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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Franz Ferdinand
by Franz Ferdinand
The most hyped band to come out of the UK in early 2004 is Glasgow, Scotland's Franz Ferdinand, an art-rock quartet who make their full-length debut with this self-titled release, the winner of the UK's coveted Mercury Music Prize in 2004.
| LABEL: |
Domino |
| RELEASE DATE: |
09 March 2004 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Indie, Rock |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
Uncut
For all the influences, their voice is uniquely, gently mad. [Mar 2004, p.88]
100
The Guardian
Franz Ferdinand's album arrives packed not just with fizzing guitars, disco-influenced drums and intriguing shifts in tempo, but also memorable songs, laden with hooklines and startling riffs.
100
Alternative Press
The first great rock album of 2004. [May 2004, p.102]
91
Filter
Relentlessly sultry, with lush arrangements framed by slamming dance beats. [#9, p.102]
91
Pitchfork
Like all lasting records, Franz Ferdinand steps up to the plate and boldly bangs on the door to stardom. There's no consideration for what trends have just come and gone. There's no waffling or concessions for people who won't get it.
91
E! Online
It's the album you wish the Strokes would've made.
90
Playlouder
Fearsomely post-post-punk, appealingly brazen, and ambitiously tight, they have indeed made The Album That Saved Indie.
90
Splendid
This is a terrifically exciting debut, imbued with a zest, energy and songwriting flair that warrants -- perhaps even commands -- some sort of attention.
90
New Musical Express
It marks the dawning of an era of British music that isn’t just for the casual petrol shop consumer, but stuff so important that you can give yourself to it completely. This is the album that’s going kick open the door for all the great British bands that’ll sweep through in their wake.
90
PopMatters
The most musically rich, catchy, smartly written "new new wave" record since Interpol's Turn on the Bright Lights.
90
Urb
Unlike their inspirations, they've ditched the Marxist polemics in favor of dance-driven ambiguous tales of fumbled romance. [Jun 2004, p.84]
88
Los Angeles Times
In a few tracks, you sense this band is still at the mercy of influences as it searches for its identity, but the best moments are wonderfully promising.
80
Billboard
Quick, breezy and fun.
80
Stylus Magazine
Short of getting into a time portal and hurling yourself back to the late 70s, this is the closest you will get that sound in 2004.
80
Dusted Magazine
However great the merits of their debut might be, one can’t help but feel that there’s something just a little too perfect about Franz Ferdinand, as though they had planned out hipster world-domination around a scientifically constructed chart of "what’s hot and what’s not."
80
Logo
No affectation, no pandering to fashion, just good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. How refreshing.
80
All Music Guide
Franz Ferdinand reveals more depth and more new directions than their previous work suggested.
80
Q Magazine
The most ebullient British debut since Elastica. [Mar 2004, p.102]
80
Dot Music
It won't usher in a bold new era where boys are boys and bands play guitars, but there is more than enough here to chew over and enjoy.
80
Blender
The band's debut struts and flirts like the best-looking guy at the bar. [Apr 2004, p.126]
80
Delusions of Adequacy
Remarkable for its excellence and not its originality.
80
Mojo
The songs feel like they're boiling over, there's so much heat under them. [Mar 2004, p.95]
80
Almost Cool
Insanely catchy and perfect for singing along with.
75
Junkmedia
What sets Franz Ferdinand apart is their unapologetic adherence to the pop formula.
70
Village Voice
Frantic and rhythmic Scotpop with many echoes of so-'90s Blur in the sardonic jabs at middle-class bromides.
70
Tiny Mix Tapes
Where the album stumbles is in its inconsistency, with some rather uninteresting filler that doesn't do much but flesh out the album.
70
Drowned In Sound
Piece everything together and this is where your mouth might, quite rightly, start to drool a little.
70
The Onion (A.V. Club)
The album is largely content to hover around the one note it plays so well. [24 Mar 2004]
70
No Ripcord
If you can distance yourself enough to judge Franz Ferdinand on its merits alone, it’s an impressive yet inconsistent debut record from a promising young band.
70
Rolling Stone
For once, the inevitable U.K.-press hype is justified: Franz Ferdinand's debut draws from beloved Brit pop and post-punk bands without the usual plagiarism.
62
ShakingThrough.net
Franz Ferdinand's music possesses an intriguing, passive-aggressive kind of wasted elegance that never quite pays off.
The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 180 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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