New Music, New Video, Same Old Sound? Franz Ferdinand “Ulysses”

Five years after burning up playlists (and countless TV ads) with inescapable dance-rock tracks like “Take Me Out” and “This Fire,” Scottish quartet Franz Ferdinand is back with a new set of songs—but is anyone still listening?

All the standard elements are in place on the band’s forthcoming third album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, from the slick, only semi-ironic ‘80s dance beats and suggestive falsetto to the usual vague threats of punky, art-school mischief. However, half-hearted lead single “Ulysses” (video) finds the skinny-tied band wandering aimlessly rather than running to the dance floor.

Uninventive as “Ulysses” seems, this sneak peek at FF’s new disc proves that while it might not offer the instant gratification of 2004’s self-titled debut, it’s still better than the Bruce Springsteen/Lou Reed-obsessed self-indulgent epics that formerly fun dance-rock contemporaries like the Killers have been dishing out. It might also be better than FF’s own somewhat lackluster sophomore effort, 2005’s You Could Have it So Much Better.

There’s still reason to hope that the rest of Tonight: Franz Ferdinand will be edgier than “Ulysses,” and even if it’s not, FF is still one of the best art-rock/dance-rock bands going. Most other bands of this genre have fallen by the wayside long ago—after all, when’s the last time you listened to Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys, Zutons or Kasabian? Yeah, that’s what we thought.

The new album isn’t due until January 26.
So, in the meantime, check out the new “Ulysses” video,
Then leave a comment and tell us: Do you like FF’s new sound?