There's that initial sensation when you eat a peanut butter cup for the first time. These two sensational tastes merged together into it's own wonderful entity. It's a lot like listening to the debut album from FFS. Franz Ferdinand β the 21st century Scottish pop masters β have teamed up with, arguably, one of the most creative American bands this side of the Beach Boys.
Sparks' history dates back to the dawn of the '70s and, during the course of 22 albums, they have continually reshaped pop-rock into their own unique vision. The two bands met up at various points during the years and that age old "we should work together sometime" motif kept coming up. Finally, a bluff was called and the result is this stellar new album. So what do FFS sound like? Simple: like Franz Ferdinand and Sparks. There are undeniable elements of both acts woven into all of the album's 12 songs.
It's a grand splash of modern sounds crashing into pop sensibilities of the past. From the very first track onward, it's a glorious ride. In a perfect world, "Johnny Delusional" would be a massive hit, obliterating everything else on the vapid airwaves of terrestrial, satellite and whatever other radio you want to name.
It's insanely catchy and clever, and if you ask us, it's the single of the year. No one asked? Oh well. The album rolls up one hill and down another, switching gears between the identities of both bands. It's hard to pry it all apart though, as both halves fit very well together. It's certainly not a battle for air time, but rather a genuine collaboration, despite the title of one the album's finest tracks, "Collaborations Don't Work.
Speaking of that song, it is nothing short of genius. It is, in a word, epic. From simple pop to grandiose operatic bombast to choral pop workout in the blink of an ear all before you can say Queen and Sparks were driving that route before Freddie Mercury and company. The lyrics of Ron Mael are second to none, always have been, and his way around a melody is nothing to sneeze at either. It was a mutual admiration society ethic that bought this all about. This is highly stylized pop-rock that really has no direct comparisons to anyone other than the two bands doing the work here, and that's saying a lot.
