After a long absence from the music scene, Franz Ferdinand is back with Tonight, the band’s third studio album. While it, like the group’s second disc, fails to reach the epic standards of “Take Me Out” off their 2004 self-titled debut, Tonight is danceable, sexy, and subtle. This album has a deliberate, less frenetic sound, but it’s not all that catchy.
The Scottish quartet’s return after five years is certainly welcome even if they can’t achieve the happy balance between dance and rock that they did on their premiere album. “No You Girls” (recently featured on “Gossip Girl”) comes closest to the stomping pleasure of “Take Me Out,” but it isn’t really a worthy successor. In fact, all of Franz Ferdinand’s songs sound similar on Tonight and it becomes difficult to discern one song from another. Highlights include the unrepentantly romantic “Katherine Kiss Me” and the understated “Twilight Omens,” easily Tonight‘s best song.
With the amount of time between releases, listeners might have expected something better than the final product. That isn’t to say that Tonight is a disappointment overall, but no song leaves a lasting impression.
Rating: 2.5/4