Franz Ferdinand – “Always Ascending” [Album Review]

As a long-time fan of Franz Ferdinand’s music, I was thrilled to learn that the Scottish dance-rockers were releasing a new album after five long years of silence. With Always Ascending, their fifth studio album, they maintain their signature indie-rock flair and add a dash of disco. It’s still “music girls can dance to” — but in their struggle to remain relevant, it can feel as though they’re trying a little too hard.

Songs like “Take Me Out” or “Love Illumination” are what the band is known for, and for good reason — they’re damn catchy and get the crowd dancing along no matter their taste. The songs that come closest to capturing this feeling on Always Ascending are “Lazy Boy” and “Paper Cages”, but even still, they never quite reach quite the same glorious heights as did their past records.

It also felt less consistent as a unit than I would have liked. At times, the long instrumentals at the end of songs left me impatiently waiting for the next track to begin–a feeling that can be translated through to my overall feeling with the album. It felt as though they were aiming for a reinvention that never quite reached its end. It’s still charming and a good romp from beginning to end, but doesn’t quite live up to the spectacular fun they’ve exhibited before.

Always Ascending Track Listing:

01. Always Ascending
02. Lazy Boy
03. Paper Cages
04. Finally
05. The Academy Award
06. Lois Lane
07. Huck And Jim
08. Glimpse Of Love
09. Feel The Love Go
10. Slow Don’t Kill Me Slow

Run Time: 38:33
Release Date: February 9, 2018

Check out the video for the album’s title track, “Always Ascending.”