Rough guitars on a beguiling groove, underground credibility and sense of immediate chorus… Carried by anthems such Take Me Out (2004) or Do You Want to (2005), the Scots of Franz Ferdinand first embodied an era which celebrated both the return of rock and the confirmed advent of dance music.
Over the course of five albums, the group led by singer-guitarist Alex Kapranos then evolved by leaning alternately towards one of these poles. For discs that are sometimes more electric: You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013); or more electronic (and less successful) with Tonight : Franz Ferdinand (2009) et Always Ascending (2018), latest album to date, produced by the late Philippe Zdar (1967-2019).
Perhaps driven by the fear of obsolescence or too many records, the quartet regenerated into a quintet succeeds with The Human Fearthe sixth chapter of his discography, brilliantly mixing genres, imagining new pop landscapes. Certainly, we don’t find the original urgency that made Franz Ferdinand the coolest group of the mid-2000s, but, at 52, Alex Kapranos, separated from guitarist Nick McCarthy since 2016, and still supported by the bouncy bass by Bob Hardy, demonstrates a vitality enhanced by expanded know-how.
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