#39 - Phil

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand

2004

2004 had a lot of great singles: Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks,” Modest Mouse’s “Float On,” and Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” – just to name a few. But the one that stood above them all came from this unknown band from Glasgow. Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” – the lead single off their self-titled debut album – is the kind of song that survives for generations. Ridiculously catchy hooks? Check. Outrageously memorable guitar riffs? Oh you betcha. It doesn’t even matter that I have no idea what the song’s about; I knew all the words by heart the third time I heard it and can sing along with them just as easily today. “Take Me Out” is, without question, one of the decade’s three greatest singles.

So what’s the rest of the album like? I’m glad you asked! Franz Ferdinand is one contagiously-thrilling party record – there’s not an ounce of dullness at any point in its duration. A track that’s always stood out for me is “The Dark of the Matinee.” It immediately follows “Take Me Out” and is one of the album’s most interesting songs lyrically. On it, lead singer Alex Kapronos is attempting to convince his significant other to leave their traditional lifestyle and follow him to the exciting world of entertainment, which he calls the dark of the matinee: “Find me and follow me through corridors, refectories, and files / You must follow, leave this academic factory / You will find me in the matinee, the dark of the matinee / It’s better in the matinee, the dark of the matinee is mine / Yes it’s mine!” You weren’t kidding, Alex. -P.W.

Back in high school I was so proud that I was familiar with the Franz Ferdinand album months before their excellent single, “Take Me Out” took the radio-waves by storm. As I said in a previous comment, I attribute much of the indie rock transition into the mainstream to the doing of Franz Ferdinand (and others). Therefore, I like to bestow some importance to them. I definitely listened to the album repeatedly for months. Unfortunately, they’ve been largely ignored after this great record. It was fun to revisit. - Ryan

So I was in a cover band in high school (with fellow Rolling Forker / keyboard wizard Ryan Carr) and in a moment of surprising zeitgeist we ended up covering "Take Me Out". It's an absurdly catchy single from one of the dancey post-punk revival records that caused the indie mainstream to revisit Gang of Four. So going back to this record, it's still a very strong set of songs, but I simply can't remove it from those awkward moments onstage. While the post-punk trend fizzled after '04, this debut is still the best place to revisit those sounds. - Steve