Franz Ferdinand

I love that this band doesn't sound the same in every song.....but they always sound like themselves.

didn't give a shit about FF then, don't give a shit now. This is what gave our era of music a bad name "landfill indy"

An album that delivered one of the biggest hit singles of the 2000s (the me out) and still managed to live up to expectations. Michael and The Dark of the Matinee were also big singles and great tracks but I had forgotten the strength in depth of the whole album. The brilliant opener Jacqueline, Auf Achse, This fire and the final track 40’ the album rarely misses a beat from start to finish. A great pop rock album that still sounds great today.

In 2004 when they released this no one else was doing this sort of crisp sharp art rock. So unlike a lot of the Indie landfill released around the time this record still feels like a breath of Fresh air. "Take me out" thrills whilst "Michael" makes you smile, and throughout its impossible not to move your feet. 4/5

A fizzing firework that has been let off in the face of a child, scarring them for life. They now live a sheltered, quiet life, afraid of making new friends. They will never find love.

Look, Take Me Out was an all time indie disco classic, and there's some other good stuff in there. The art school thing meant that their videos were quite interesting too. But Alex Kapranos was rude about my boys The Chisel for no good reason, so in the bin with Razorlight they must go. Objectively, the only difference between Franz Ferdinand and noughties blowhards The Libertines is that FF rip off the same bands while affecting ironic detachment. Either way, it's a band that think they're dead clever for shoplifting from Wire, Gang Of Four and Magazine, forgetting that a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy eventually ends up a pale reflection of the original beautiful picture. There's some fun manifestoey ideas behind their style and look, and as I said, Take Me Out is great, Dark of the Matinee is fine enough and mentions Terry Wogan

A near-perfect compendium of carefully crafted punchy post-punk tunes, bristling with brio and bravado. There's not a second wasted in the listening experience for this album - every single track chugs its way into your mind and stays there for good. And you knew that they'd be just as good at a gig as they sounded here. An outstanding album, and one for the ages.

I hadn’t listened to this album in 17 years. Made me kinda miss when bands like this were popular.

It is a refreshing album. Good to listen to after something more experimental or hard to understand. In short, it is a simple album, but here, simplicity it's a good thing.

2/9/2022 Today's Album: "Franz Ferdinand" by Franz Ferdinand - I reviewed this album right after the last on the flight home from Colorado and went song by song, but the text didn't save so I'll give a shorter and more concise review Edit: This did not end up being concise. This album is fantastic. Going into it, I had heard the title track, Take Me Out, which is a clear shining moment on this album with one of the best executed beat switch ups and lush background instrumentation and dueling guitars. However, that isn't to say there aren't other highlights on this LP. The opener, Jacqueline begins with a softly spoken vocal before the bassline welcomes in the drums and lead guitar. Like a lot of songs on this record, it is an incredibly danceable track with a great chorus that has a critical message of the daily grind of capitalism. The track The Dark of The Matinée is a mixture of 2000s alt rock and 50s show tune melodies, thus the name of the track. The chorus absolutely slaps and the track in general just keeps a really fun and danceable energy throughout. The slowed refrain that speeds back up into the chorus is incredibly well executed and every instrument is able to shine through the mix. The track This Fire is a fairly popular track that has strange vocal harmonies similar to Talking Heads but the quick and precise drum beat and staccato guitar strumming keeps it very energetic and the finish is very noisy and climactic. The track Come On Home is a fantastic track that might have become my favorite of the record. The subtle, yet dramatic chorus and incredible guitar and synth work gives this song an amazing energy. I should mention that this album has a very uniform sound and despite for the most part being quite innovative with it, the track Cheating On You just didn't do many exciting things with the style. However there are plenty of moments where there is tons of innovation. The track Auf Achse has these ringing synths to back the usual quick drum beat, guitar and bass and it works very well. I also like the bit of German at the end of it to give the title some context and I imagine have a potent message if I went looking for it. The album closes off well with the track 40', which just cements the entire vibe of the track into one song, with it feeling like a culmination of what came before it. It's a much more subtle and chilled out track and it gives it a somber finale feeling. The guitar riff that comes in around 2 minutes is great and the drums/cymbals are getting the absolute shit beat out of them. There's also a really cool synth line that comes in before it cuts back down to the more somber vibe. It leaves off the album in a fantastic way and I just cannot emphasize that enough. This album blew me away with it's creativity, yet consistency. Each Instrument always comes through the mix well and the entire album has themes of break up, anger towards exes (or the other gender in general), and positivity towards being single after a shitty relationship. I love this album and although some songs lack in innovation, it's really hard to complain when the album flows so excellently and keeps my interest so well throughout. If you like alt rock or rock in general, this is an essential listen. Score: 9.5 Phenomenal Highlights: Jacqueline, Tell Her Tonight, Take Me Out, The Dark of The Matinée, Auf Achse, This Fire, Darts of Pleasure, Michael, Come on Home, 40'

Great sound, though everything sounds a bit too similar. Not my favorite, but I could listen to this all day.

It's OK. *Pushes glasses up nose* A bit too derivative of Television in places.

Take me out!

So, what, did a couple crates of original, sealed copies of Gang of Four’s “Entertainment!” turn up in a warehouse in England in like 2001 or 2002 and the government, unsure of what to do with them, decided to disperse them through random cities and hand them out to the disaffected youth on the dole? It’s one of few plausible explanations for why there are so many bands on this list that have such a clear debt to Gang of Four and sound almost exactly like each other. I get that this was the shit when you were a kid or in college, but really, truly, it’s nothing special. Franz Ferdinand are just one band in a long list of British bands from the aughts chasing the same sound. The authors of this list seem to feel similarly: this record (along with several others of the same ilk) has been removed from subsequent versions of the book. Its rating here, well above legitimately influential and classic records like Sonic Youth’s “Daydream Nation” or Television’s “Marquee Moon” or the aforementioned “Entertainment!” by Gang Of Four, is puzzling and probably indicative of pretty strong nostalgia bias on this site. …Sorry for the rant, these early 2000’s British indie selections seem to bring out the worst in me.

already know this is one of my favorite albums. didn't need to listen cause it's top on my itunes, but i listened anyways

Great album with enjoyable hooks and gritty guitar work. Several fantastic songs with Take me out being a stand out along with 40' and in the matinee

Solid Album.

This is an exuberant record where most instruments swing, and some song stories are vivid, moving at a clip, little time to be bored. I shunned this when it came out due to my weird prejudices, but think this is fine. This is a light, cake. <looks at my comrade’s review…> …or maybe, I was right all along?!

Franz Ferdinand eschewed the traditional formula and released their greatest hits album as their first record. Instant classic. Every one of these could have been a single.

really solid indie rock that I never thought to listen to before outside take me out

Punchy, funky dance-punk with a hedonist heart. Infectious, punctual hooks and well-crafted lyrics. Standout Tracks - Jacqueline, Take Me Out, This Fire, Darts of Pleasure, Michael

Nasty ass album

If I transport myself back to 2004, then it's probably edging a 4, but probably more a 3 now. I'll be kind to it for the memories.

Blazed a trail for landfill indie. Utterly forgettable except for "Take Me Out", which wasn't actually good.

A big nostalgia hit as this album was part of the soundtrack of my twenties. A lot of that music I don't really listen to any more (The Rakes anybody?) but there's still a lot of good stuff on here, Michael, The Matinee, This Fire, Take Me Out, Jaqueline and Darts of Pleasure are all a cut above the usual landfill indie of the time.

What the hell? Why can't all the albums here be this good? They have a way with visualization. I love their line, "flick your cigarette and kiss me" from another album, but this one isn't short on the imagery either. You take your white finger Slide the nail under the top and bottom buttons of my blazer Relax the fraying wool, slacken ties And I'm not to look at you in the shoe, but the eyes, find the eyes

Noire cigarrette vibes. So gud

I was originally going to put 4 stars, but realised I'd heard it a few too many times.

amazing. great throwback. i love these guys

Muy bueno

LINDO MARAVILHOSO NEM PRECISAVA OUVIR DE NOVO

Really liked this album

Great album start to finish. Early 2000s pop-rock with a hint of garage. Fun

Every song on it rulz

Great album, takes me back to my teen years

Would play this on repeat on first ever iPod on car journeys. What great memories

Always love a good Franz Ferdinand album. I also got to find some new gems in the album along with the usual tunes I love listening to!

Of course I love you.

On the poppier side of the art rock movement of the time, but it's a good album from start to finish. I'd semi ignored them at the time, but it's good stuff.

Good memories, plenty of bangers, amazing how many lyrics I remember. Particularly loved ‘Michael’.

I liked this: fun sound, peppy guitar. I wonder if they’re any good live.

Catchier than a dinner fad, but not quite big enough to start a war. Really enjoy Dance of the matinee and This fire

Bah, this is an ex-1001 album. See http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex What ever happened to Franz Ferdinand? I used to listen to this album when it came out, then forgot about it. Still has some great punchy pop tunes.

Ok

Ok. Better than other indie rock outings, but not interesting. Take Me Out is the most enjoyable track.

Fun listen. Nothing new or innovative.

It was okay. Wouldn't relisten.

Something about this band that I just can't get into them. I really like a lot of adjacent bands like the Strokes, Interpol, etc, but can't come around on FF. Overall, album is pretty standard earl 00's alt music.

These guys had a couple big hits in the early 2000s. I liked those songs back then. Hearing the whole album now I was not all that impressed. Most of the songs are pretty mediocre, Take Me Out is still a solid jam.

Fitfully decent 00s dance punk with slight Art Deco Talking Heads and Bowie croony thing going on. Unlike the real Archiduke Franz Ferdinand I wasn’t really struck or blown away. In terms of best songs. I would take out Jacqueline (even though she’s seventeen), marry Take Me Out and push the rest off a cliff.

Better than average art-rock from the early 2000s. Heavily disco-influenced drumming makes this more dance-able than most. Arrangements are bit more inventive than most. Take Me Out is a particularly good example of this. The tempo shift reeks of the Beatles' habit of welding together fragments of half-written songs. And if the Beatles did it, then it must be a sign of song-writing genius! (Spoiler: it isn't.) In fairness, Franz Ferdinand carry it off smoothly, which most people can't manage. But I can't shrug off the nagging suspicion that a lot of the praise for this release was the result of the last of the huge major label promotion budgets. I just don't hear this band talked about much anymore. I hope the band members invested their money wisely and are comfortably resting on their laurels.

I feel this era of music is one of the weakest, and this album does nothing but back that up. Should be right in my wheelhouse yet I find it surprisingly lacking. 3/5

It’s fine? That’s about as polite as I can be for this overall bland forgettable record. There aren’t enough peaks to outshine the boredom. It’s definitely produced well, tight, polished but that just spotlights the lack of rawness/depth/feeling. It’s noisy - and not in a way that’s feels authentic.

of course i’ve heard and liked take me out prior to listening. wasn’t a big fan of this album. or even a medium sized fan. this album can go blow in the wind

Does anyone know anyone whose favourite band is Franz Ferdinand? Quirky awkward pop, made by quirky awkward men, with quirky awkward lyrics about quirky awkward subjects. Yes, we get it; you’re really clever and rate the Berlin trilogy above Ziggy Stardust. Go you… 2/5

No idea why this is on this list.

forgettable, nichtmal catchy; erscheint mir auch erstaunlich irrelevant für 1001 alben liste (2004!)

Nothing special.

This was quite a rough listening to I forgot how much the bands in the early 2000s all sound the same

How did this scrape in? Was it 1001?

Стихи - полный треш и трясогузка. Бессмысленное открывание рта под посредственную музыку.

Goated album

My teenage self is flailing in joy

This album is so so good. At first, I only knew Take Me Out. I then heard This Fire, which I didn’t like nearly as much as Take Me Out, even though it’s still a great song. Then one day months later, I decided to listen to the whole album. I didn’t really give it my full attention when I first listened, and came out of my listening experience only knowing a couple more songs than I had before, those being Jacqueline and The Dark Of The Matinée. A couple of months later, I decided to relisten to this album. And that’s when it clicked. Each of the 11 songs that make up the 38 minute runtime of Franz Ferdinand’s self titled debut is so good. They all sound different, but also unmistakably Franz Ferdinanz. Honestly such an amazing piece of music, and I’m glad that I ended up revisiting it after it not clicking at first. This album is so fun, and also so new in its sound and overall vibe. Easy 10/10

Zuhause, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Fantastische Scheibe!

SO GOOD. I’m a sucker for 2000s Brit pop alt crap. Very of the ara of arctic monkeys/kaiser chiefs/ etc. dance-y, nostalgic, and very fun (without feeling dumb)

I have this album! Bangers from start to finish!

Solid and groovy Dance-Punk with raunchy riffs and loved up lyrics. 10/10

Took this album for granted for a long time but every song could be a single. Some iconic songs on here and still fresh as when it was released.

No private session used for Spotify. I have this excellent album on CD somewhere and it was my vote for 2004's album of the year. I don't know if won, I don't care, if it wasn't this album then whoever these experts are were wrong.. This album rocks, happy to see it come up.

Such a great rock album! Unique sound, great beats, fun to listen to every single song.

The perfect blend of dance and rock. Felt like I was in college and at a concert.

Só quem é ou já visitou São Paulo capital e foi ao Milo’s Garage e cantarolou em coro com completos estranhos o riff de guitarra principal de Take Me Out sob o efeito de pelo menos 4 xeque-mates vai entender o poder magnânimo desta canção! Clássica nem começa a descrevê-la. Memórias soturnas como essa recheiam as canções desse álbum pra mim, e desta forma, acabo nutrindo um amor quase que fraternal com este CD. Mas claro que o álbum não é só Take Me Out. Eu gosto deste disco, me remete à alguma obra perdida dos Strokes. Não os culpo por isso, todo mundo no início da década de 2000 queria ser os Strokes, Alex Turner cantou a respeito disso em 2018. De fato, às vezes acredito que Dark of the Matinee seja até mesmo uma canção superior a Take Me Out. Instrumentalização consistente aqui, adoro as linhas de baixo, são todas salientes e se destacam bastante, com um tom icônico que demanda sua atenção. As guitarras e percussão também realizam seus papéis de forma satisfatória. Os vocais são extremamente 2004, e isso é um elogio. Sotaques britânicos e hi-pass filters...hrrnrnnn. É um som nostálgico e agridoce demais. Um disco que faz o tempo passar rapidamente, com canções boas e infectantes de capa a capa. 5/5

One of the first “modern” rock albums I got to listen to as a kid.

niceeee

Been a while since I listened to this, and I feel I've drifted away from Franz Ferdinand a bit, so I was pleasantly surprised to be reminded what a banger this album is - not really a bad song on it. Nicely spiky.

Solid bangers. Some obvious favorites, but I would listen to the whole album again.

Aces

It’s always better on holiday

Pointy!!!! This would be a 4.5 but I’m rounding up

Well earned Mercury. Catchy hooks and riffs, rhythms and harmonies that make you want to dance, and evocative lyrics. Would buy on vinyl

Klassiker

molto molto bello non sapevo di conoscere take me out

I haven’t got any WiFi today. That means I’m on my phone today. This was the first album I completely enjoyed on the first listen. I still remember that day. “This Fire” is my favourite song from this album. 5 stars for “Self Titled”.

Sie kamen aus dem Nichts und stürmten den Indie dancefloor. Eins der besten Alben der sog. Britpop-Bewegung. Leider konnten sie das Niveau im Anschluss nicht ganz halten, mit großen Schwankungen. Das Debut aber: instant classic. 5/5

Banger after banger. A classic.

Angular indie rock and I bloody love this album

It’s wild how representative Take Me Out is of the sound of the album.

I've only heard their main hit which is enough to sell me on the album. But the rest of it is also very good. That indie / garage rock style fits very well with his vocal style. The songs are well written. What else is there to say. "Take me out" will certainly make the 1001 playlist. A full 5 stars from me.

Really cool mix of styles while still being consistent. Goes from 60s British Invasion to Black Keys to Arctic Monkeys. What a debut

clássico

Underrated Scottish Badasses!! Could listen to this album on repeat endlessly

Why have I not listened to this album in years! Why am I like that? Excellent album!

Such an easy listening, early thoughts indie/dance album. Every song is practically a hit.

Finally, some real good album. The last one was judas priest album. It's sound is so distinguishable, so unique, especially the drums, I just love how them. I don't really have that kind of rock songs in my playlist, like this or blur. Some fresh air. All of their songs are happy, energetic, catchy. This is one of the few albums i want to hear more than one time. I might even want to listen to their other albums or similar bands, like blur. I just looked up, they're scottish? What? I thought they were german, or austrian. In one of their songs they have german words. Anyway, they're cool. Songs saved: 7/11

Album was a surprise. Last 2 tracks hit hard for me. A complete album with enough variance in style. Way more fun than I anticipated.

Great debut. Lovely to revisit it.

One of my middle school staples. While Take Me Out is the big hit, the rest of the songs easily match the energy and catchiness. Not a skip in my opinion.

Franz Ferdinand is like the girl who was way too hot for you in high school. She smiled at you once and you’ve never been the same. You know you were never cool enough, but god damnit if you didn't feel alive then. You keep the valentine she wrote you in 6th grade in the glovebox of your car, and whenever you need to remember what it was like to believe in yourself, you dig it out and give it a spin. What’s she doing now? Do you really want the answer to that question? (Trust me, you don’t.) But locked away in your memory palace is the hottest piece of ass to ever walk the Earth. Anyway uh, pretty good album.

Very strong