Franz Ferdinand: Always Ascending

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For a band that's been steadily producing albums for 16 years, Scotland's Franz Ferdinand is wonderfully consistent and reliable in their talents for releasing great music.

Alex Kapranos and his troupe of Glasgow-based bards first caught the public's attention with their  hit single Take Me Out in 2004. The track earned a Grammy for 'Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal' and their debut album that the song featured on has since gone triple platinum, selling 3.6 million copies worldwide.

Named after the Austro-Hungarian archduke whose assassination launched the seminal catastrophe of World War I, Franz Ferdinand see themselves as catalysts for musical transformation, to the same degree that the archduke's demise triggered irreversible global change. The band occasionally nods to their name's origins with songs like "All for You, Sophia" in honor of the Austrian duchess, shot alongside Ferdinand. 

Musically, Franz Ferdinand is a mix of indie/alternative, post-punk revival, and art-rock. Their sound is easy to recognize for its dance-enticing, punkish rhythmn that has a level of complexity to it inspired by early 20th century modernism in music. They may play with guitars, bass and drum like any old band, but they draw heavily on classical music and avant-garde musical structure. 


Franz Ferdinand has also received attention for their unique album artwork and music videos. The band often borrows from Russian modernism and early 20th century graphic design for their album covers, such as an edited version of Alexander Rodchenko's Lilya Brik portrait, and several works by El Lizzitsky's for the single art on "This Fire", and "Michael".

A band that made such a strong first impression, Franz Ferdinand has not gone down in quality in the 14 years since that album. Every few years the group has released a new album to critical acclaim and accolades, with one or two singles each always reaching top 10 on international charts.

Always Ascending is a symbol of how the band has continuously grown since its genesis, never putting out a bad record, keeping consistent in quality and appraise. Released back on February 9th, Always Ascending is the group's fifth studio album and their latest since briefly joining the band Sparks to release FFS in 2015. Guitarist Julian Corrie replaced Nick McCarthy for the record and Philippe Zdar was invited as producer.

The record is a little pop, but still keeps true to its new wave roots and just as irresistible as any of the band's former projects. Singles 'Always Ascending' and 'Feel the Love Go' start the 10 track record off with a synth heavy groove, held together by Kapranos' clean British vocals. The album peaked at number six on the UK charts and number 1 on Billboard's Independent Album list.

Be sure to give the record a full listen and check out Franz Ferdinand's previous repertoire.

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