Be honest: Is FRANZ FERDINAND worthy of all the hype? [Archive]

tinobeat

03-26-2004, 03:17 PM

TOTBL? my anagram decoder isn't working so well today.

oh! Turn On The Bright Lights...

um, well, no offense intended to Interpol or Matador (great folks, all of em), but TOTBL has nothing on Franz Ferdinand. I was reluctant to buy the hype, but I bought it and its so tasty... smart, funny, catchy as all motherfuck. sold!

Franz Ferdinand is way more upbeat and cheeky than Interpol. I wouldn't really use Interpol as a yardstick in this case.

mashuguna

03-26-2004, 03:21 PM

Thanks for the thorough assessment...

I'm already intrigued, plus I've heard they've got the bass-less sound going, not unlike early New Order, so that only increases their stature in my eyes....

tinobeat

03-26-2004, 03:22 PM

no, there's definitely bass all over the album. but the playing is somewhat Peter Hook-esque, now that you mention it.

awesome possum.

earl grey

03-26-2004, 03:36 PM

i'm with tinobeat on this one. i'm usually pretty skeptical of the NME flavors of the month, but franz ferdinand actually lives up to the hype. great lyrics, great hooks, great beats, and a HELL of a live show.

the dueling guitar lines do remind me of interpol a bit, but not too much similarity beyond that.

9000

03-26-2004, 04:50 PM

i think the comparison is a stretch. maybe interpol on lots and lots of prozac.

didn't care for the EP. too sugary pop for my taste.

Miss Tasty Princess

03-26-2004, 05:40 PM

Franz Ferdinand? I guess the hype isn't too strong 'cause I've never heard of him (them?).

Paul

03-26-2004, 05:42 PM

Originally posted by Mr.HCI
Franz Ferdinand? I guess the hype isn't too strong 'cause I've never heard of him (them?). Get schooled. (http://franzferdinand.net)

earl grey

03-26-2004, 07:35 PM

the mash-up of "take me out" with kelis's "milkshake" in the media section of that site is pretty sweet.

cant see over

03-26-2004, 08:23 PM

I can't stand Franz Ferdinand... ugh. What's this bullshit about 'less notes being more powerful than more notes,' anyway? From what I've heard the band seems very repetative, and nothing seems to stand out about them. They're like the Strokes without the radio play and the fashion.

vesper

03-26-2004, 11:32 PM

Originally posted by tinobeat
but the playing is somewhat Peter Hook-esque, now that you mention it.

How blasphemous.

Actually I have yet to listen to the entire album.

Patrick

03-27-2004, 01:16 AM

Better than TOTBL? I need a fucking holiday...

Patrick

earl grey

03-27-2004, 03:02 AM

it's so much better on holiday. FF is on my short list for the year and has been excellent so far, but still needs to show endurance past the early stages ... i think it'll be there at year-end, but it's still far from TOTBL for me.

tinobeat

03-27-2004, 01:02 PM

Originally posted by Patrick
Better than TOTBL? I need a fucking holiday...

Patrick

well of course you think that...

its your job.

;)

Patrick

03-27-2004, 01:30 PM

Yeah I know, it does come off biased... but seriously, though I wish all the best for our many friends at Domino, I just don't get the FF thing. Plenty of other people at Matador do, though - I'm probably in the minority.

Patrick

9000

03-27-2004, 05:21 PM

Originally posted by Patrick
I just don't get the FF thing.

amen, brother.

johansen smith

03-27-2004, 07:34 PM

I like Franz Ferdinand. but their album doesn't even begin to touch Interpol's debut.

Squall91

03-28-2004, 01:41 AM

Franz Ferdinand are a decent rock band, but they really aren't worthy of all the hype at all.

blueeyes

03-28-2004, 03:24 AM

Fun, but not great.

The MTV spot they just did is sure to rake in dozens of new desperately-trying-to-be-indie-in-their-20's people.

oh woops, that's me.

Ladt

03-28-2004, 01:59 PM

Franz Ferdinand are OK, but not as good as The Stills, who are also muych better than Interpol.

fuzztony

03-29-2004, 02:45 AM

Whoa, whoa, whoa ...First FF better than Interpol and now The Stills too! What's going on here people?

My two cents: Turn On The Bright Lights is an amazing record from a great band and I can't believe FF or The Stills have topped it. Of course, I've only heard about half the FF album, so will see.

From what I've read, am keen to hear The Stills though - are they really that great?

mojo

03-29-2004, 06:10 AM

I find FF boring... Interpol are a gazillion times better. I'm not biased in any way, I just found FF boring and weak, bar the hit single they had over here...

tinobeat

03-29-2004, 08:39 AM

See, I would never really compare the two (though I did earlier in the thread... um..), because FF strike me as more of an upbeat, pauncey party band, not nearly as brooding and serious as Interpol.

So if I wanted darker music, I'd put on TOTOBL, and if I wanted to shake my ass I'd rock Franz Ferdinand.

they're both great at what they each do...

mojo

03-29-2004, 08:41 AM

sometimes when they're playing the FF album in here, I'm convinced it's The Strokes.

I used this argument on the frankblack.net boards a while back, and nobody understood what I was on about :)

I think I just expected more from FF, whereas with Interpol there was no expectations, it was just good.

hmm...

tinobeat

03-29-2004, 09:05 AM

The Strokes? really? I guess the production treatment on the vocals isn't dissimilar...

I had no expectations for FF. I was intrigued by a band that would name themselves Franz Ferdinand, and that was really the only thing I knew. Then I heard the hype, and ignored it until I could hear it, and when I heard it, I loved it...

And come on, the love-as-sniper-victim image is hilarious. especially from a band called Franz Ferdinand. The whole WW1 aesthetic meets rockin' disco really does it for me.

jt. r

03-29-2004, 12:25 PM

FF got about 4 listens. that is all.

Ladt

03-30-2004, 11:10 AM

Originally posted by fuzztony
Whoa, whoa, whoa ...First FF better than Interpol and now The Stills too! What's going on here people?

My two cents: Turn On The Bright Lights is an amazing record from a great band and I can't believe FF or The Stills have topped it. Of course, I've only heard about half the FF album, so will see.

From what I've read, am keen to hear The Stills though - are they really that great?
Yeah, I like the Stills because their vocalist can actually sing, they're not depressing, they're songs don't last two minutes too long and they sound more varied than either FF or Interpol.
But then again, I never did like Interpol.

vesper

03-30-2004, 11:17 AM

I never understood the bile spit at The Stills.

Paul

03-30-2004, 11:38 AM

I just sort of co-exist with the Stills. Some songs are nice, none of them are really bad, per se. I don't have any gut feeling about them, though, good or bad.

bitterfruit

03-30-2004, 11:47 AM

I fucking love it when Pitchfork responds to topics/posts/whatever that appear on this board. Especially when it's written by the head fork himself. It really shows how desperate they are for material.

They need to add sources a la English 101 to their articles.

Paul

03-30-2004, 11:51 AM

To what are you referring, bitterfruit?

9000

03-30-2004, 11:58 AM

Originally posted by Paul
To what are you referring, bitterfruit?

i think bitterfruit is talking about the pitchfork's comments today about the FF hype debate. i've noticed that some of the threads here show up in some form over there. wasn't sure if things were being lifted though.

Paul

03-30-2004, 12:41 PM

Oh, okay. I was searching all over today's articles for some kind of direct lift. The Franz Ferdinand hype/no-hype debate is rampant across the entirity of the interweb -- not just this place. While I'd like to think that we were the source of Ryan's babbling, I'm fairly certain it was inspired elsewhere.