The Human Fear
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FRANZ FERDINAND – THE HUMAN FEAR – ALBUM REVIEW
Franz Ferdinand have always been a band that have done things their own way. They haven’t perhaps fulfilled their early promise in terms of mainstream success, but they’ve undoubtedly delivered on the sonic ambition of their early work.
At times it has felt that the bands creative functionality has been in spite of their own success. Not content to just rework the same album on repeat even when that would’ve been the business logic. The group have never been afraid to play with their sound and showcase what some might call a mystical knack for the exuberant.
Others though might instead term their approach as pretentious, and in all honestly there is a fair mix of all of the above on their new album, ‘The Human Fear’. Conceptually exploring the human fascination with fear, it’s ironic that again the band clearly have no fear in the recording studio.
A track like ‘Black Eyelashes’ for example isn’t ever going to be a big hit, but it’s got a quirky charm that endears it to a follower of their work. That feeling is central to the sound of the album, even though there are a handful of classic Franz Ferdinand bangers for good measure too such as opener ‘Audacious’ and the fun ‘Hooked’.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘AUDACIOUS’
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The album itself ebbs and flows with a weird, disjointed connection. This though is just another example of how Franz Ferdinand can make things work that just shouldn’t.
Front and centre of course is frontman Alex Kapranos, who along with bassist Bob Hardy, stand firm amongst a newer cast of characters compared to their early big hitters. These line-up changes have probably contributed to the continued unpredictability of the beloved indie stalwarts but won’t help the perception that perhaps Franz Ferdinand are operating in a limp-mode of sorts.
As we all get older, we have to acknowledge that perhaps our best years are behind us, but Franz Ferdinand are able to retain a special allure like that weird friend that you never truly understand but always have a good time with.
‘The Human Fear’ is simply another memorable night out with that friend where you can’t remember what happened but you know you had a good time!
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