SoundsXP Message Boards - Indie, Indiepop, Nu-Folk and Alt-Country Forums

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Looks like Elijah Wood. Supports Liverpool. Likes Coldplay.

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Bob M. Montgomery Images
Fine Art and Commision Photography

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Looks like Elijah Wood. Supports Liverpool. Likes Coldplay.

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

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Looks like Elijah Wood. Supports Liverpool. Likes Coldplay.

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Bob M. Montgomery Images
Fine Art and Commision Photography

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Bob M. Montgomery Images
Fine Art and Commision Photography

Okay, Westie, just for you, I went and borrowed the Arcade Fire EP from a mate at a local shop to "review". Doesn't do much for me after two listens. Not awful, but nothing I'd be running down the road shouting about either.

So, there you have it. In short, no idea what all the music punters are up about here

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Bob M. Montgomery Images
Fine Art and Commision Photography

I agree that there did seem some predictability in the popularity of 'NME' type bands (FFs, Libs, Mozzer) with a few googlies thrown in. Like others I was disappointed to see so much Franz Ferdinand in there - it is not so much that the album is bad (it is rather good, though I got tired of it after a whil) but I am fed up with the bloody ubiquity of the once arm-band-wearing artos. And I really do not want to hear Take Me Out again in 2005. But then again it may be that I begrudge their success.

The trouble with polls like these is that they invariably disappoint or are bones of contention (eg 'wot, no Wedding Present?' ). I, for one, don't think that we all have the same tastes but would like to think that we hold similar ones in a rather broad church, which permits those with eclectic tastes. Even alt-country

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This is a disclaimer that absolves me of everything, so you're to blame!

What is it that antagonises about Franz Ferdinand, folks? They were my number one choice but I am no sheep, never have been (and I certainly don't "read" NME), I simply believe they are one of the most talented groups I have seen for years. When I first saw them they were supporting Interpol and blew the main act off the (tiny) stage. I only talked about FF afterwards; Interpol were good but before the gig I believed they were great.

I love Franz Ferdinand because: a)they write proper pop songs b) they don't jam or spend hours arsing about between songs like most bands I've seen this year c) they don't act the rock star on stage d) they (largely) don't do pathetic rock-thrash endings, something I absolutely abhor e) they're professionals - not glorified amateurs. Watching them reminds me of black and white footage of the Beat Room or Ready Steady Go. Yes, I'm an old-fashioned kind of chap.

Unlike most "over-hyped" bands, they don't disappoint me live. I'm sick to death of paying good money to see high-earning, high-grossing groups who can hardly sing or play and apparently don't even rehearse. I am delighted for them that they have managed to become so successful considering they've (thus far) remained true to their stated aim. As a person close to my heart said recently, if Franz Ferdinand were still playing grotesque little Glasgow venues, they'd be a lot more popular amongst the cooler-than-thou.

I haven't even heard many of the groups people may have preferred to see further up the list, largely because they don't seem to want to play outside of England or maybe they simply haven't been played on Irish radio. Bring them on, I can assure you the Dublin music scene is the most dire I've ever been exposed to, it's high time we had some decent talent experiment with small gigs over here, we certainly have the venues. Did Loves come here in 2004? If so, I'm sorry I missed them. I must say, reading many of the reviews on this site, I do feel a mite envious of the sheer choice of gigs around London.

None of which makes me any less proud to be a huge Franz Ferdinand fan, though. No album I heard in 2004 even came close.

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Life's But A Walking Shadow

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If Ian Curtis had lived, and enjoyed the ale…

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Life's But A Walking Shadow

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If Ian Curtis had lived, and enjoyed the ale…

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This is a disclaimer that absolves me of everything, so you're to blame!

It didn't work for Joy Division either did it! Art can be very effective or make you look like a bunch of prats.

As for my earlier post I am sure Alex Kapranos is not a tedious toss but as passionate about music as me and the rest of us here. I just think FF got lucky in 2004 when there are more deserving bands out there. I will shut up about it now seeing as it is 2005 and I am listening to the new Decemberists, Wedding Present and Bright Eyes albums via p2p. I think this year is gonna be great!

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If Ian Curtis had lived, and enjoyed the ale…

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Nor did it work for Siouxsie Sioux, who quickly dropped her nazi armband ('having made her statement' or something). Yes, Joy Division learned their lesson and the others promptly renamed themselves New Order and had Futurism cover art. Oh dear. The controversy. Though the idea that NO and Factory Records were ever a bunch of fasces carriers is ridiculous. Or can you have Anarcho-Fascists?

Didn't FF move into to some sort of Russian Constructivism phase with the Take Me Out video? In 2005 I predict they flirt with Futurism, Vorticism and become new Romantic Surrealists. What's the sound of Pop Art, Art Brut?

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This is a disclaimer that absolves me of everything, so you're to blame!

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

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This is a disclaimer that absolves me of everything, so you're to blame!