, won't you come to me" Alex croons the hook like a command you can't help obey. The party is in full swing. Robert Hardy meanwhile gets very funky on the bass as Alex continues to lament this time over his cruelty. It's not very sincere and you're on your feet by this time and don't care what he does to you. Nick gets very Gloria Gaynor on his guitar meanwhile, enhancing the whole disco effect. A pulsy, synthy, disco breakdown leads yet more hooks. This time about the North Sea. It's lighter than air and sweeter than candy floss. It builds to the point where it feels like the final track or something. Just as you reach the apex of complete disco-ness, vocals carry the hooks to fade out and you're onto the next track.
05: Fresh Strawberries - "We are fresh strawberries / fresh burst of red strawberries / ripe turning riper in the bowl". Well this is sweet. Oh so very Lennon. So very McCartney. "We will soon be rotten / we will all be forgotten / half remembered rumours of the old". Herein lies the enduring strength of the band. To not only create an update a beautiful pop melody from yesteryear, but to do it with meat and depth. Where the Beatles were singing about holding hands, Kapranos here is rueing the fact that life is passing him by and he has no faith in a deity. Over the catchiest pop hook heard since Pulp sang about the year 2000, Kapranos asks "wouldn't it be easy with Something to believe in?". The whole piece is about mortality and faith and human nature. He alludes to loving the bible because "liars swear that they never lie". In the end he concludes that he will accept the existence of a deity at the end of his life "on his way out". Can't remember the last time I heard blunt questions of faith and death on a pop song this sunshine-y and sugary sweet. Applause.
06: Bullet - Without losing any of the sunshine and happiness, the band kick into one of their post-punk rock tracks. Their other strong suit: guitar lead pop songs you can genuinely dance to. In fact it is sitting down that is hard with tracks like this. In under three minutes it's over. They never overstay their welcome these boys. A bullet is easier to get out of your head than one of their songs. "Get out of my head / get out of my head now". Please! No, not really.
07: Treason! Animals. - Not letting up, didgeridoos and a dirty bassline open this next dancefloor filler. I'm not sure what the song content is about, but it sounds like he's fighting animals for a crowd. Whatever floats your boat guys. Just don't stop. The happening is in full swing. It degenerates to another dark, 60's horror / sci-fi outro, where Alex details all the people he's in love with. Nemesis. Narcissist. Pharmacist. Dudes a slut. Keep dancing.
08: The Universe Expanded - I don't know what was in those brownies but stuff is getting trippy up in here. Backwards string samples open over organ and guitars. This is well after sundown. Or it's on Mars. There is a relationship's demise and a relationship unfolds backwards from the end of the world to the start of the relationship. At 1.54 it all turns to sunshine again. Briefly.
09: Brief Encounters - Things continue in this spacy trip to the outer limits. This time a quasi reggae beat drives a woozy, Sgt. Pepper type vibe. It's the Mad Hatter at a swinger's party. Those brownies are being passed around with relish. "Car keys / lose your keys / car keys / choose your keys". I don't know where this is going but I don't mind. It's the soundtrack to cheesy 70s porn. Not the heavily mustached type. The everyone's on mushrooms type. Is that a doorway in the sky?
10: Goodbye Lovers And Friends - "I don't like pop music / I don't like bright colours" Alex lies ironically over a disgustingly randy bassline that doesn't let up. A ridiculously catchy way to end an album. At 10 tracks you just want more. Luckily for you there is! If you were lucky this album came with the bonus live album 'Right Notes, Right Words, Wrong Order'. Listen to it now. Put track 7 on repeat. You won't be sorry.
Few bands make it into their 40s and still carry off genre-spanning feats convincingly. Few bands are able to combine authentic production, real instruments and pop hooks of enormous proportions as effectively. Few words need to be given when describing this album. Simply put, it's right.
WVS
Comments
Post a Comment