Tonight - Franz Ferdinand

Critically the knives seem to have been out for Franz Ferdinand ever since their “disappointing” second album failed to produce a smash hit along the lines of Take Me Out. Me? Well I liked You Could Have It So Much Better almost as much as I liked their fantastic debut and it certainly provided enough catchy pop hits to keep me entertained. However when the stories abounded about the difficulties they were facing producing their third album even a dedicated fan like myself had to pause and wonder if it really was all about to implode. As it turns out I needn’t have worried.

Setting out to make a fantastic Dance-Rock record, Franz Ferdinand achieved that aim with a style and panache that leaves you wanting to put the record straight back on once it’s finished. Lead single Ulysses is a fantastic electro-pop record that at once sounds completely fresh and unmistakably Franz Ferdinand. The likes of No You Girls, Turn It On and What She Came For keep up that pace and the result is an album that might lack a little of the characteristic wit you might expect from the boys but gets you onto your feet and onto the dancefloor every time.

If “Tonight” was a girl, she might not be the one you’d want to marry, but you would sure enjoy her company whilst it lasted. This is a fun, danceable and downright catchy album which, to my mind, confirms that Franz Ferdinand still do have it, indeed if they ever actually lost it in the first place.