You Could Have It So Much Better

Spin - "Kapronos' voice is a marvelous wide-eyed sneer....[The album] sounds exactly like what you'd expect, with pumping disco beats and lookin'-sharp guitars on track after propulsive track." - Grade: B+ Rolling Stone - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "...YOU COULD HAVE IT SO MUCH BETTER shows deeper roots in the first wave of white electric dance music: specifically the crunchy-guitar R&B and arch-garage songwriting of 1965-67 Kinks...." Mojo - 4 stars out of 5 - "Musically, the palette has grown without getting out of hand. Lead guitarist Nick McCarthy appears to have an inexhaustible well of singable guitar riffs: pungent, perfunctory, and hardly ever pretty..." Entertainment Weekly - "...[S]hows Franz Ferdinand working harder and sounding bigger, befitting their stature as rock's saviors of the moment...." - Grade B+ Mojo - Ranked #11 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2005" - "An imperious state-of-the-nation address delivered with ease." Spin - Ranked #3 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "Their second disc builds on the kraut-disco of their debut, but frontman Alex Kapranos' dubious sensitivity makes YOU COULD HAVE IT so much better than its predecessor." Vibe - "[It] overflows with danceable beats and catchy hooks." Rolling Stone (No. 985, p.75) - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "...YOU COULD HAVE IT SO MUCH BETTER shows deeper roots in the first wave of white electric dance music: specifically the crunchy-guitar R&B and arch-garage songwriting of 1965-67 Kinks...." Spin (p.65) - Ranked #3 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "Their second disc builds on the kraut-disco of their debut, but frontman Alex Kapranos' dubious sensitivity makes YOU COULD HAVE IT so much better than its predecessor." Spin (p.132) - "Kapronos' voice is a marvelous wide-eyed sneer....[The album] sounds exactly like what you'd expect, with pumping disco beats and lookin'-sharp guitars on track after propulsive track." - Grade: B+ Entertainment Weekly (No. 844, p.147) - "...[S]hows Franz Ferdinand working harder and sounding bigger, befitting their stature as rock's saviors of the moment...." - Grade B+ Mojo (p.58) - Ranked #11 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2005" - "An imperious state-of-the-nation address delivered with ease." Mojo (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Musically, the palette has grown without getting out of hand. Lead guitarist Nick McCarthy appears to have an inexhaustible well of singable guitar riffs: pungent, perfunctory, and hardly ever pretty..." Vibe (p.210) - "[It] overflows with danceable beats and catchy hooks."

Glasgow indie rockers return with the follow-up to 2004's self titled, Mercury Prize winning debut. The music is lean as ever, with the band describing it as "more punk rock" than their debut, and sees them trying out new ideas including flirtations with 60s pop and dub. Includes the single 'Do You Want To'.|

やっぱりタダ者じゃなかった。本国でのデビューから1年半という短い間隔が彼らの創造欲と熱意を示しているとおり、 敏腕リッチ・コスティとの共同プロデュースによって全側面でスケールアップした2作目。とにかくライヴ感が大幅に増し、テンション漲る恐ろしく鮮明な音が迫りくる。そして、引き続きキャッチーなフランツ流〈踊れるロック〉を基本にしつつも、アコギやピアノを使った60年代ポップ調の楽曲群を違和感なく織り込み、メロウな表情も披露。そんなサウンドの多様化に伴って感情表現の幅も広がり、相変わらず興味深いキャラが各曲を彩るが、アレックス・カプラノスの等身大の想いも以前より強調されている。それがもっとも顕著なのが、〈努力すればもっと多くを得られる〉と挑戦的に訴えて、バンドの姿勢を総括する表題曲。そう、斜に構えたインテリ集団ではなく理想主義に燃える情熱家という素顔を、本作は突き付けている。
bounce (C)新谷 洋子