Franz delayed

3rd album for the Scottish rockers on hold until Jan

23 July 2008 - Franz Ferdinand have given us the lowdown on their latest album saying that it's almost finished, but according to reports it will not be out until January.

Speaking exclusively to 6 Music at Latitude festival last weekend (18-20 July) the band said that the recording process is finished but their third album still needs to be mixed.

They also divulged some juicy details on The Cribs/Johnny Marr’s new material and explained why they split with their former producer Brian Higgins.

The Cribs’ preview

Franz Ferdinand recently played a gig with The Cribs in Italy, getting a sneaky preview of the Yorkshire trio’s new material.

Their recent collaborator, the former Smiths’ guitarist Johnny Marr, was not performing with The Cribs at that gig in Ferrara - but the Franz frontman explained how he got an exclusive listen of their new tracks.

Alex Kapranos said: “Ross played me a few songs that they’d recorded with Johnny, about four or five songs and they sound amazing.

“He had them on his ipod and it was funny because the guitars were panned hard right and left and it’s amazing - in one ear you’ve got this very distinctive Johnny Marr style, and in the left ear you’ve got this very distinctive Ryan Jarman style. It’s cool, it really works,” he said.

"It’s amazing - in one ear you’ve got this very distinctive Johnny Marr style, and in the left ear you’ve got this very distinctive Ryan Jarman style."
Alex Kapranos

Plans for producing

Having produced The Cribs’ last record and major label debut in 2007, Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever , Kapranos told 6 Music that he will not be involved anymore because of their touring commitments.

But he’d still like to get stuck into some more producing work after the next Franz Ferdinand album comes out, saying: “I’d love to do more producing. We built a studio in Glasgow as well which was where we recorded all of this record.”

And Kapranos had some idea as to who he hopes to work with: “I was talking to Sons And Daughters recently and I’d love to go in and record them.

“And Panico, the band from Chille, who are now in Paris, that we toured with recently - I’d love to record them. If there’s a band that excites me and thinks it could work with me then I’d love to, it’s just a case of time as for a while we’re gonna be busy touring,” he explained.

No love lost with their old producer

Franz Ferdinand split with their former producer Brian Higgins – who’s famed for his commercial work with the likes of Girls Aloud, Sugababes and Kylie Mingogue - to record their forthcoming album and Kapranos explained why.

He said: “Brain’s a really great guy and the stuff that they do down at Xenomania is unique and there’s nobody else really doing stuff like that, but they have a completely different way of working from us.”

But the parting of ways was seemingly amicable, as Kapranos said: “While it was fun to hang out together, it didn’t really work. I still get the odd email from Brian and they’re doing interesting things, but not with us.”

Georgie Rogers