Albums by this artist

You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)

Franz Ferdinand

You Could Have It So Much Better

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» MARK T.R. DONOHUE | STAFF WRITER

Franz Ferdinand You Could Have It So Much Better Domino/Epic, 2005 RiYL: Strokes, Gang of Four, Duran Duran

The first Franz Ferdinand album, which was self-titled, was pretty dismal, but it had two redeeming features. First of all, the glossy cover, just the band's name in big, striking letters, was pleasantly retro. Second of all, hit singles! "Take Me Out," before its inevitable overexposure in Sony commercials, was the herky-jerky wonder novelty tune of 2004.

"The Dark of the Matinee" never equaled the PA-at-Brewers-games hugeness of "Take Me Out," but it wasn't for lack of quality. Bands like this, short on range but occasionally out-of-the-stratosphere catchy, are what iTunes was made for.

Here, then, is You Could Have It So Much Better, obviously forced out prematurely in a vain effort to dodge the one-hit wonder label. Track by track, it's a technically stronger album than its predecessor. The production is vastly superior, avoiding the energy drain that scuttled most of Franz Ferdinand's album tracks.

The group's grasp of dynamics has extended beyond unrelated intros and awkward pauses. Distressingly, though, the best songs are the ones that duplicate the first album's successes. "This Boy" adds harmonies and pace to the disco beat of "Take Me Out" and is the only track that really demands mixtape inclusion.

Attempts at psychedelic balladry like "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" and "Walk Away" fail at reaching even the low standard set by the like-minded Vines. Besides a studio goof (the whooshing "Evil and a Heathen") here or there, nothing else on the record is distinctive enough to attract attention.

If there's one lesson to be learned from the example of the various '70s new wave reconstructionist bands, it's that style will last you exactly one album and no further. At some point someone's going to have to step up and start writing songs (of course, the Strokes accomplished this with Room On Fire, which promptly sank without a trace. Go figure.)

You Could Have It So Much Better is more trouble than it's worth, particularly since you can still flip on any channel on TV and hear as much of Franz Ferdinand as you could possibly need to in a PSP ad.

MARK T.R. DONOHUE | Mark T.R. Donohue is a prolific freelance writer whose areas of expertise include Rockies baseball, video games, genre television, English soccer, and pub rock. He lives in Colorado, where he cultivates the largest and creepiest private collection of Alyson Hannigan memorabilia in the Mountain West.