Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First off, I'll start out with the obligitory fair warning: You'll hear Franz compared to almost every band that has had some success in the past 2 years...everyone from The Strokes to Interpol and beyond. Truth is, although Franz Ferdinand pays an agreeable nod to a few bands that have come before them, they have developed their own unique sound and comparisons will undoubtedly fall short. The best way to judge would be for you to see what kinds of music I really like. If you like these bands too, you'll thank me for suggesting Franz Ferdinand. I'm kind of bummed that the album finally came out in the states...I imported a copy after hearing a download from the bands website a few months back. Here's to hoping that the band doesn't attract so much attention that their reputation preceeds their musical prowess. I love the Smiths, first and foremost...I think they're one of the best bands that ever came together to record music. I like The Cure. I like Gang of Four, Neutral Milk Hotel and My Bloody Valentine. In recent years, I like Interpol. And I like The Rapture and even Hot Hot Heat. The boys from FF hail from Glasgow, a town that has brought us the creative and musical genius that is Belle and Sebastian. I don't know what's in the water over there, but I'm considering importing some of it. Franz Ferdinand come out on their debut album as a group of artists formed not for the sole purpose of creating music, but creating an atmosphere and a feeling. Fortunately for us, the guys just happen to be top-notch musicians and they've put together some of the best songs to come out in the past 6 years. Poppy? Some of it, yes...but not questionably so. Amazing bass lines, great high hat attacks and solid rhythm guitar lay down the backdrop for a painting that could only be completed by a soulfull, solid voice. There will be the inevitible comparisons to Pulp, Interpol, Joy Division, etc. but none of them really fit the bill. This album has an overall feeling of coming from The Smiths' era, but not necessarliy a retro feel. Just as everything adds up to be more than the simple sum of its' parts, Franz Ferdinand is a unique combination of artists and musicians that seem to have come together for the perfect approach to inspired, clever lyrics and an original sound. That's right..I said it: orginal. Every band is influenced by other bands...it's how they take that inspiration and use it to their own advantage that sets bands miles apart. These guys are for real...and if you're a fan of good music that entirely eclipses what you hear on the radio in this day and age, pick it up and then email me for an address so that you can send me a Thank You card. Pick it up now before they end up on the cover of Rolling Stone as the band slated to save Rock and Roll. Then you can laugh at people who start to listen to them in July and say, 'My boys from Glasgow! I've been listening to them for like, forever!' Either way, get it now, get it later....just pick it up and decide for yourself whether art influences music or if it's the othe way around.