As long as Franz Ferdinand steers clear of the Balkans, we're OK

by Smitty

A great new band merits a post. They're listed as "alternative", because they're all over the map from simple pop, to danceable, to electronic, to thrashy. That's because they reek of raw talent, good artistic chemistry, and fun. Here is a sampling:

No You Girls, unplugged in the stairwell.

The release version forbids embedding, but has a decidedly danceable groove.

On Conan O'Brien, they do You're What She Came For which is a straightforward pop track until about the last minute when they go for some straight-ahead thrash.

Lucid Dreams is a more danceable piece, but they go for about four minutes of a synthesizer exploration that really works. Normally, electronica doesn't do much for me. Like thrash, that kind of noodling often seems an apology for other artistic shortcomings. But they've bought enough respect elsewhere to make this a nice palate cleanser.

Live, their sound's a trifle less polished, to good effect. Here they cover Blondie Call Me w/Elly (?) and their sound has just a hint of Sabbath, with foppish costuming via Bowie: