New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Franz Ferdinand to take on College Street
NEW HAVEN — Intent on keeping the danceable vibes cerebral, Scottish four-piece band Franz Ferdinand ascend College Street Music Hall’s stage Wednesday night with their subversive blend of funk and alt-rock.
Franz Ferdinand cracked the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2004 with their single “Take Me Out,” from their selftitled debut LP. Playful and slinky, with lyrics that invoke pulp spy films, “Take Me Out” was buoyed by the thumping bass and scratchy guitar riffs that epitomized the early-2000s alternative rock boom. In addition to becoming an instant staple on alternative radio, Franz Ferdinand received rave reviews from both the mainstream music press and more independent outlets like Pitchfork and Uncut.
“For all their influences,” said a review of
Franz Ferdinand’s first record from UK rock mag Uncut, “their voice is uniquely, gently mad.”
A much-discussed article from Rolling Stone magazine in 2010, their infamous “500 Greatest Songs of All-Time” list, even included “Take Me Out” at No. 327, saying “‘Take Me Out’ puts Franz Ferdinand at the head of a danceable rockwave.”
Franz Ferdinand is one of the rare acts from the 2000s to make an appearance on Rolling Stone’s list.
Four albums after their initial, worldwide success, the band is touring in support of their fifth full-length, “Always Ascending,” released in February. Still putting their art school mannerisms to work, Franz Ferdinand’s latest album trades in esoteric lines riffing on style and substance.
“Did you carve a wee key from the soap in your kitchen, to turn in a lock of your own penal fiction?” croons frontman Alex Kapranos on album standout “Paper Cages,” a disco throwback with psychedelic synthesizers bubbling under the surface.
College Street’s doors open at 7 p.m., with the all-ages show commencing at 8. San Franciscan post-punkers POW! are the opening band. Tickets are $28; see collegestreetmusichall.com.