You Could Have It So Much Better [UK]

Often referred to as Scotland's Interpol, Franz Ferdinand made the scene with a sound that, like its NYC contemporary, owed a huge debt to 1980s post-punk and new wave. That fact, along with the members' snappy outfits and art-school sensibilities, allowed the group to easily slide into a fan-space somewhere between The Strokes and The Rapture. While the Wire influence is still in full effect on the Glasgow quartet's second full-length album, YOU COULD HAVE IT SO MUCH BETTER, there are also big dollops of Beatles, from the throbbing McCartney-esque bass on "The Fallen" to the "Julia"-style vocals on the acoustic ballad "Fade Together." With its clever lyrics and jaunty feel, "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" mines mid-period Kinks territory, while "Walk Away" recalls the clever wordplay and loopy melodies of XTC. Elsewhere, the group refines its melding of frenetic Duran Duran-approved dance rhythms and Duane Eddy-by-way-of-Adam Ant twang guitar, delivering a bracing and high-energy platter of stylish and danceable rock.