Each day in December, I’ll be reflecting back on a song from the 2000’s. The decade saw the return of post-punk and the popularization of folk music, all while some of music’s biggest acts gained their indie footing. Thankfully, it’s a period that I can look back at fondly without cringing. #31DaysOf2000sSongs
When Franz Ferdinand’s debut album came out, it seemed like the full force of post-punk revival was coming down hard. 2004, in particular, was a year of influential albums from that genre, including Interpol’s Antics, The Killers’ Hot Fuss, The Strokes’ Reptilia and, of course, the self-titled debut album from Franz Ferdinand. That’s some pretty impressive company, yet Franz Ferdinand not only stayed on par, some would say they were the ones with the post-punk revival album of the year. The album was stacked with plenty of strong tracks, including “This Fire”.
I think “Take Me Out” will forever be the magnum opus for the band. That song is hard to surpass in every way. But right there behind it is “This Fire”, a song that was overlooked on the charts, but revered by indie rock fans. The heart of the song is Nick McCarthy’s guitar chords frenetically creeping upward. The soul is the chorus rant where the entire band joins in. While their Glasgow counterparts Belle & Sebastian wrote songs that were perfect for lounging in bed, Franz Ferdinand shoved us out of bed and never failed to get a party started.
“Eyes burning the way through me. Overwhelm, destroying so sweetly. Now there is a fire within me.”