Always Ascending (CD)
Franz Ferdinand
Amoeba Review
09/07/2020
Galvanized by LCD Soundsystem’s excellent return last year, 2000s-era dance rock has life anew. Cue dukes of the disco Franz Ferdinand releasing their first album since 2013’s overlooked Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. Franz Ferdinand have stuck relatively true to their sonic trademarks throughout their career, the same ones that propelled tunes like “Take Me Out” to the top of the stratosphere. On Always Ascending, however, the trebly electric guitar skronk and blistering hi-hat are paired back a bit, making more room for sequenced synths, programmed drums, and a reverb-drenched production style beholden to current radio favorites from Childish Gambino to Portugal. The Man. Yet under the hood of this Re-Make/Re-Model is the same winning formula: whip-smart, uncontrollably body-moving pop tunes adorned with the lounge-y glory of Alex Kapranos’s unmistakable croon.