FFS (album)

FFS is the only studio album by Scottish-American supergroup FFS, consisting of members from the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand and the American band Sparks. It was released on 8 June 2015 through Domino. The album was recorded during a 15-day period in late 2014 at RAK Studios in London and was produced by Grammy Award-winning record producer John Congleton. Although the album itself was recorded in 2014, the two bands first met each other in mid-2000s. Upon release, the album received positive reviews from music critics.

Five singles were released from the album: "Piss Off", "Johnny Delusional", "Collaborations Don't Work", "Call Girl", and "Police Encounters".

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Background and recording

Franz Ferdinand and Sparks originally began working on music together in 2004, shortly after the release of Franz Ferdinand's debut studio album, when it was discovered that the two bands were fans of each other. They had sent each other a few demos, one of which was "Piss Off", the twelfth track on FFS, but the two bands were busy with other activities and they were not able to fully record an album together. Nine years later, it was announced that the two bands were both performing at the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. While searching for a dentist in San Francisco, Alex Kapranos, a member of Franz Ferdinand, was found by Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks. The Mael brothers invited the band to watch their set at the festival, and later, the two bands agreed that it was time to record an album together.^[1] FFS was recorded at RAK Studios in London^[2] during a 15-day period in late 2014. It was produced by Grammy Award-winning music producer John Congleton.^[1] The album has been described as art rock,^[3] electropop,^[4] indie pop,^[5] and dance-rock.^[6]

Promotion and release

On the same day the group's formation was announced, they released a 30-second teaser video on their official YouTube channel titled "The Domino Effect", featuring the song "The Power Couple", the tenth song from the album, playing in the background of the video.^[7] "Piss Off" was released as the first single on 1 April 2015.^[8] The music video for "Piss Off" was released later on 7 June.^[9] They also announced that they would be setting out on a three-month tour across Europe on the same day.^[10] "Johnny Delusional" was released as a single on 13 April^[11] and received a music video on 19 May.^[12] "Collaborations Don't Work" was as the third single on 27 April and was first played during the Radcliffe & Maconie programme on BBC Radio 6 Music.^[13] "Call Girl" was released as the fourth single on 28 May^[14] and received a music video on 14 October.^[15] Shortly after, "Police Encounters" was released on 23 October as the album's final single, backed with "Antarctica", a song that was left off of the album.^[16]

FFS was released on 8 June 2015 through Domino.^[8] Listings for the album were eventually available for pre-order on the Domino website. Both standard and deluxe versions were listed, with the deluxe edition featuring four bonus tracks, "So Many Bridges", "King of the Song", "Look At Me", and "A Violent Death". A limited edition red-coloured vinyl release was also listed, with ten copies being signed by the group members themselves.^[17]^[18] On 31 May, the album became available for streaming via the NPR Music website, similar to Franz Ferdinand's previous studio album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action which was also available for streaming on the site.^[19]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	78/100^[20]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[21]
The A.V. Club	B+^[22]
Classic Rock	8/10^[23]
Consequence of Sound	B^[6]
The Guardian	^[24]
The Independent	^[5]
NME	7/10^[25]
Now	^[26]
Pitchfork	7.1/10^[27]
Rolling Stone	^[28]

FFS received positive reviews from music critics. On review aggregator site Metacritic, the album has a score of 78/100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".^[20] At Consequence of Sound, Ryan Bray writes:

It's evident from the outset that things on FFS are going to work out just fine, and the record keeps that momentum flowing largely through to the end. Franz Ferdinand's panicked dance rock gets a new lease, even if it's a mild reinvention. Meanwhile, Sparks are at their quirky best thanks to their newfound collaboration. Both acts insist that FFS isn't a one-off musical play date, that they're invested in the project as a full-time thing. This debut is enough to make you hope both sides make good on that promise.^[6]

Writing for NOW, Carla Gillis writes that:

It might be too weird for the average FF fan – "Dictator's Son" is total nerd prog, for example, and most of the songs take sharp turns – but others will find that the pair-up has revitalised FF's sound and taken it in a far more interesting direction while also giving an overdue spotlight to Sparks. Vocal duties are seamlessly shared between FF's Alex Kapranos and Sparks' Russell Mael, a shockingly smooth passing of the baton in every song.^[26]

At The A.V. Club, Annie Zaleski wrote that the album "seamlessly meshes the sonic styles of the two bands. Jaunty piano, cheeky keyboards, glammy guitars, rhythmic digital jolts and theatrical arrangements lead to music that's akin to a mashup of Broadway musicals, '70s classic rock, and perforated electropop."^[22] Writing for The Independent, Andy Gill wrote that, musically, the album is:

an almost seamless blend of the two groups' styles, variations on a sort of operatic indie-electropop, which recalls variously Freedom of Choice-era Devo, chattering Kraftwerk techno and, in the more melancholy environs inhabited by "Little Guy from the Suburbs", a whiff of Leonard Cohen. Russell Mael's and Alex Kapranos's voices likewise braid pleasingly on their shared songs, while both parties seem to have egged each other on lyrically, with songs about a dictator's son living large, a Japanese girl toting a "Hello Kitty Uzi", and a litany of "Things I Won't Get" that includes both luxuries (a Bentley Arnage), qualities (celebrity) and theories ("Schoenberg and twelve-tone and such"), all supposedly outweighed by the solace of a partner's love.^[5]

Accolades

FFS appeared on three critics' year-end lists. In January 2016, the album was recognized by NME as one of the 16 most "electrifying collaboration LPs".^[29] In June 2016, it was shortlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award.^[30]

Accolades for *FFS*
Country	Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
UK	Daily Record	20 Best Albums of 2015	10	^[31]
UK	The Guardian	The Best Albums of 2015	34	^[32]
UK	Rough Trade	Albums of the Year 2015	23	^[33]

Track listing

*FFS* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Johnny Delusional"	Ron and Russell Mael	3:11
2.	"Call Girl"	Alex Kapranos, Bob Hardy, Nick McCarthy, Paul Thomson, Ron Mael, and Russell Mael	3:21
3.	"Dictator's Son"	Ron and Russell Mael	4:15
4.	"Little Guy from the Suburbs"	Alex Kapranos	5:09
5.	"Police Encounters"	Alex Kapranos, Bob Hardy, Nick McCarthy, Paul Thomson, Ron Mael, and Russell Mael	3:10
6.	"Save Me from Myself"	Ron and Russell Mael	3:57
7.	"Sō Desu Ne"	Alex Kapranos, Ron Mael, Russell Mael	3:52
8.	"The Man Without a Tan"	Alex Kapranos, Bob Hardy, Nick McCarthy, Paul Thomson, Ron Mael, and Russell Mael	3:28
9.	"Things I Won't Get"	Nick McCarthy, Ron Mael, Russell Mael	3:03
10.	"The Power Couple"	Ron and Russell Mael	3:01
11.	"Collaborations Don't Work"	Alex Kapranos, Bob Hardy, Nick McCarthy, Paul Thomson, Ron Mael, and Russell Mael	6:42
12.	"Piss Off"	Ron and Russell Mael	3:55
Total length:			47:04

Deluxe edition tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"So Many Bridges"	Ron and Russell Mael	3:16
14.	"King of the Song"	Alex Kapranos	3:06
15.	"Look at Me"	Ron and Russell Mael	5:43
16.	"A Violent Death"	Alex Kapranos, Ron Mael, Russell Mael	3:51
Total length:			63:00

Personnel

FFS

Alex Kapranos – lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar, keyboards (track 1)
Nick McCarthy – guitar, keyboards, lead vocals (track 9), backing vocals
Bob Hardy – bass guitar, backing vocals
Paul Thomson – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Russell Mael – lead and backing vocals
Ron Mael – keyboards, backing vocals

Production personnel

Greg Calbi – mastering
John Congleton – engineering, mixing (tracks 3–6, 8–16), production
Mike Horner – assistant engineer
Cenzo Townshend – mixing (tracks 1, 2, and 7)

Additional personnel

Matthew Cooper – layout design
David Edwards – photography
Galen Johnson – front cover design

Charts

Chart performance for *FFS*
Chart (2015)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[34]	85
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[35]	36
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[36]	47
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[37]	45
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[38]	13
French Albums (SNEP)^[39]	27
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[40]	22
Italian Albums (FIMI)^[41]	60
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[42]	53
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[43]	19
UK Albums (OCC)^[44]	17
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)^[45]	4
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)^[46]	15
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[47]	22

References

^ ^a ^b "FFS". Domino Recording Company. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
^ "FFS announce details of the release of the first single from their debut album". Domino Recording Company. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
^
The following references cite the album as art rock:
- Kinney, Fergal (11 June 2015). "FFS: FFS – album review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- Taylor, David (1 July 2015). "FFS, FFS album review". The Independent. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- "FFS... Franz Ferdinand and Sparks on why they formed a supergroup". Herald Scotland. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
^
The following references cite the album as electropop:
- "FFS, The Troxy, review: Franz Ferdinand and Sparks collaboration is undeniably brilliant". The Independent. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- Zaleski, Annie (9 June 2015). "Review: With FFS, Franz Ferdinand and Sparks take clever to new levels". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gill, Andy (5 June 2015). "FFS, FFS album review". The Independent. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bray, Ryan (2 June 2015). "FFS – FFS". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ "FFS – The Domino Effect". YouTube. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b Beauchemin, Molly (1 April 2015). "Franz Ferdinand and Sparks Announce Self-Titled Album as FFS". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
^ "FFS – Piss Off (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
^ Goble, Corban (9 March 2015). "Franz Ferdinand and Sparks Form Supergroup FFS". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
^ "Stream the new single from FFS, Johnny Delusional, now". Twitter. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ "FFS – Johnny Delusional (Official Video)". YouTube. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ "BBC Radio 6 Music – Radcliffe and Maconie, FFS". BBC. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ "'Our new single, Call Girl!'". Twitter. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
^ "FFS – Call Girl (Official Video)". YouTube. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
^ "Police Encounters – Single by FFS". iTunes. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
^ "'THE @FFS_MUSIC LPs HAVE LANDED!'". Twitter. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ "'We have 10 signed @FFS_MUSIC LPs up for grabs, pre-order to have a chance of getting one!'". Twitter. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ "'First Listen: FFS (@franz_ferdinand & @sparksofficial), 'FFS". Twitter. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Reviews for FFS by FFS – Metacritic". Metacritic.
^ Phares, Heather (9 June 2015). "FFS – FFS". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b Zaleski, Annie (9 June 2015). "Review: With FFS, Franz Ferdinand and Sparks take clever to new levels". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^ Quantick, David. "FFS: FFS". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
^ Petridis, Alexis (4 June 2015). "FFS: FFS review". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ Beaumont, Mark (3 June 2015). "NME Reviews – FFS – 'FFS'". NME. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b Gillis, Carla (3 June 2015). "Album of the week: FFS (Franz Ferdinand and Sparks)". NOW. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
^ Wolk, Douglas (12 June 2015). "FFS: FFS". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^ Sheffield, Rob (9 June 2015). "FFS's New Album FFS". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^ "Two Artists, One Album – 16 Electrifying Collaboration LPs". NME. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
^ "Shortlist for the 2016 Scottish Album of the Year Award revealed". Herald Scotland. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
^ Fulton, Rick (18 December 2015). "Check out if you agree with our selection of the 20 best albums of 2015.. and our top selection is not Adele". Daily Record. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
^ "The Best Albums of 2015". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
^ "Albums of the Year 2015". roughtrade.com. 25 November 2015. Archived from the original on 5 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
^ Ryan, Gavin (13 June 2015). "ARIA Albums: Muse Debuts At No 1". Noise11. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^ "Austriancharts.at – FFS – FFS" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
^ "Ultratop.be – FFS – FFS" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^ "Ultratop.be – FFS – FFS" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – FFS – FFS" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^ "Lescharts.com – FFS – FFS". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
^ "Italiancharts.com – FFS – FFS". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
^ "Spanishcharts.com – FFS – FFS". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
^ "Swisscharts.com – FFS – FFS". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
^ "Franz Ferdinand Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
^ "Franz Ferdinand Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
^ "Franz Ferdinand Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 May 2022.

External links

FFS at Discogs (list of releases)

v t e Franz Ferdinand
Alex Kapranos Bob Hardy Julian Corrie Dino Bardot Audrey Tait Nick McCarthy Paul Thomson
Studio albums	Franz Ferdinand You Could Have It So Much Better Tonight: Franz Ferdinand Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action Always Ascending
Remix albums	Blood
Video albums	Franz Ferdinand
Compilation albums	Hits to the Head
Extended plays	London Festival '09 Covers
Singles	"Darts of Pleasure" "Take Me Out" "The Dark of the Matinée" "Michael" "This Fire" "Do You Want To" "Walk Away" "The Fallen" / "L. Wells" "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" "Swallow, Smile" "Lucid Dreams" "Ulysses" "No You Girls" "Can't Stop Feeling" "What She Came For" "Die on the Floor / Katherine Hit Me" "Right Action" / "Love Illumination" "Evil Eye" "Bullet" "Fresh Strawberries" "Stand on the Horizon" "Johnny Delusional" "Call Girl" "Police Encounters" "Always Ascending" "Feel the Love Go"
Production	Dan Carey Rich Costey Tore Johansson Alexis Taylor Todd Terje Björn Yttling Philippe Zdar
Related articles	Discography Awards Domino Recording Company Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand The Karelia The Yummy Fur FFS (self-titled album)

v t e Sparks
Ron Mael Russell Mael Jim Mankey Earle Mankey Harley Feinstein Martin Gordon Adrian Fisher Norman "Dinky" Diamond Trevor White Ian Hampton Bob Haag Leslie Bohem David Kendrick Christi Haydon Tammy Glover Dean Menta
Albums	Halfnelson/Sparks A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing Kimono My House Propaganda Indiscreet Big Beat Introducing Sparks Nº 1 in Heaven Terminal Jive Whomp That Sucker Angst in My Pants In Outer Space Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat Music That You Can Dance To Interior Design Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins Plagiarism Balls Lil' Beethoven Hello Young Lovers Exotic Creatures of the Deep The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman Two Hands, One Mouth: Live in Europe Hippopotamus A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
Singles	"This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" "Amateur Hour" "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" "I Want to Hold Your Hand" "The Number One Song in Heaven" "Beat the Clock" "When I'm with You" "I Predict" "Cool Places" "With All My Might" "When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'" "When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing)" "Now That I Own the BBC" "Dick Around" "Johnny Delusional"
Related	Giorgio Moroder Telex Sex (Telex album) Noël Gleaming Spires Les Rita Mitsouko Devo Todd Rundgren Sparks Spectacular Tony Visconti Jane Wiedlin FFS (self-titled album) The Sparks Brothers Annette
Discography

This page was last edited on 9 October 2023, at 13:26

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