FRANZ FERDINAND Band hints at '80s pop and British influences

Although members hadn't heard Gang of Four, comparisons are often made.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
The members of Franz Ferdinand may be the only people in the universe who don't hear a whiff of '80s influence in their music.
"It's ironic," says front man Alex Kapranos. "I couldn't stand the '80s when I was living in them. I would fantasize about living in the '60s or the '20s or even the 19th century. But just because we've got these short-back-and-sides haircuts, we became [known as] an '80s band."
Well, that's not quite the only reason. The Scottish band's jerking beats, scissoring guitars and manic vocals bring to mind some of the '80s most groundbreaking bands, including XTC and Gang of Four. But the comparisons might not be made so often were there not a rash of successful and similarly inspired rock bands out there now -- like the Killers, Kaiser Chiefs and Interpol.
Kapranos says his group never heard records by the group they're most often associated with -- Gang of Four -- "until we read about them in all our reviews. Then when we checked them out we thought, 'What a great band. What a radical approach to playing.'"
Own approach
Thankfully, Franz Ferdinand has its own approach to the goosed-up style associated with the '80s -- especially on its second CD, "You Could Have It So Much Better."
This time, the four-man band from Glasgow broadens its influences to include a wider range of British pop sources, especially David Bowie, circa "Boys Keep Swinging," and 1960s Kinks.
Kapranos says he admires Bowie, not just for his music "but for the way he evolved. Compare 'Ziggy Stardust' to 'Low' to 'Young Americans.' It's astonishing that it's the same guy doing all that music. None of his contemporaries were so bold."
The Kinks connection is especially evident in the quirky melodic range of a song like Franz Ferdinand's "Walk Away."
"[The Kinks'] Ray Davies had that great symbiotic relationship between the music and the emotional content of the lyric," Kapranos explains. "Think of 'Waterloo Sunset.' It had all those great backing vocals, and that change of key from major to minor that gives it such soaring poignancy."
Mystery, magic
Kapranos' lyrics tend to be more cryptic. It's not always easy to fathom what he's singing about. "I don't want to pass the masses an easy answer," he states. "What sets lyrics and poetry apart from prose writing is the fact that there's room for personal interpretation."
He says he likes to mix unexplained elements of his personal life with statements that speak directly to the listener.
"[As a fan] I love having my own meaning for a song and then only later finding out what it was really about," he explains.
Franz Ferdinand whipped up their own magic around themselves from the start of their career. They developed a scene surrounding their sound at an abandoned warehouse, dubbed The Chateau, in Glasgow. There, they hosted rave-like events that featured both music and art. (Two of the group's members met at the Glasgow School of Art.)
In 2004, the group hit it big in both the United Kingdom and the United States with the irresistible hit "Take Me Out." In typical Kapranos fashion, the song's lyrics can be read two ways. Either the narrator is asking for a date -- or to be murdered.