Pitchfork

Alex Kapranos has a little trouble with the pacing of this song, which Franz Ferdinand wrote for the forthcoming film Hallam Foe, which is based on Peter Jinks' 2001 novel of the same name. "Hallam Foe, Dandelion Blow" calls for something halfway between singing and speaking, but Kapranos sounds best singing fast and strong. Reverb-drenched guitar and piano are the only instruments for most of this track, and sadly, Kapranos sounds a bit naked without more aggressive backup.

Franz's accompanying blog entry says, "Sexual tension, voyeurism, dark humour, Scotland and death are themes of the film-- all of which seem good ingredients for a song by the Ferdinand." But the lyrics are also uncharacteristically sentimental, and lines like, "When you leave/ You're a dandelion blown on the breeze," aren't exactly indicative of something more sinister lurking underneath.

Stream: > Franz Ferdinand: "Hallam Foe, Dandelion Blow" [MySpace]
[from the Hallam Foe soundtrack; out later this year on Domino]