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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
You Could Have It So Much Better
Universal acclaim
Based on 32 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 138 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Sony / Domino
Release Date: 04 October 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
The Scottish band's eagerly-awaited follow-up to their acclaimed self-titled debut is preceded by yet another insanely catchy single, "Do You Want To."
Also By This Artist: Blood Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
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...
Alternative Press
A full-on party record. [Nov 2005, p.201]
Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
They've gotten unmistakably louder and unmistakably gayer--or perhaps I mean, hate the term, more metrosexual.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
Despite the quick gestation, it's actually better than the successful debut - a rare enough occurrence - and the direction in which they've pushed things is equally surprising.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
At the end of the day this is a bit more of a grower than the last one, but is easily as good.
Read Full Review >Amazon.com
It's a stunning, confident piece of work that suggests the band is merely getting started.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
The trend for disappointing follow-ups bucked with enviable panache, You Could Have It So Much Better leaves you eager, rather than concerned, about Franz Ferdinand's next album.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
Their first album was one of the strongest debuts in recent memory and this is an equally impressive follow-up.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
Far more than a sequel. [3 Oct 2005]
Q Magazine
You Could Have... doesn't take you on the journey of highs and lows that the very greatest albums do. Its Greatest Hits feel is both its major strength and its major weakness. [Oct 2005, p.108]
Mojo
A brilliant second album unembarrassed about building on the strengths of the first, delivering 13 knockout tunes betraying not an ounce of flab or self-indulgence. [Nov 2005, p.94]
cokemachineglow
Franz Ferdinand have slightly tweaked the neo-Brit-pop genre – mixing in funk, dashes of punk, and a bit of disco – and come out with a sophomore album even more confident and hungry for glory than their debut.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
The trick is to cede the idea that Franz Ferdinand are meant to deliver the cohesive, moving, traditional Statement Albums their debut may have misled listeners to expect. Some people-- earnest people, like Bloc Party, Sufjan Stevens, and the Arcade Fire-- will go on trying to fill that niche. Franz Ferdinand, though, aren't going to do that, and good on them: We can only hope they'll go on offering us cheeky, energetic surprises.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
What's remarkable is how Franz Ferdinand make their camp so compelling. [14 Oct 2005, p.147]
Spin
Sounds exactly like what you'd expect. [Oct 2005, p.132]
Prefix Magazine
The album is just as solid as Franz Ferdinand’s 2004 eponymous debut, and it shows that the group clearly knows its sound -- maybe a little too well.
Read Full Review >Blender
It'll do just fine for now. But here's hoping for a torturously difficult third album. [Oct 2005, p.140]
Uncut
As strong as this record is, there's a way to go to make good on the promise of its title. [Nov 2005, p.92]
ShakingThrough.net
At its best when working under the three-minute mark, the Scottish four-piece still has nothing relevant to say, but has managed to serve up a tighter collection than its crazily hyped debut.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
You Could Have It So Much Better might as well be titled You Could Have It Just As Good A Year Later, since Franz Ferdinand seem to belong to the school of "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."
Read Full Review >PopMatters
By bringing more variety to the table, You Could Have It So Much Better is more of a grower than the much more instantly engaging debut, but like that great first album, the easygoing charisma of this band wins us over.
Read Full Review >Billboard
The band's evolution is not without growing pains, but the balancing act of appealing to core fans while reaching for something more is mostly successful. [8 Oct 2005]
Under The Radar
An album that works best when listened to as a whole. [#11, p.107]
Rolling Stone
The problem with You Could Have It So Much Better is, as with so many second albums, consistency.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
You Could Have It So Much Better probably would've been better if Franz Ferdinand had waited until they had a batch of songs as consistent as their first album, but as it stands, it's still pretty good.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
Feels like a sequel.... a photocopy that's strong but lacks the original's clarity.
Read Full Review >No Ripcord
The excellent-to-annoying song ratio on this album is definitely high. Still, their first record was solid from start to finish, and this one smacks so much more of Lennon/McCartney than Kapranos/McCarthy.
Read Full Review >Paste Magazine
Aside from better production values, little has changed about the Scotsmen’s formula.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
You Could Have It So Much Better... is plagued by the same averseness to surrender that hamstrung their breakthrough eponymous debut.
Read Full Review >Drawer B
The formula has barely changed, although there is a noticeable decline in songwriting quality.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 138 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Stormwatch gave it a5:
Some good moments, but, as a whole, notably inferior to Franz's awesome first album. The songs lack the "alternative" feel from before, and tend to be too fast-paced. The "louder" production doesn't help either.
Vid M gave it a6:
Very low mileage on this one. Noticeably inferior to their debut. Most of the tracks blur together into one long tedious mess.
Jeff J gave it a9:
Absolutely stunning. It would have been even stronger if they would have left off "Fade Together" and "Outsiders', but if the songs "The Fallen," "Do You Want to", "This Boy" and "You Could Have it So Much Better" don't shake your booty, then, like Fatboy Slim said, your booty must be dead.
Oligami gave it a7:
They evolved the way I feared they would. This record definitely needed some more restrain.
Marcus P gave it a9:
Great Album. It´s not the songs in itself, thats great, it´s the whole album.
Elizabeth P gave it an8:
A lot better than their first album since they abandoned a lot of aimless, sloppy guitar strumming. "Do You Want to?" is a great song although it's slightly embarrassing to sing it on the top of your lungs. The stand outs are "The Fallen" and "Outsiders". This album is more melodic and more coherent than their previous.
tim e gave it a6:
Do You Want to is one of the worse singles of the year.
