Search - Franz Ferdinand :: Blood: Franz Ferdinand

3.5 stars... Curious "stand-alone" release

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 06/04/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Five months ago, Franz Ferdinand released its excellent third studio album "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand", reputed to be a departure from the earlier sounds we have come to use to, with more synthesizers, but when all what said and done, it still sounded like the same ol' FF, with one major exception of course, that being the Lucid Dreams song, with its mind-blowing electro-outing. In Europe, the album was also available as a "Special Edition", with a second CD of 8 songs that underwent the dub/remix-treatment. Many die-hard fans here in the US snapped up the "Special Edition" (still available via amazon.uk), and I was one of them. It was a big surprise then (to me, anyway) that the dub/remix-album now receives a proper stand-alone release here in the US, as if this is a proper new FF album.



"Blood: Franz Ferdinand" (9 tracks; 38 min.) reworks a number of tracks (but not all) of the "Tonight" album. Opener "Feel The Pressure" reworks "What She Came For" nicely. Even better is "Die On the Floor" reworking "Can't Stop Feeling" into a trance-like vibe, but still retaining recognizable parts from the original. "The Vaguest of Feeling" reworks "Live Alone" into something quite different altogether, but it works too. Another highlight is "Feeling Kind of Anxious" reworking "Ulysses" nicely. Strangely absent, though, is a reworking of "Lucid Dreams", the most adventurous track of "Tonight". To possibly entice collectors that have already the bonus CD of the "Special Edition" release, this is issued with a new track, "Be Afraid", reworking "Dream Again", but it's not particularly good, probably the reason it was left off of the "Special Edition" in the first place.



In all, this dub/remix album is not a bad listen, but it boggles my mind why this is now released as a stand-alone album. Surely this will not interest the casual Franz Ferdinand fan much. It is a curiosity at best. Buyer beware!"

What the FF?

Jeffrey Chang | Los Angeles, CA | 08/16/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This album (or add-on, as described) is a departure from the Franz Ferdinand we all came to love. After listening to the actual album ("Tonight"), I set out to Best Buy to purchase the CD (had to spend a gift card I received). Unfortunately, I did not double check the album title before setting out, as I assumed any FF CD I did not own would be a welcomed addition.



I was wrong. This disc is a departure from the norm. It's a mash of cafe electronica and club lyrics (repeat a few words... over and over again). I am a fan of Electronica, but could not stand this album. Instead of purchasing this album, just buy a 2nd copy of Tonight:Franz Ferdinand for your collection.



"