Okay. Pop quiz, hot shot. Franz Ferdinand. Are they (A) ultra-hip, forward-looking glam-rock elevators?
(Hint: In the wake of the release of their relatively well-received third record, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (TMT Review), the esteemed Glasgow quartet completed a stellar North American Tour, which saw sold-out shows from coast to coast, as well as a poised and impressive appearance on David Letterman. Then, this week, they followed all of this success up with the release of Blood, a dub version of Tonight mixed by Tonight producer Dan Carey, which was filled to the brim with nine incredible versions of Franz originals and one additional song, “Be Afraid,” a version of “Dream Again.” Talk about badass. This might even earn them the Jonny Greenwood Stamp of Approval.)
But wait! Don’t answer so fast.
Because there is also another choice. Could they be (B), tepid torch-bearers of rock ’n’ roll’s, uh, 21st-century breakdown who are content to play to pierced and “opinionated” 15-year-olds, young parents who fill their Rhapsody playlists with songs they hear on local alternative radio, and outdoor-venue-patronizing hackie sack enthusiasts before turning the oversized stage over to the shmaltziest big-budget rock headliners on earth, who use some vague notion of pouty politics to sell three-chord throwaways before they’re too old to look “young”??
(Hint: I’m not talking about Wilco.)
That’s right. Franz Ferdinand is following up the release of their experimental dub record by touring the U.S. again later this summer as the opening act for Green Day. Confused? Me too. Bye bye, Greenwood stamp!
Blood tracklist:
1. Feel The Pressure
2. Die On The Floor
3. The Vaguest of Feeling
4. If I can’t Have You Then Nobody Can
5. Katherine Hit Me
6. Backwards Of My Face
7. Feeling Kind of Anxious
8. Feel The Envy
9. Be Afraid
Green Daytes:
08.08.09 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
08.09.09 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
08.11.09 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
08.12.09 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
08.13.09 - Omaha, NE - Qwest
08.15.09 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
08.16.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - ESA (Energy Sol Arena)
08.18.09 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
08.20.09 - San Diego, CA - Cox Arena
08.21.09 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay
08.22.09 - Phoenix, AZ - US Air Arena
08.24.09 - Sacramento, CA - Arco Arena
08.25.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Forum
08.26.09 - Los Angeles, CA – Forum
