Franz Ferdinand emerged in 2004 amidst a wave of post-punk revival bands like The Strokes and The Killers.
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Taking a cue from Talking Heads and Gang of Four, Franz Ferdinand combined art rock with danceable grooves. When punk rock evolved to its later form, musicians had replaced speed and angst with electronica, dub, and disco. Talking Heads were at CBGB with the other New York punk bands, too. But they already sounded like the future. “Psycho Killer” worked in the gritty punk club but also translated to the dance floor.
On Blur’s massive hit “Girls & Boys”, you can hear punk rock guitars buoyed by a disco bass line and Damon Albarn’s camp lyrics. It was a blueprint for the early 2000s revivalists.
In 2003, the alliterative group recorded Franz Ferdinand in Malmö, Sweden with producer Tore Johansson, known for helping The Cardigans shape disco-pop hits like “Lovefool.”
For Glasgow’s variety, check out this three-pack of dance-punk anthems by Franz Ferdinand.
“Take Me Out” from ‘Franz Ferdinand’ (2004)
A blissful moment occurs during “Take Me Out” when the verse gradually slackens into the chorus. The band pumps the brakes before launching into an undeniably epic guitar riff. Singer Alex Kapranos explained to Rolling Stone how his group struggled to get the tempo right.
“The verses sounded better played a little bit faster,” he said. “And the chorus sounded better played a little slower, and we could never quite work it out.”
So, they front-loaded the verses. And once they hit the chorus, they never went back.
“I say, ‘Don’t you know?’
You say, ‘You don’t know.’
I say, ‘Take me out.‘
If I wane, this could die
I wait, this could die
I want you to take me out.”
“Do You Want To” from ‘You Could Have It So Much Better’ (2005)
With the success of “Take Me Out”, Franz Ferdinand could easily have slipped into one-hit wonder territory. Although the self-titled debut is excellent, casual fans showed up to the gigs only wanting to hear one song. However, the Scottish band returned the following year with another dance-rock anthem. The track sounds like a modern-day “My Sharona” by The Knack. You can imagine inserting “Do You Want To” into the Reality Bites Food Mart scene.
“Well here we are at the Transmission party
I love your friends they’re all so arty, oh yeah.”
“No You Girls” from ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’ (2009)
Kapranos describes the awkward moment of his first kiss. He originally called the song “Katherine Kiss Me” before settling on “No You Girls”. An acoustic ditty called “Katherine Kiss Me” closes Tonight, and his awkwardness becomes an endearing form of young love. Still, the indie disco “No You Girls” is meant for the club. And the David Byrne-inspired hook also wouldn’t be out of place inside a rowdy UK pub.
“Oh, kiss me
Flick your cigarette, then kiss me
Kiss me where your eye won’t meet me
Meet me where your mind won’t kiss me.”
Photo via Joseph Okpako/WireImage
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