FRANZ FERDINAND: Always Ascending

Few bands make a stronger case for single track downloads than Franz Ferdinand.  By my count, every record they're released in their five-album career has boasted exactly one great song- usually the first single.  Their self-titled debut sold well on the strength of Take Me Out, which is admittedly still a better song than most bands will ever write.  Their second album is noteworthy for Do You Want To; their third album for No You Girls.  Sure, there are probably hardcore fans out there with nothing but love for the Franz Ferdinand deep cuts.  But to my ears, their records have always sounded like perfectly average Scottish indie rock propped up by one big crowd-pleaser. 

Their fifth album Always Ascending finds the band losing longtime guitarist Nick McCarthy, and adjusting their sound toward something a little more synth-driven.  The cheeky dance-floor grooves are still in place, but the guitars are slightly lower in the mix on most tracks.  Whether that's an organic evolution in style or a concession to McCarthy's departure is up for debate, probably a little of both.  But it's apparent that Franz Ferdinand must have lost something in the shuffle, because I'm having trouble finding that one big standout track that I've come to expect.

Always Ascending, Feel the Love Go and Lazy Boy are all perfectly listenable, especially if you're working the booth at a West Hollywood cocktail lounge around closing time.  But after a few spins, I don't hear anything approaching the infectious revelry of Take Me Out, or even Right Action, the standout track from their last album.  And that's a shame, because while Franz Ferdinand were never a deep cut band, they're already four songs into a hell of a Greatest Hits album.  C