You Could Have It So Much Better

AlbumOct 03 / 200513 songs, 41m 21s
Post-Punk Revival Indie Rock
Popular Highly Rated

Franz Ferdinand, the Scottish band that did so much to put booty-shaking back into currency for young rock fans, returns with a second album that’s an even stronger work than their excellent debut. *You Could Have It So Much Better* finds the outfit trying on a wider array of styles even as it reaches a sharper, more consistent level of songwriting. In addition to their enticing blend of edgy guitars and disco-ready rhythms (first single “Do You Want To,” “I’m Your Villain”), they branch out into *Village Green*-era Kinks pastorals (the mini-masterpiece “Eleanor Put Your Boots On”) and bittersweet mid-tempo rock (“Walk Away”) with great success. Even the relative throwaways here are filled with more ideas than many other current bands’ hits. These guys certainly did themselves a favor by withdrawing from the road for a while and putting their energy toward this set.

8.3 / 10

You've probably clicked over here to see if the boys in this band could be suffering from any form ...

6.0 / 10

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Opting not to fix what broke them, You Could Have It So Much Better serves up more of the stylish, angular sound that worked so well on Franz Ferdinand's debut.

Here just 20 months after the Franz boy’s phenomenally well-received debut, the big question is whether with ‘You Could Have It So Much Better’ the art-rock darlings can surpass their first long-player.

<p>These Scots are still sharp-dressed swots - but on this second album, no one kicks sand in their face, says <strong>Sarah Boden</strong>.</p>

7 / 10

By releasing their sophomore album a year and a half after their Mercury Prize-winning 2004 debut, the incessant chorus of

<p>(Domino)</p>

3.5 / 5

Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better review: Living up to previous high standards can be a b!tch, but Franz Ferdinand have done a good job with this fun & cohesive LP which after a fantastic start does not contain the same depth of quality as its predecessor.<script src=

8 / 10

Archdukes of the new new wave return with perfect aplomb