Back in December I lamented that GTA IV, while very good, didn’t significantly improve the game mechanics of GTA. As a long time GTA fan the formula began to run thin. I desperately wanted Rockstar North to make progressive design decisions, to reinvent the mechanics of GTA. I wanted GTA to be fun again, but all I got was more of the same. However it seems the old adage, good things come in small packages, is still alive and well. GTA: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS delivered exactly what I wanted.

Chinatown Wars addresses core issues with the GTA formula, and does so ingeniously.

(read on…)

The odds were stacked against them. Franz Ferdinand’s self-titled debut album was a good one, but there was still this feeling that they were a one-hit wonder with Take Me Out. Their second album, You Could Have It So Much Better, didn’t really do it for me. So when the band starting talking about abandoning their sound for something more electronica, well … like I said, the odds were stacked against them. The album turning out well at all would be nice. That it’s their best album yet is nothing short of a miracle.

A reasonably established band going off and doing something different is a recipe for disaster, but when it turns out well, it’s oh-so rewarding. Fatboy Slim’s Palookaville is the last time I recall an artist reinventing themselves like this. Franz Ferdinand do much the same, albeit not to the same extent. They’re still hanging on to their (excellent) edgy vocals and indie sounds, but there’s a distinct electronica influence to the music. Tonight manages to work as a dance album as much as it does an indie album. Ulysses, their debut single and first song off the album, captures this perfectly. Smooth lyrics, an electronica vibe, and some very strong vocals definitely inspired my confidence that Franz could actually pull this off. The album moves from one catchy, energetic song to the next at a relentless pace hitting the apex at Bite Hard. Working toward the conclusion Tonight mellows out, producing memorable songs with a different, but very distinctly Franz, style.

There isn’t a weak song on the album, although some may argue it lacks variation. I wouldn’t disagree, but I’d also say that the sound is interesting enough to hold my interest from start to end over the course of dozens and dozens of listens. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is a great album with a unique new sound. It’ll appeal to the electronica fan and the indie fan alike. And if, like me, you happen to adore both genres, you’re in for a real treat.