Alex Kapranos wanted to make music that would get girls to dance at indie shows, and "Take Me Out" accomplished exactly that. Franz Ferdinand fused the angularity of post punk with disco's rhythmic drive and delivered it with an art school confidence that felt effortless. Their debut was a masterclass in making clever, literate rock that was also physically impossible to stand still to.\n\nThey never quite matched the impact of that first album, but they remained a sharp, reliable live act with a knack for writing songs that sound like they were designed in a laboratory specifically to make people move. Their collaboration with Sparks as FFS was a gleeful experiment that proved Kapranos's pop instincts extended far beyond indie rock.
Key Albums
"Take Me Out" and "Do You Want To" made indie rock dance. The whole album crackles with nervous energy and sharp angles.
Bigger, louder, and nearly as catchy. "Do You Want To" became ubiquitous.
Darker, more electronic, and designed for the dance floor.
Why They Matter
Franz Ferdinand proved that indie rock and dance music weren't enemies, and that brainy post punk could pack a dance floor. They were the bridge between the Strokes' garage cool and the full blown dance punk explosion that followed.