Furthermore, two of those singles (“Walk Away” and “The Fallen”) are presented in an edited form, and the original release of Tonight’s “Lucid Dreams” is neglected here in favor of a remix that appeared as a b-side to the “No You Girls” single. Thus, how each album gets represented here (both in terms of quantity and overall sound) varies all five singles from their eponymous debut appear here, but You Could Have It So Much Better’s fourth single “Eleanor Put Your Boots On” is replaced here with album track “Outsiders,” likely because that album’s detours in to quiet, acoustic pop were an avenue the band more or less abandoned after 2005. For starters, despite it appearing to be a straight singles compilation, there are a number of omissions that indicate that the story of Franz Ferdinand being presented here is one that Franz Ferdinand want to tell. On the surface, it would appear to be a pretty shameless cash-in, but the band put a bit more care into Hits to the Head than one would expect. Hits to the Head opts for the latter approach, starting with the very first single that the band ever released (“Darts of Pleasure”) and concluding with two new songs. Typically, greatest hits compilations are put together in one of two ways: they can either be assembled with a “random” tracklist that gives the comp more of the feel of a proper album with songs that flow into one another, or they can be assembled as an encyclopedia entry, playing the songs one after the other in chronological order. And now, in defiance of the age of streaming and self-curated playlists, they’ve gone against the grain again with an honest-to-God greatest hits record in the most conventional way that one could go about it. However, while the band never really went away, their time in the spotlight inevitably did, and rather than shift with the times, they followed their own path and churned out a few more albums of increasingly disco-fied dance-punk regardless of whether or not it was in style. In America, at least, their time in the spotlight was delirious and brief, coinciding with one of the most left-field hit singles in recent memory. It is a perfectly solid alternative rock album with some very good songs, and at the end of the day it signifies the return of one of my favorite bands, and that’s what really matters.For the casual listener, it seems surprising that Franz Ferdinand would have enough songs for a greatest hits album. Overall, “Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action” is not the triumphant return or the magnum opus that fans may yearn for from the band, but maybe we just expect too much from them. The final song, “Goodbye Lovers and Friends” is another classic Franz Ferdinand song that closes off the album very well. The track “Brief Encounters” is a great rock song it has a really cool guitar riff, chorus and even a funky synthesizer bridge that make it stand out well. “Right Thoughts” hits another snag, with “The Universe Expanded,” a faux-psychedelic homage, which just sounds out of place. “Bullet” and “Treason! Animals.” sound like B-sides from the first Franz Ferdinand album, in a very good way. “Stand on the Horizon,” is an arrogant apology song, with the great line “how can I tell you I was wrong?/When I’m the cruelest man you know.” “Fresh Strawberries” is a weak point for the record, with cheesy lyrics about love, coming off just as a token slower song. The album begins with classic Franz Ferdinand tunes, “Right Action,” “Evil Eye,” and “Love Illumination.” All three are very fun to listen to and are welcome on a dance or party playlist. ![]() ![]() Lucky for me, “Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action” is a return to their previous form. ![]() I did, however, have reservations “Tonight” disappointed me because FF ditched their trademark guitar sound for synths. Ever the devoted fan, I was ecstatic and pre-ordered the deluxe version of the album on iTunes. Until the announcement of “Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action” last year, there was no news from the band, and rumors of a breakup circulated the Internet. It has been about six years since that release, and it’s been a tough six years indeed. Part of the post-punk revival with other well-known names like The Kaiser Chiefs and the Arctic Monkeys, their self-titled debut brought us classic songs like “Take Me Out” and “This Fire.” Even though 2007’s “Tonight” was a bit of a drop in quality compared to their first two albums, its dance inspiring, club-beat songs were still pretty fun. The indie-rock band was formed in 2002, and consists of four members. Their second album, “You Could Have It So Much Better,” was one of the first modern albums that I ever bought myself on vinyl, and they were the primary reason that I attended my first Coachella. The Glaswegian post-punk Franz Ferdinand band members are gods.
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