What was happening during Franz Ferdinand's five year hiatus that preceded the release of their brand new LP Always Ascending? The most important thing is definitely the departure of Nick McCarthy from the band. He did not say farewell for good, but anyway. He was replaced by two new members. How did that affect the band's sound? I am not sure.
Always Ascending is a typical Franz Ferdinand album. On the other hand, the recognizable rhythm is replaced with synths, so my opinion is that this was supposed to be their third album, a phase prior to their terrible experimentation with electronic on Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. With that being said, Always Ascending is the band's easiest, most predictable and most monotonous album yet. It's not bad, but it's far from thrilling.
The most exciting songs were released as singles, so it comes as no surprise that title track was chosen as an album opener. It sounds like the band gained some new insight, like they are on the old path of connecting characteristic tones with something inventive and intense. It is a kraut rock with strong beats and signature nervous rhythms and interesting chorus solutions. Generally, this was supposed to be Take Me Out of some new generation. Lazy Boy is severely dormant, but expressive riffs brings is closer to what Franz Ferdinand had to offer ten years ago. Yet, a tedious repetition of the verse I'm a lazy boy makes the track prosaic.
Then it comes a huge problem. From Paper Cages, all we get is a stream of similar songs lacking the hit quality. The light at the end of the tunnel comes towards the end of the record with the song Feel The Love Go which appears similar to Always Ascending in its tenacity to combine retro rock with modern elements. If you ever wondered how would the collaboration between Kraftwerk and Franz Ferdinand sound like, this is it.
Always Ascending is something like aging with dignity, but it shows that Franz Ferdinand do not dare to be young and experiment.
