 Franz Ferdinand The sudden appearance of good-quality Franz Ferdinand boots, right when they're about to get white-hot, recalls the hype-making surrounding Elvis Costello's launch as a "major artist," sealed in part by the Live at El Mocambo promo, which became a key release even though it was obtainable almost exclusively as a bootleg. That record showed people that even if you didn't particularly get in to Costello's studio records, the speedy jitter-thrash of his live shows was infectious evidence of him being the real deal. I speculate that these boots are rather brilliantly disseminated by the band and/or their record label to build buzz and create an illusion of rabid fandom, whether or not that actually exists for real. In the Franzies' case, it probably does. Either way, thank God for easily accessible live recordings right when you really want 'em! Live at La Cigale isn't a reputation-maker so much as a refreshingly loose and good-spirited reinforcement of the ball-lickin' studio record, which if you haven't heard it yet, you must. The band here tear through the songs with a comfy mixture of teenage glee and straightforward, you-want-it-we-got-it cockstruttin'. They don't have to prove themselves, and they're happy you love to be lovin' 'em. It's apparently a French radio broadcast, so the sound is good, and I actually like the French DJ who cuts in here and there to announce the band, almost like a sportscaster doing sideline commentary at Wimbledon! Perhaps best of all is the cheeky cover art I made for the cdr, thereby "releasing" it on "Archduke Records" and making tasty use of Century Gothic. I love Franz Ferdinand almost as much for their fontography as for their music.
Review by Yuri U-Gi-Goh |