GLASTONBURY 2004 & MORE

1. Come On Home
2. Tell Her Tonight
3. Take Me Out
4. 40’
5. Van Tango
6. Auf Achse
7. The Dark Of The Matinee
8. Jacqueline
9. Shopping For Blood
10. Michael
11. Darts of Pleasure
12. This Fire

(Glastonbury Festival, England 6/25/2004)

13. Shopping For Blood
14. Take Me Out
15. Auf Achse

       (Academy, Liverpool 9/19/2003)

16. Cheating On You
17. Jacqueline
18. Shopping For Blood

       (uca radio, university campus ayr, Scotland 9/9/2003

One of 2004’s big international success stories was Franz Ferdinand, and it’s easy to see (and hear) why. The Scottish foursome has a moderately catchy “modern rock” sound that’s rooted in dancey ‘80s postpunk, and the members are fresh-scrubbed, casually-coiffed sharp dressers who clearly hit the stage intending on pleasing the crowd. A perfect example is “Shopping For Blood” – available here no less than 3 times -- which borrows the patented Gary Glitter (“Rock & Roll”) beat, throws in some angular Gang Of Fourish riffs and simple-but-catchy keyboard licks, then adds barked/chanted vocals that practically demand the audience join in.

Yet like America’s Interpol, the FF appeal is largely surfaced-based; lacking any deep musical substance and banking mostly on Gen Y’s style-conscious, short attention span consumer patterns, FF is destined to be a fleeting phenom. Anyone wanting a terrific-sounding document of that phenom in full flight, look no further than this superb-sounding, if somewhat dully-titled, release, the bulk of which is composed of a triumphant UK festival appearance broadcast by the BBC. A handful of other FM tracks round out the disc, but despite their having an earlier (’03) vintage, they’re essentially redundant. – OSWALD