Five years after their last album, Scottish rockers Franz Ferdindand have returned with “Always Ascending” and, like the title suggests, they have pushed the boundaies of their sardonic brand of dance rock.

Founding keyboardist Nick Mccarthy has left and is abled replaced by Julian Corrie who brings a more off-kilter style to these new space rockers.

The slinky beats, jarring guitars, and over the top vocals from Alex Kapranos make this a suave evolution of the muisc of Bowie, The Talking Heads and Roxy Music.    

This is Franz Ferdindands most electronic album yet but they haven’t lost the edginess that won them the Mercury Prize for their debut album fourteen years ago. The title says it all, the band keeps moving up. 

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