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defrogThe term “supergroup” may have commanded a kind of respect back in the days when it applied to any late 60s band that had Eric Clapton in it. These days, “supergroup” is the equivalent of a warning label – what sounds great on paper may not work well in practice. Sometimes you get something truly more than the sum of its parts (Traveling Wilburys, Audioslave, Them Crooked Vultures). Sometimes you get Bad English, Velvet Revolver and Chickenfoot. They may sell well, but how many people still listen to that first Asia album?
(There’s also a question of what counts as a supergroup – I’ve seen Journey, Bad Company, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Foo Fighters listed as supergroups, but I’m not sure they count. It’s probably a generational thing – for people my age, a supergroup should be comprised of members of other groups that are famous and successful enough on their own. Like Damn Yankees. Or Power Station. Or Temple Of The Dog or something.)
Anyway, all of this is to say that Sparks and Franz Ferdinand have teamed up for an album. Which may sound like an odd mix, but it’s actually not. Both have a knack for social observation that you can dance to. And … well, that’s good enough reason, isn’t it?
They’re calling themselves FFS (which is both an acronym and an in-joke), and the resulting album – which apparently has been in the works for years – is a lot more than FF simply serving as the Mael brothers’ backing band. Sometimes it sounds more Sparks than FF, and sometimes vice versa, and yet it all flows more or less seamlessly.
Take the lead-off track, which honestly would be at home on a new Sparks record or a new FF record.
Listen.
So on the whole, it works rather well, though with the usual caveat that some songs are a little stronger than others. Also, opinions will probably vary based on how you feel about both bands – I know people who dig Sparks but can't stand FF and vice versa, so who knows what they’ll make of this.
For myself, I’m a fan of both bands, and I’m digging it.
Paging Mr Delusional,
This is dF
(There’s also a question of what counts as a supergroup – I’ve seen Journey, Bad Company, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Foo Fighters listed as supergroups, but I’m not sure they count. It’s probably a generational thing – for people my age, a supergroup should be comprised of members of other groups that are famous and successful enough on their own. Like Damn Yankees. Or Power Station. Or Temple Of The Dog or something.)
Anyway, all of this is to say that Sparks and Franz Ferdinand have teamed up for an album. Which may sound like an odd mix, but it’s actually not. Both have a knack for social observation that you can dance to. And … well, that’s good enough reason, isn’t it?
They’re calling themselves FFS (which is both an acronym and an in-joke), and the resulting album – which apparently has been in the works for years – is a lot more than FF simply serving as the Mael brothers’ backing band. Sometimes it sounds more Sparks than FF, and sometimes vice versa, and yet it all flows more or less seamlessly.
Take the lead-off track, which honestly would be at home on a new Sparks record or a new FF record.
Listen.
So on the whole, it works rather well, though with the usual caveat that some songs are a little stronger than others. Also, opinions will probably vary based on how you feel about both bands – I know people who dig Sparks but can't stand FF and vice versa, so who knows what they’ll make of this.
For myself, I’m a fan of both bands, and I’m digging it.
Paging Mr Delusional,
This is dF
