The ascent of Franz Ferdinand must be a surprise to even the band themselves. They appear to have suddenly become the great white hope for the future of British rock music yet their primary influence is fellow Scots Josef K, a collective whose penchant for angular guitars, funk influences and "difficult" personas were never likely to win anything but cult acclaim. Yet twenty years on their riffs are now dressed up as indie pop-rock tunes. Nevertheless there is much to rejoice on their self-titled debut, not least 'Take Me Out'; beginning with the intensity of a Joy Division track the song contorts itself into three different melodies. This inventive streak can also be witnessed on fellow singles 'Dark Of The Matinee' and 'Darts Of Pleasure' whilst 'Cheating On You' and 'This Fire' burn with visceral energy. Yet this is hardly a classic album; the material within has a tendency to become dry and one-dimensional. As is often the case, Franz Ferdinand are a band who aren't quite worthy of the lavish media attention they have acquired but they do have certain qualities; not least of which is providing Josef K with long overdue respect.