My Top 10 Albums of 2005: #4

#4: Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better...With Franz Ferdinand
Quite simply, Franz Ferdinand have done it again. Critics will talk about the sophomore album blues and the difficulty of producing new material that remains true to your sound. Rightly it is then that the critics do rave. By this definition, and by my own, this one's a winner.

It still doesn't surpass the raw impact of their self-titled debut, but it's still full of surprises as their meteoric rise continues. You can tell they're becoming more accomplished performers, exhibiting a greater range of riffs and styles, particularly the guitars. The band still enjoys "wearing" their inexperience on their matching tight red-and-black horizontal striped sleeves, making it sound like a few mates having a laugh and getting used to this whole worldwide phenomenon stuff.

They know how to write thumping good rock songs like Evil And A Heathen. They can do lighter pop ballads like Walk Away. They've also kept true to the original vision of "creating music to dance to", trumpeted through their massive hit Do You Want To. To be honest, that's probably their greatest quality: universally, people get involved with the music, each in their own way.

There's a sliver of points deducted for omitting the in-between albums single Can't Stop Feeling, released only in the UK. I really got into that song last year and would have loved a good quality version instead of my crappy concert bootleg. As it is, the album is well rounded enough anyway to earn some very high marks. Franz Ferdinand just make it seem so easy! Turns out I can have it so much better...with Franz Ferdinand.