Get Into The Groove With Franz Ferdinand's "Always Ascending"

When it comes to keeping the groove, Franz Ferdinand has it covered. Their new album is filled with loads of funk and variation to keep you moving from start to finish, all the while giving you something to think about. Get into the groove with Franz Ferdinand's Always Ascending while being entranced by the album's atmosphere.

There's a sort of faraway vibe to Franz Ferdinand's indie flair on Always Ascending. The title track 'Always Ascending' opens up, at first with mysterious atmosphere and a fairytale melody but soon delves into a much funkier track that sings, somewhat awkwardly, "Bring me a cup / Bring me some water." 'Lazy Boy' follows up with a much more controlled sound, a immediately darker beginning and a strong build. Franz Ferdinand definitely doesn't stick with a single sound, though; songs like 'The Academy Award' do their best to sound spooky and ghastly.

An issue with Always Ascending is that it feels too caught up in its aesthetic. There's no mystery that it's a strange album and that it wants to be that way, but there are times where it either goes too far or it just doesn't do it right. 'Huck and Jim' is the most noticeable oddity, where it just feels very out of place and very out of character on an album already going for left field. Other issues arise int he fact that all the songs sort of sound the same. There's little separating the funky fresh sound of 'Glimpse Of Love' from other tracks, and they end up blurring together. There's a point where you can try too hard and too little at the same time.

Get into the groove with Franz Ferdinand's Always Ascending and its funky rhythms, but it might sound like the same funky song for an entire album. It's groovy but it lacks variety and just sounds like it's trying a bit too hard to be what it is.

Favorite Track: Lazy Boy

Least Favorite Track: Huck and Jim

Rating: 68 / 100

Stream or buy Always Ascending on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist: