Franz Ferdinand's gentlemen worked on their third album for three years. Reports in the press indicated that the Scottish group had a musical direction in mind. Band boss Alex Kapranos admitted in interviews that he listened to a lot of dub and African music. A session with the slippery production team Xenomania (known from Sugababes and Girls Aloud) was arranged, but ultimately did not lead to any
… results. The band retired to a former warehouse in the port of Glasgow to write and record in peace. The radical change of course has not taken place, although it becomes clear that the band has moved more in the direction of disco. A good example are the retro synthesizers in the sing-along song Can't Stop Feeling. In England, the music press reacts dividedly to the album, a fate that seems to affect many bands there around their third album. Unjustified, because the wear and tear is not there. The Franzen still write masterful rock songs that are great for dancing. (PdK)more
