Just take this old performance of Take Me Out and compare it with one from last year. And especially if you compare it to their self-titled debut from 2004 you can’t ignore the signs of fatigue. There is just so little tension left in their once so furious sound that you automatically sense the mediocrity of the songwriting, something that worked way better on all past four LP’s. You clearly sense that Franz Ferdinand and their two new band members are looking for a new direction, even if they sound like if they are lacking of a creative compass. It’s pretty dispensable and that might be an even harder verdict. The new Franz Ferdinand album is a posh piece of soulless disco-pop that isn’t entirely bad but also not very good. Two years ago guitarist Nick McCarthy left the band on good terms and although a causality might be too easy here, his sharp guitar play and energy is clearly missed. The band’s first album in five years goes by the name Always Ascending and that couldn’t be further away from the truth because it actually marks a new low point in the discography of the influential British band. It’s better to split up before you become a shadow of your former self.Ī lot of bands manage to constantly grow with their career (if the industry let’s them) and become better and better with every release ( The National are a good example here) but what about those who launch their career with an epic impact and have to go on from that starting point? And yes, that brings us directly to Franz Ferdinand and their fifth full-length which arrives these days. Or in the case of many bands in the music history: When is the perfect time to let go? To call it a day and move on? ‘It’s better to burn out than to fade away’ as Neil Young once famously put it. My friend just shrugged and blamed it on my music nerdism but over the years I had that feeling over and over again with a few bands. ‘It’s because I wanted to protect the legacy’ I probably answered as I was pretty sure that you can’t keep such a level of quality up any longer. My friend faced me with a lack of understanding, asking me why I want one of my favourite bands to actually split up. About ten years ago I remember saying to a friend that now would be the best time for Interpol to split up, following three truly great and – especially to me – very important studio albums.
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