Fans of the brooding, warped strains of 'Ulysses' might have felt a bit put out when Franz Ferdinand re-entered the foray of ingenuous indie dancefloor fillers with 'No You Girls', but the truth is that Franz Ferdinand has always straddled angular cultural commentary and singalong art-pop jitterstomp with lascivious relish. 'Can't Stop The Feeling' falls somewhere between these two stones.
A squelchy synth motif opens, and the song slides into a silky smooth bassline, with Kapranos delivering in that languid and suggestive tone he has made his calling card. Sparse guitars are a welcome addition to this edgy and suspicious party, while paranoia sweats from the walls. The vocals are hypnotic, both in tone and the mind-boggling repetition of the word 'feel'.
If there's one thing fans have come to expect from the Franz, it's those Kapranos chants rising to a raucous crescendo chorus, but here the listener is thrown off the scent. Instead of a chorus, you are hit with that squelch-tastic synth riff again.
The deduction is that this will sound just at home emanating from the sound system of a packed indie club as it will residing on a loop in your mind's playlist. Can't stop, indeed.
Rating: 4/5