Exclusive: Franz Ferdinand Album Previewed!

1. “The Fallen” – Buzzsaw guitars and an abused drum kit mark this heavily-produced opener. Alex Kapranos, amidst spiraling axes and a scuzz solo, asks, “What’s wrong with a little destruction?”

2. “Do You Want To” – The first single is a dancey retread reminiscent of “Take Me Out”, but without the hooky oomph.

3. “This Boy” – A riotous paean, full of ladder-climbing guitars and syncopated vocals. Short and forceful. The pace is blistering.

4. “Walk Away” – A big, accessible, Morrissey-inflected ballad that builds momentum quickly. Kapranos swoons, “I love the sound of you walking away.”

5. “Evil and a Heathen” – A deep-bass foot-stomper. Just over two minutes, with an acidic and self-deprecating chorus.

6. “You're the Reason I'm Leaving” – Another sincere love song masked in four-on-the-floor beats and a sprightly bass line.

7. “Eleanor Put Your Boots On” – The Rock Star Couple Ballad. Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces, Kapranos’ (ex?) squeeze, gets the Elton John treatment over simple acoustic guitar and pointed piano. Unabashed melodrama elegantly delivered.

8. “Well That Was Easy” – A return to disco rock with a soaring “ladadada ladadada” chorus. Very tuneful, but the lyrics are lacking. “Kill me now, ‘cause I’m leaving you now.” Hmm…there seems to be a theme developing here.

9. “What You Meant” – More harsh, slicing guitar (a serious trend on the album) coupled with loosely-structured verses and classic Lennon-McCartney chord progressions.

10. “I'm Your Villain” – This recent tour staple is tighter and slower than its live incarnation-- at first. A mid-song crash segues into angular riffing. More depressive, accusatory lyrics.

11. “You Could Have It So Much Better” – The guitars get progressively louder throughout each song, but none more so than on this call-and-response track. A rambunctious come-on.

12. “Fade Together” – The quietest song on the album features saloon piano and acoustic guitar. “If we get away, you know we might just stay away.” Somebody buy this guy a beer.

13. “Outsiders” – Wah-wah riffing and a straight-up dance beat highlight the closer, the closest relative to Franz Ferdinand’s debut. Anthemic and atmospheric, almost simultaneously.

If you’d like to hear those ditties performed in the flesh, here, once again, are your opportunities:

08-08 Vantaa, Finland - Korsossa
08-09 San Sebastian, Spain - Anoeta Stadium
08-10 Madrid, Spain - Aqualung
08-11 Madrid, Spain - Vicente Calderon Stadium
08-12 Oslo, Norway - Middelalderparken
08-20 Staffordshire, England - Weston Park
08-21 Chelmsford, England - Hylands Park
08-26 Saint-Cloud, France - Domaine National de St. Cloud
09-20 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom *
09-21 Minneapolis, MN - Target Center *
09-22 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre *
09-23 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant *
09-25 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits
09-27 Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium *
09-28 Magna, UT - Great Salt Air *
10-01 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre *
10-02 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre *
10-03 Portland, OR - Rose Garden Arena *
10-04 Vancouver, British Columbia - Orpheum *
10-06 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium *
10-07 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre *
10-08 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre *
10-09 San Diego, CA - SDSU Open Air Theatre *
10-11 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint *
10-17 New York, NY - The Theater at MSG *
10-18 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh Centre *
10-28 Paris, France - Zenith
10-31 Rouen, France - 31st
11-01 Lille, France - Zenith
11-02 Metz, France - Les Arenes
11-04 Grenoble, France - Zenith
11-05 Dijon, France - Zenith
11-07 Dusseldorf, Germany - Phillipshale
11-08 Berlin, Germany - Tempodrom
11-09 Hamburg, Germany - Colourline Arena
12-12 Munich, Germany - Zenith

* with Cut Copy and TV on the Radio

Franz Ferdinand: http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/