Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Glasgow, Scotland |
Genres |
|
Discography | Franz Ferdinand discography |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | Domino |
Spinoffs | FFS |
Spinoff of | The Yummy Fur |
Members | |
Past members | |
Website | franzferdinand |
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish
The band's first two singles, "
In 2005, the band released their second studio album, You Could Have It So Much Better, produced by Rich Costey. It peaked within the top-ten in multiple countries and earned Grammy-nominations for Best Alternative Album and for one of the singles, "Do You Want To". The band's third studio album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, was released in January 2009; by then the band had shifted from a post-punk-focused sound to a more dance-oriented sound. A remix album of Tonight, titled Blood, was released in July 2009.
Four years after the release of Tonight, the band released their fourth studio album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, in August 2013. In 2015, Franz Ferdinand and American rock band Sparks formed the supergroup FFS and released a one-off self-titled album in June 2015. Following the departure of McCarthy, the band released their fifth studio album, Always Ascending, in February 2018.
History
Formation (2001–2003)
The band's members played in various bands during the 1990s, including
Once the members came together, they settled on the name Franz Ferdinand for their band. The name was originally inspired by a
Franz Ferdinand and international breakthrough (2003–2005)
In May 2003 the band signed to Laurence Bell's independent record label, Domino Recording Company.[6] The band moved to Gula Studios in Malmö, Sweden, with Cardigans producer Tore Johansson to record their debut album. In the latter part of 2003, the band released their debut single, "Darts of Pleasure". In January 2004, the single "Take Me Out" reached No. 3 in the UK charts. The album, Franz Ferdinand, was released in early 2004, debuting at No. 3 in the UK Albums Chart in February 2004, and at No. 12 in the Australian album charts in April 2004. The album only reached the lowest levels of the Billboard 200 album charts in the US as of early 2004, but reached the top 5 of the indie rock chart and the Heatseeker chart for debut artists. After a couple of North American tours and heavy rotation of the "Take Me Out" video on MTV, the album eventually reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200 later in 2004, and sold over a million copies in the United States.[2] Franz Ferdinand received a generally strong positive response from critics. NME rated it 9 out of 10, and said that the band was the latest in the line of art school rock bands featuring the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Roxy Music, the Sex Pistols, Wire, Travis and Blur.
On 7 September 2004, the album was awarded the 2004
You Could Have It So Much Better (2005–2007)
The band spent much of 2005 in the studio in Glasgow working on their follow-up album, You Could Have It So Much Better, which was released on 3 October 2005. The band initially intended to leave the album self-titled like their debut,[9] but they changed it to You Could Have It So Much Better...With Franz Ferdinand before settling on the final title.[10] The album's cover design was modelled on Alexander Rodchenko's 1924 portrait of Lilya Brik. The band attempted to broaden its musical range on the album; Hardy said, "There's more to life than disco-beat guitar music".[2] It was generally well received in the press and seen as an album equal to, or better than, their first by most critics.[11] It entered the UK Album Charts at Number 1 and the US charts at Number 8. The album eventually sold 2 million copies worldwide.
To support the album, four singles were released. Included in that set is a
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2007–2011)
On 26 January 2009, the band released their third studio album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, which they had been recording in Glasgow since mid-2007.[12] The band recorded the album in a disused building in Glasgow that had been a town hall in the past. Alex Kapranos has stated that "The last record was...like a teenager having sex. This one's a bit more assured and a bit friendlier for the dance floor."[13] Tonight was mixed by Canadian Mix Engineer
The band appeared on Radio 1's live lounge performing their second single "
On 1 June 2009, the band released
Also made for the Record Store Day, on 16 April 2011 Domino released the compilation Covers E.P., which featured songs of Tonight: Franz Ferdinand played by Peaches, LCD Soundsystem, Stephin Merritt, ESG and Debbie Harry (who recorded in duet with the band). The first edition was only vinyl, and on 2 May 2011 it was released on CD.
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action and FFS with Sparks (2012–2015)
Writing for a fourth studio album began in 2010.[21] Kapranos stated that the band promised themselves they would also focus on not over-publicising their progress as he felt that's something he regretted about their previous album. In May 2012, the band returned to touring, playing several festivals during the summer of 2012 including a headlining slot at Field Day festival in London's Victoria Park.[22] Other appearances included Barcelona's Primavera Sound Festival, Montreal's 2012 Osheaga Music Festival, Chicago's 2012 Lollapalooza Music Festival, Belgium's Dour Festival, Portugal's Marés Vivas Festival and San Francisco's 2012 Outside Lands Music Festival.
During their 2012 tour, the band gradually introduced new songs to their repertoire,[23] along with a reworked version of Tonight cut "Can't Stop Feeling" combined with "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer. In March 2013, Franz Ferdinand continued touring and premiering new songs. In early March they performed "Evil Eye" and "Love Illumination", while the end of the month saw the live premiere of "Goodbye Lovers & Friends". On 16 May 2013, Franz Ferdinand officially announced their fourth album, titled Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, along with cover art, track listing and a release date of 26 August 2013.[24] The band launched the new album at a show at the Electric Brixton. FMV Magazine's Dan Jenko praised the gig, saying that "there's no reason why latest LP Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action can't be the belated soundtrack of the summer".[25]
On 9 March 2015, it was announced that the band had formed a supergroup with Sparks under the name FFS, with plans to release a studio album and tour Europe during that summer.[26] A teaser titled "The Domino Effect" was released on the group's YouTube channel that same day.[27] The John Congleton-produced album, FFS, was officially announced on 1 April 2015.[28] Three official singles were released from the album: "Johnny Delusional", which was released on 13 April,[29] "Call Girl", which was released on 28 May,[30] and "Police Encounters", which was released on 23 October.[31]
Lineup change and Always Ascending (2016–2020)
In July 2016, the band announced that guitarist Nick McCarthy would not be involved in the recording and touring of their next album, in order to concentrate on his family and other musical interests. The band, however, have stressed that it is possible he may rejoin the band at a later date.
On 19 May 2017, two days prior to the start of their North American tour, Franz Ferdinand announced their new five-piece line-up,[36] with former Yummy Fur and 1990s member Dino Bardot on guitar[37] and Julian Corrie on keyboards, synth and guitar.[38] On 25 October, the band released the title track from their fifth studio album, Always Ascending (2018), as its lead single. They revealed the album's release date, 9 February 2018, and announced dates for a world tour.[39] Corrie joined the band for the recording sessions of the album, while Bardot joined after recording was completed.[40]
Departure of Thomson and Hits to the Head (2021–present)
On 21 October 2021, the band announced through social media that Paul Thomson had departed the band, with Glasgow-based drummer Audrey Tait joining as his replacement, as well as confirming that studio recordings had been undertaken with Tait. The announcement was accompanied by a statement from Thomson and a photograph of him passing his drumsticks to Tait.[41][42][43] Tait's debut performance with the band had taken place several weeks before the announcement, at the Balmain fashion show in Paris on 29 September.[44]
Franz Ferdinand released a new single, "Billy Goodbye", on 2 November 2021.[45] The track is one of two new songs on the greatest hits compilation Hits to the Head, which was released on 11 March 2022.[45]
Franz Ferdinand performed at Night for Ukraine, a fundraising benefit held at the
Collaborations and covers
Franz Ferdinand covered the
The band also performed, played and recorded with
The band partnered with Sony in Tokyo, filming commercials for the launch of the A Series Walkman music player on 8 September 2005.[50][51] A limited edition Franz Ferdinand-themed Walkman A Series player was released by Sony Japan in January 2006, with only one hundred made.[52]
The band 'met' Gorillaz in December 2005 and interviewed each other for a feature in Observer Music Monthly.[53]
At the 2009 NME Awards ceremony, they performed a cover of Blondie's "Call Me" with Elly Jackson of La Roux on guest vocals.
When Franz appeared on Radio 1's Live Lounge on 6 April 2009, to promote "No You Girls", they covered "Womanizer" by Britney Spears.
They have also collaborated with Marion Cotillard for the 2010 Lady Dior campaign. The band wrote the lyrics and plays the music for the song "The Eyes of Mars", while the actress is on vocals. Kapranos noted that it was refreshing working with her as she had a lot of fun going and retrying the song time and time again.
In 2010, Franz Ferdinand contributed to the Alice in Wonderland soundtrack with their adaption of the song "The Lobster Quadrille". Later that year, Kapranos and McCarthy collaborated on the song "Do It Again" with Edwyn Collins on his album Losing Sleep.[54]
In 2016, Alex Kapranos took part in a documentary about Glasgow music and Chemikal Underground Records called Lost in France. The film was directed by Niall McCann and brought Kapranos (along with members of The Delgados, Mogwai and others) to Mauron, Brittany, to recreate a gig they played when Kapranos was in his earlier band, The Karelia. The film features Kapranos playing live with Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai, and other musicians such as Emma Pollock and RM Hubbert, and Holy Mountain, as well as interviews with Kapranos and his old label-mates. Lost in France premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival to wholly positive reviews and was called "funny, vital and sobering"[55] by Scotland's arts bible The Skinny.
In 2022, Franz Ferdinand's single, "This Fire" served as the opening theme song for the Polish-Japanese animated series, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.[56]
Sony BMG payola scandal
In 2005, the Sony BMG record company was involved in a scandal with the New York authorities, as some record company leaders would have practiced payola, an illegal practice in which certain people pay radio stations to broadcast a certain song or band, clarifying that they should not report the payment under any circumstances.[57] One of the groups involved in the 2005 payola scandal was Franz Ferdinand, according to documents released by New York authorities.[58] The documents showed that a member of the Epic Records label paid about $4,000 to a Buffalo radio programmer to play the single "Take Me Out" on the station. It was also commented that Alex Kapranos did not feel so comfortable with the business that Sony handled, in addition to the fact that a second agreement was made in which he received only $750, and that later, due to Alex's disagreement with the model they handled, it was decided to stop doing it.[59]
Style
Music and art
Stylistically, the band has been labelled as
Also, in "Outsiders", the lyrics "In seventeen years will you still be Camille, Lee Miller, Gala or whatever" are a reference to the lovers of the artists Auguste Rodin, Man Ray and Salvador Dalí.
The band have been credited with helping to increase the popularity of men's fringed hairstyles.[71]
Music videos
Many of the videos to promote the band's singles take inspiration from Russian avant-garde much like their LP and CD sleeves.
The avant-garde music video for "Take Me Out", directed by
The lyrics of "Do You Want To" make reference to parties at the "trendy" Glasgow art gallery Transmission, and the video includes a variety of the work of contemporary artist Vanessa Beecroft.
Members
Current members
|
Former members
Former touring musicians
|
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
- Franz Ferdinand (2004)
- You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)
- Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)
- Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013)
- Always Ascending (2018)
Awards and honours
See also
- List of bands from Glasgow
- List of Scottish musicians
Notes
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand: The Heather's On Fire". The Skinny. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ a b c Hiatt, Brian (22 September 2005). "Hot Scots". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 May 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
- ^ BBC Sport. "Archduke Ferdinand takes Plate honours".
- ^ Hurley, James; Nikolich, Jessica. "Franz Ferdinand". Archived from the original on 20 June 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand interview – is this music?". Isthismusic.com. 5 September 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand, 'Darts of Pleasure' (Domino) | Spin". Spin. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
- ^ "NME Albums of the Year". NME. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
- ^ "2006 NME's 100 Best Albums of All Time". Timepieces.nl. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
- ^ McLean, Craig. "Ferdinand: No Bull". Spin. September 2005.
- ^ Spitz, Marc. "Franz Ferdinand". Spin. November 2005.
- ^ "NME Album Reviews – Franz Ferdinand: You Could Have It So Much Better". NME. 28 September 2005. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand album release date announced". NME. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
- idiomag. 24 September 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
- ^ "Alex Kapranos Talks Sinister New Franz Ferdinand Album". Rolling Stone. 9 September 2008. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses (2009)". YouTube. 9 January 2009. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021.
- ^ ""The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" Episode #1.53 (TV Episode 2009)". IMDb. 26 August 2009.
- ^ "News – Myhab 2011". Glastonbury Festivals. 20 June 2011. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- idiomag. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand gets dub infusion with "Blood"". Reuters. 23 April 2009.
- ^ "iTunes Festival: London 2009 – EP by Franz Ferdinand". iTunes Store. 9 July 2009.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand Start Work on New Album". Spinner. 15 February 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand | Field Day Festival". Fielddayfestivals.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand debut four new songs at intimate Ireland show – watch". NME. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
- ^ "Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action Preorder". Dominorecordco.us.
- ^ Jenko, Dan (21 August 2013). "Gig Review: Franz Ferdinand : FMV Magazine". Archived from the original on 23 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
- Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "FFS – The Domino Effect". YouTube. 9 March 2015. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Stream the new single from FFS, Johnny Delusional, now". Twitter. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ "Our new single, Call Girl!". Twitter. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ "Police Encounters – Single by FFS". iTunes. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ Lozano, Kevin (14 October 2016). "Franz Ferdinand Share New Anti-Trump Song "Demagogue": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ Leight, Elias (14 October 2016). "Hear Franz Ferdinand Slam Donald Trump in 'Demagogue'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 15 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ Franz Ferdinand (19 May 2017). "Here we are under a bridge in Glasgow, with new members Dino Bardot (on the left) and Julian Corrie (on the right)". Twitter. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ Miaoux Miaoux (19 May 2017). "Dino is the guitar master, I'm mostly keys". Twitter. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ Miaoux Miaoux (19 May 2017). "Excited to announce I've joined the bold @Franz_Ferdinand as synth / keys / guitar player". Twitter. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- ^ Blais-Bille, Braudie (25 October 2017). "Franz Ferdinand Announce New Album Always Ascending, Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
- ^ Parker, Lyndsey (10 January 2018). "Franz Ferdinand talk politics and pop: 'You basically elected your worst person' (Video)". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ^ "@Franz_Ferdinand". Twitter. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ Franz Ferdinand Drummer Paul Thomson Leaves Band, Replaced by Audrey Tait, Consequence, 21 October 2021
- ^ Lanarkshire musician delighted as she takes over as Franz Ferdinand's drummer, Daily Record, 25 October 2021
- ^ Skinner, Tom (21 October 2021). "Franz Ferdinand announce departure of drummer Paul Thomson". NME. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ a b Blistein, Jon (2 November 2021). "Franz Ferdinand tease greatest hits collection with new song 'Billy Goodbye'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- ^ "Bob Geldof shows solidarity with Ukraine in fundraising event at London's Roundhouse". itv.com. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (12 April 2011). "Listen: LCD Soundsystem Cover Franz Ferdinand". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- ^ "Franz Aloud". Sunday Mail. 9 September 2007. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
- ^ "New Cd From David Shrigley, Worried Noodles, 2007". Davidshrigley.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
- ^ "Hitting Sony's Tokyo Walkman press launch". Finance.yahoo.com. 8 September 2005. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ "フランツ・フェルディナンド、新ウォークマンのタイアップソングに大抜擢!". 22 September 2005.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Franz Ferdinand interview Gorillaz – Observer Music Monthly". Archived from the original on 7 May 2006. Retrieved 1 April 2007.
- ^ Price, Simon (19 September 2010). "Album: Edwyn Collins, Losing Sleep, Heavenly – Reviews, Music". The Independent. London. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ "Alex Kapranos on Glasgow's 90s music scene - The Skinny". Theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ Flook, Ray (3 July 2022). "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Shares Franz Ferdinand-Fueled Opening Credits". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "$10M 'Payola' Settlement". CBS. 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "SONY SETTLES PAYOLA INVESTIGATION". Press Releases. 2005. Archived from the original on 11 January 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "Sony Correspondence" (PDF). NY Releases. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "BBC – Seven Ages of Rock "What the World Is Waiting For"". Seven Ages of Rock. 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (29 January 2004). "Music: Pop CD: Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand". The Guardian. London.
- ISBN 978-1-74104-565-9.
- ^ Barlow, Eve (6 February 2018). "Franz Ferdinand Nearly Called It Quits—and Came Back Brasher and Gutsier Than Ever". GQ. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand". Phoenix New Times. 25 August 2006. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Sean Price, Jesus Price Supastar (2007)". Complex. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ Bennett, Kate (20 August 2013). "Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action". musicOMH. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
- ^ "Franz Ferdinand: Heir Apparent". SPIN. 6 April 2004. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ISSN 0886-3032.
- ^ Sutherland, Mark (27 August 2013). "Franz Ferdinand Take 'Right' Turn With Album That Almost Didn't Happen". Billboard.
- ^ Montgomery, Hugh (24 August 2013). "Album: Franz Ferdinand, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (Domino)". The Independent. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
- ^ "He bangs: why men are getting fringes again". The Guardian. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Franz Ferdinand 'Take Me Out'". XFM. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ [1], Thompson sings lead vocals on the German version of Tell Her Tonight
References
- Hiatt, Brian (2005). "Hot Scots – Franz Ferdinand get rock fans dancing again"[dead link] Rolling Stone (Retrieved 16 June 2006)
- Franz Ferdinand book out later this month Rebecca Nicholson (2 Nov 2007). Retrieved 30 November 2008
- Josh Lovseth (Feb 2007).. Retrieved 22 March 2008
- Else, D. (2007). Great Britain. ISBN 978-1-74104-565-9.