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| Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand2004 Sony / Domino 
  Review by: Brian See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
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Published on June 25th 2004 JOHNNY: I’m Johnny “the sharpshootin’ wizard” Mozzleton. Welcome to the latest edition of --[audience shouts] “WHAT’S, THE, HYPE?!” You know the drill, folks, but here’s a refresher; here at “What’s the Hype?,” we bring on some of the recent most hyped bands to determine whether or not it’s justified! As you know, some of our shows hardly even end in actual determinations, but what’s more fun than indecision and a group of contestants going home with nothing more than a boatload of potential? Today, we have Scottish indie rockers Franz Ferdinand in the studio. How are you guys doing? ENTIRE BAND: [interlaced mumbling] Fine, thanks. JOHNNY: That’s great. Nicholas, I hear you’re a classically trained pianist. Is this true? NICK: It’s just “Nick.” And yes. I…I actually used to play dru— JOHNNY: That’s super. Alex, from what our researches have handed me, I see the band was named after the Austro-Hungarian archduke whose murder sparked World War I? ALEX: Yes. JOHNNY: Well, how did that come about? NICK: Well, actually, we were all sitting around watching the horse races, and there was this one horse named The Archduke, and the conversation eventually rolled around to— JOHNNY: That’s fantastic. Well, before we get to the game…Richard, why don’t you tell our fabulous guests what they can win! [“Price is Right”-esque bells and whistles] RICHARD: Well, Johnny, the prize tonight is fantastic – a promise from Sony Records not to drop you when they decide to merge! [maroon curtain opens to reveal greasy, three-piece-suit exec with gleaming smile and shiny new contract in hand, band casually shrugs and nods in agreement with each other] JOHNNY: Spectacular! Alright, before we get to our game, let’s go over the rules: Each band member will pick a band from our “BIG BOARD” up here they think is key to the sound of Franz Ferdinand’s self-titled album, and explain themselves to back it up. Our judges will then award points based on accuracy of pick and description, relevance of pick, and balance between whether the choice just influences Franz Ferdinand or provides the entire basis for their sound. You must score 1000 points to qualify as appropriately hyped. You can score anywhere from 0-400 points per pick. Let’s begin! Bob, why don’t you pick first? BOB: Sure. I’ll take…[scans over board, passing The Walkmen, The Libertines, and, slowly, Hot Hot Heat] U2. JOHNNY: Oooo, quite the interesting pick! Elaborate, Bob! BOB: Well, if you listen to “Auf Ausche,” when Alex croons the words “you see her, you can’t touch her, you hear her, you can’t hold her” with his 1985-era Bono smoothness, he could create mass crowds as if he was atop a building without a permit. JOHNNY: Nice. Judges? [glances down] And our judges say…175 points. Although there is a definite U2 influence in “Auf Ausche,” it doesn’t quite prevail for the entirety of the album. Sorry, Bob. Paul, your pick? PAUL: The Strokes. JOHNNY: Of course. Go ahead. PAUL: Well, just listen to us. We’re raw pop…we exhibit that garage edge without sounding too underground, but with that playful riffing that makes you want to dance like you just listened to the last Modest Mouse album for the forty-eighth time. That fuzzy, casual style of the vocals, and friendly yet interesting hooks. JOHNNY: True, true. Judges, what do you say? [glances down, raises eyebrows in shock] They said 150 points. PAUL: What?! JOHNNY: It’s true that a Strokes comparison is circumstantiated, but the judges couldn’t give you a great number of points based on the fact that this means your hype is created out of hype that isn’t that old to begin with. PAUL: It’s not our fault we get lumped in with someone who was hyped a couple years ago as much as us. JOHNNY: Sorry Paul, the judges have made their call. PAUL: That’s horseshit. JOHNNY: [somewhat off to the side] Censors…could you get that? Thanks. [clears throat, faces band] You’ve got 325 points so far, you need 675 to qualify. Nick, how about your pick? NICK: Well, I do like Interpol, but— JOHNNY: Interpol it is! NICK: No, I— JOHNNY: Describe it! NICK: Damn it. Well, I like Interpol…but I don’t really think we sound much like them though… ALEX: We don’t. Pick something else. JOHNNY: That’s my call…Nick, make your real pick. NICK: [boyishly smiles] Talking Heads. JOHNNY: Elaborate. NICK: We all definitely own some Talking Heads records, and, although I don’t think a new wave influence is that prevalent in our music, the vocals definitely have that stutter-step, stern-look flow to them, especially in the single “Take Me Out,” with that cool tempo change in the beginning. “Cheating on You” is further proof. JOHNNY: [sighing] Judges? 300 points. They said you use them as a swell influence while hardly ripping them off in any sort of manner, blah blah blah. [rolls eyes] Terrific. [perks up suddenly] Well, you need 375 points to win it! What it’ll it be Alex? ALEX: None of these. JOHNNY: None? I’m not sure we can give you points if— ALEX: Look, Johnny. It’s unfortunate that we deal with these half-assed comparisons on a daily basis, but the truth is, we don’t really sound like them. We’re wiry, catchy, rhythmical, energetic, and passionate. We combine garage, indie rock, and dance hall vibes like it was our job. Well, scratch that, it is our job. Have you heard “Michael?” We literally spit the words in your face. That’s all. JOHNNY: Wow. Well, we’ll see what the judges have to say…[background drum roll] and…our judges say…375 points! They awarded the number ironically, solely basing it on your unwillingness to comply with the rules on a guess that would’ve lost you the game for sure. But you finish with 1000 points regardless, and Franz Ferdinand can be crowned as appropriately hyped…barely. Congratulations on your narrow victory, and we’ll see you all next time on everyone’s favorite game show— [concluding audience shouts] “WHAT’S – THE – HYPE?!”People who liked this also liked:        ![Fahrenheit 451 - If I Knew Then What I Know Now: The Complete Discography [CD/DVD]](/images/covers/thumb/fahrenheit_451-if_i_knew_then_what_i_know_now.jpg)   Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
slightly worse than death Why is it that everyone on this site feels that all the musicians in the world inspire to be punk rockers? They got a couple good songs, but they arent really punk. Hey, at least most punk bands sound as if they mean it. Franz Ferdinand stink of wanting fame/money/etc. Yeah, I'll take good ol' cutting edge punk rock music any day. Ya cynical bastard There's something inrinsically annoying about this band's music. I can't be bothered with going on about the whole musical necrophilia thing... you know, fucking the corpses of long dead musical eras. There's no point. I wouldn't expect a bunch of cynical "punks" reading this review to actually be able to put aside all of the hype bullshit this band has received. From the posts below it seems that if a band isn't the absolute epitome of cutting edge and innovation then they are automatically a "shitty" band. Shut the fuck up about how the band isn't creating anything new and enjoy yourselves for once. This is a solid record. everyone knows that world war i started because there was a deep and complex alliance system involving every major european nation. hence, when one nation declared war, the rest followed suit - like dominoes. so, franz ferdinand's assassination didn't actually cause WWI. that's just what people who think they are smart like to claim. there were much deeper reasons. take a fucking course at a community college if you're going to try to impress people on the Internet. "Why the heck does everyone refer to bands like Franz Ferdinand and Modest Mouse as "indie"? For God' sake, both are on Sony!!! Shit band, great review. and BSD continues to take himself too seriously this is the type of record that's alright when you listen to 1 or 2 songs, but when you listen to the entire record it's just boring and monotonous Why the heck does everyone refer to bands like Franz Ferdinand and Modest Mouse as "indie"? For God' sake, both are on Sony!!! impressive debut, but flawed. after several listens, some of the songs become completely uninteresting (see: Take Me Out). however, there are some brilliant moments. i haven't listened to the album in a while, (i bought it the week it came out, before you dickheads had time to write them off without listening to them, so shut up i made my mind up on the band before the hype machine got ahold of them) but "Michael" and "Back of the Matinee" stand out in my mind as really spectacular tracks. Lets not forget mobilization. And the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum. Those caused the war as well. That is a shit and pretentious as hell review. Pull your head out of your arse. I was using my natural bias of Serbians to justify the deaths of millions of men. the black hand and the death of the archduke ferdinand were just the spark. germany, after the union of the states, had begun a rapid rise in industrialization and ship building which encroached upon british and french established enterprises. the old imperial empires were being threatened by the rise of germany and, to a lesser degree, italy. the causes of the first world war are too complicated to be placed upon one specific event. The Serbian Black Hand started WW1. A number of men were trying to kill him. Finally, a comment that didn't completely bash on the band. Thank you. One of the best cds i've heard this year. "Franz Ferdinand started WWI" overrated dumb shit, soon to be last years fad Great review, pretty decent record. Anyone who likes this stuff should check out Q and Not U. Lates that's sarcasm fuckers yea i agree with soybomb, i don't want to read creative reviews that manage to hold my attention longer than most the reviews on this site. stop trying to take cheap shots at franz ferdinand. what is there to mock them about? and i have to agree with the other kid who hated this review. i mean, i don't own a television set or a radio so i have no clue what this band sounds like. a new hype band! fuck it, only for softi kids until 12 years... this band sucks, the intro of their song that they have a video starts off good but then it gets shitty. Wow, so, guys, girls, whoever plans on submitting a review, please come to grips with the following: That's because hardcore and punk bands are rarely passed off as "groundbreaking" or whatever. I like how when a band like this gets reviewed theres tons of comments about how theyre just like every other "rock reval" band..when theres really only a handful of those. But if a hardcore or punk band gets reviewed no one complains about the millions of other bands in the same genre. "Let's start a band called Gavrillo Princip and take these bitches out" Franz Ferdinand instigated WW1. Fantastic album. "Let's start a band named Gavrilo Princip and take these bitches out." Great review. if you're gonna trash this band for being unoriginal you might want to find something else to bitch about: "Me likee. And frankly I dont care if everyone else in the world likees too, me still likee" this shit is overhyped played out garage punk crap. there's nothing original about it at all. Excellent review Brian. Ah, there's a good concept review. I heard their single today. The progression was a little wierd but I found myself humming it later. Saw this band support Morrissey and my brother really likes them. this is a real shame, because i really wanted to know what this album sounds like. however, there's no way in fuck i'm gonna read though this review to find out. pardon me, i mean THREE times. "Me likee. And frankly I dont care if everyone else in the world likees too, me still likee. I think I heard this album early, when every other band with the same sound came out two years ago (ripping off the 60's and 70's). imagine if you took "lost in the supermarket" by the clash and created a band out of it...that's what these guys sound like Their single's not very impressive. Reminds me quite a bit of all of the other metro-pop-rock with complete oblique lyrics. This band is way overrated and just another example of the British press falling all over themselves to anoint a new king of indie rock who'll be replaced in a month by an equally mediocre group. Don't believe me? Ask the Delgados, the Eels, Gay Dad, and Posh Spice. Me likee. And frankly I dont care if everyone else in the world likees too, me still likee. Let's start a band named Gavrilo Princip and take these bitches out. Review = good. probably your best concept review. I enjoyed it. what a good review, I'm impressed. this band's pretty awesome. great review, never heard these guys but it just sounds like more of that garage rock hipster crap based on the review. First off, thought the review was pretty shitty. Not really into this band, but great review, I liked how you sneaked in information about their name's origin etc as well as talked about the songs. Score's for the review. It would almost be worth another world war I if someone would assasinate this band! ugggggh i was at a keg party and someone threw this on...sucked. Ohh man is this shit terrible. I think a "0" would fit in good here... |
