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The Human Fear
The Human Fear in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $11.19
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Size: CD
Franz Ferdinand
have never been afraid to deviate from the sound that made them famous, but how well they've done that has varied. While
You Could Have It So Much Better
's folky turns, jangly pop, and brooding piano ballads put colorful flesh on the post-punk bones of their self-titled debut, the sharp angles and slick synths of
Always Ascending
couldn't disguise its lack of memorable songs. On
The Human Fear
, the band abandon any pretense of cool in favor of melody and personality. It's a somewhat risky choice -- the popularity of post-punk and nostalgia for Y2K-era indie sleaze were at a peak at the time of the album's release -- but it's a fitting one for a set of songs that face and embrace existential fears.
worked with
Right Thoughts Right Words Right Action
engineer
Mark Ralph
as producer, and
plays like a sequel to that album's witty, often poignant songcraft.
Alex Kapranos
muses on how memories are "not how we remember who we are, but who we think we are" on the breezy standout "Everydaydreamer," setting a tone of bouncy introspection made darker on "Bar Lonely." Flipping Cheers-like camaraderie on its head ("no one knows your name/no one's glad you came"), it reflects how fully
have grown into the melancholy they flirted with on their earlier albums. When they do return to the dancefloor, the band's shift in viewpoint is even more striking -- 20 years after their debut album, they're just as brashly catchy, but notably more humble.
's best songs present vulnerability as a strength, not a weakness, whether
Kapranos
and company pair grinding synths with declarations of true love and togetherness ("Hooked"), find the drama in domestic bliss ("Night or Day"), or use their talent for earworm choruses to open up and reach out ("Build It Up"). This generosity of spirit extends to "Audacious," a swaying homage to
Mott the Hoople
's "All the Young Dudes" that suggests its feeling of acceptance might be more key to
's music than spiky guitars and shimmying beats at this point. Fortunately, acceptance doesn't mean complacence for this band, and they continue to push themselves creatively on "Tell Me I Should Stay," which telegraphs its mounting uncertainty with a collage of echoing pianos, lilting reggae, and
Beach Boys
choruses that doesn't sound quite like anything they've done before.
feel more engaged than they have in some time on
. It's some of their most self-assured-sounding music, but thanks to its naked emotions and eclectic choices, it's also some of their most human-sounding music. All told, it's a respectable -- but not too respectable -- addition to their body of work. ~ Heather Phares
have never been afraid to deviate from the sound that made them famous, but how well they've done that has varied. While
You Could Have It So Much Better
's folky turns, jangly pop, and brooding piano ballads put colorful flesh on the post-punk bones of their self-titled debut, the sharp angles and slick synths of
Always Ascending
couldn't disguise its lack of memorable songs. On
The Human Fear
, the band abandon any pretense of cool in favor of melody and personality. It's a somewhat risky choice -- the popularity of post-punk and nostalgia for Y2K-era indie sleaze were at a peak at the time of the album's release -- but it's a fitting one for a set of songs that face and embrace existential fears.
worked with
Right Thoughts Right Words Right Action
engineer
Mark Ralph
as producer, and
plays like a sequel to that album's witty, often poignant songcraft.
Alex Kapranos
muses on how memories are "not how we remember who we are, but who we think we are" on the breezy standout "Everydaydreamer," setting a tone of bouncy introspection made darker on "Bar Lonely." Flipping Cheers-like camaraderie on its head ("no one knows your name/no one's glad you came"), it reflects how fully
have grown into the melancholy they flirted with on their earlier albums. When they do return to the dancefloor, the band's shift in viewpoint is even more striking -- 20 years after their debut album, they're just as brashly catchy, but notably more humble.
's best songs present vulnerability as a strength, not a weakness, whether
Kapranos
and company pair grinding synths with declarations of true love and togetherness ("Hooked"), find the drama in domestic bliss ("Night or Day"), or use their talent for earworm choruses to open up and reach out ("Build It Up"). This generosity of spirit extends to "Audacious," a swaying homage to
Mott the Hoople
's "All the Young Dudes" that suggests its feeling of acceptance might be more key to
's music than spiky guitars and shimmying beats at this point. Fortunately, acceptance doesn't mean complacence for this band, and they continue to push themselves creatively on "Tell Me I Should Stay," which telegraphs its mounting uncertainty with a collage of echoing pianos, lilting reggae, and
Beach Boys
choruses that doesn't sound quite like anything they've done before.
feel more engaged than they have in some time on
. It's some of their most self-assured-sounding music, but thanks to its naked emotions and eclectic choices, it's also some of their most human-sounding music. All told, it's a respectable -- but not too respectable -- addition to their body of work. ~ Heather Phares
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