For probably the most half, British indie-mania of the 00s concerned a slew of sixth-form poets holding forth over amateurishly jerky guitars: the outcomes have been typically concurrently good and deeply cringeworthy. In some way, Franz Ferdinand managed to ascertain themselves as a tent pole of the scene whereas wholly bypassing the awkward younger upstart vibe. Frontman Alex Kapranos was in his 30s when the band launched their debut album, which mixed sharp riffs with arch, arty posturing and lugubrious vocals. Kapranos and co have been cooler than their contemporaries in each senses: their aesthetic was much less messy and their lyrics much less bracingly apparent, however they have been additionally much less sweatily relatable.
If Franz Ferdinand have been the grownups again then, 20 years on they’re positively avuncular. The Human Concern – their sixth album, and first since 2018 – feels markedly middle-aged in tone. Regardless of opener Audacious kicking off with Kapranos muttering in regards to the disintegration of actuality over a pleasingly grainy riff, the track then slows into the sort of sweeping, plodding refrain you could possibly think about Take That crooning on a teatime chatshow. Different songs (Bar Lonely, Inform Me I Ought to Keep) channel 70s glam to nice however unremarkable ends, whereas a observe known as The Physician – instructed from the attitude of a person unwilling to vacate his hospital mattress (“I’ve nurses to speak to … and thermometers to carry”) – doesn’t precisely telegraph vitality. There are even a few actively eye-watering moments, corresponding to Kapranos singing the praises of a brand new paramour over Hooked’s novelty EDM-style synths. It’s secure to say that 20 years on from their heyday, Franz Ferdinand have lastly misplaced their cool.
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