1990s - 'Kicks' (Rough Trade) Released 23/03/09

Just when I thought Franz Ferdinand had secured the title of “MOR Glaswegian Pop-Rock Album of the Year”, the 1990s drop their second album ‘Kicks’. Sounding more 80’s than 90’s thanks to large helpings of chorus applied to the guitars, the Scot-rockers return with much the same as before. Recorded at Edwyn Collins' West Heath Yard Studio (presumably so he can keep an eye on them and ensure he retains royalties for any Orange Juice songs they rip-off) Bernard Butler tries his best on production but fails to conceal the over-whelming emptiness of the tracks.

Starting as they mean to go on, opener ‘Vondel Park’ never quite takes off. There’s some nice fret-work reminiscent of Television but the song is seemingly missing any kind of hook. “I Don’t Even Know What That Is” is fairly catchy, but doesn’t exactly leap out at you.  ‘59’ sounds like the Hamster dance song and is not the only track that sounds familiar - ‘Balthazar’ is Depeche Mode’s “I Just Can’t Get Enough”, ‘The Box’ sounds like Kylie’s ‘2 Hearts’, “Local Science” a sped up version of the verse to REM’s ‘The Great Beyond’ and ‘The Kids’ sounds like ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ with the melody from Only Fools and Horses over the top.

The album features lyrical gems such as, “If I turned it to a baboon, I’d be more attuned to the situation” and “it’ll drive me crazy, your left eye is kind of lazy”. If this is the kind of lyrical content you enjoy, I suggest you pre-order a copy now and begin counting down the days because you, my friend, are in for a treat.

Try and ignore it, but every track on this album has something grating about it. From the lyrical failings of... well, virtually every track, to the horrid “woah” and “oohs” on... well, virtually every track. The whole thing is too knowingly ironic, melodies and harmonies are occasionally strong, but the gimmicky lyrics can be genuinely painful. Clearly aspiring for FranzFerdinand / OK GO territory, they end up falling short.

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