The Human Fear. Franz Ferdinand

In 2007 I stood before a traffic light, heading south towards Dubrovnik. The turn left was to Mostar and Sarajevo. It must have been in Neum, the only Bosnia - Herzagovian town on the Adriatic Sea. This would not be memorable, let alone applicable to this review, were it not that the cassette tape I was playing in my old Peugeot 405 started playing 'Take Me Out' at that exact moment, when I saw a sign pointing towards Sarajevo for the first time in my life. In the summer of 2023 I was in Sarajevo and visited the site where the Austria-Hungarian crown prince and his wife Sophia were assassinated in 1914 by Gavrilo Princip, with all the huge consequences coming from that act 111 years ago, this summer. (Between us, how could you drive into that dead end street and not be complicit?)

Early 2025 and Glasgow band Franz Ferdinand releases its sixth studio album in 21 years. For those who bothered looking before New Year's eve, most of these records can be found in the overview I've made of the first 25 years of this century. See the last two weeks of 2024.

"Here we go with riff one", Alex Kapranos says in a voice that does not seem over-excited at the start of The Human Fear, before the band kicks in with first single 'Audacious'. Having listened to the album several times after purchasing it on the day of its release, the demurred atmosphere of the announcement is what describes the album best. The sprightly step is out of Franz Ferdinand's music. This is not the same as the album not being good.

As I wrote in my review of single 'Night Or Day' a few days ago, we have all progressed 21 years since the release of Franz Ferdinand's signature song 'Take Me Out'. (I have a personal experience what the song does with an audience, singing the song with a Swiss cover band in Vilnius' town hall during a conference party. It goes wild.) Although there are a few exceptions where the tempo does go up, the difference remains audible. This can be attributed to the changes in line up. A keyboard player is now a full time member and this is taken away from a second guitar part. More than it did on the previous album, 'Always Ascending'.

Over all the songs are Franz Ferdinand worthy. More and more of the songs are growing on me. At first acquaintance 'Build It Up' sounded a little tacky and after a few sessions I heard the typical Franz Ferdinand changes in the song, that make me like the band's music so much. It is followed by 'Night Or day' which is the prize song of The Human Fear. The piano is the main instrument of the song and yet it has that Franz Ferdinand step completely. 'Night Or Day' is a song that brings a smile to my face that does not leave me for the rest of the day.

The song in which Alex Kapranos fatherland comes forward, 'Black Eyelashes', is a bit too much despite that it has its moments. I had never expected to hear traditional Greek music, Franz Ferdinand style. There is clearly a Franz Ferdinand sauce over the song but still.

In an early review I read that 'Tell I Should Stay' is like a The Doors track. I had not heard it in my first listening sessions. On reflection I can hear where this comes from. I have a cassette with a bootleg on it, taped from a friend in the 80s. It contains a semi-classical piece by Ray Manzarek, a few notes on the keyboard does bring this piece to mind and Kapranos sings a few lines in a lower register, like Jim Morrison could do so well. The rest of the song does not, so it's a bit far-fetched as far as I'm concerned.

The Human Fear is only a few days out, so it's too early to say where we will really go together. The fact that the album is growing on me, is certainly positive. I liked most of what Franz Ferdinand released so far, so it comes as no surprise that I would have liked the new album. I'm certain I will be playing the album for some time to come and we will take it from there.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You can listen to and order The Human Fear here:

https://franzferdinand.bandcamp.com/album/the-human-fear