Maybe you shouldn't take this one out

Of all the titles heaped upon Franz Ferdinand after their out-of-nowhere 2004 debut, the least fitting was probably "the Scottish Interpol." Whereas Interpol's songs were often jarring, psychological and laden with hilariously bad lyrics, Franz Ferdinand were jangly, peppy, clever and, in the words of a friend of mine, "sassy." \nThough it wore out its welcome pretty quickly, their self-titled debut turned heads and spawned a massive hit with "Take Me Out" -- it must have been a hit since it's been featured on the newest version of Kidz Bop. Now they're back, and most likely keenly aware of the scrutiny that most sophomore albums receive. You Could Have It So Much Better, due out October 4, is, if nothing else, extremely polished.\nThe opener "Fallen" is at once ironic post-punk and Kinks-esque pop fireworks. It only gets sharper from there -- the single "Do You Want To" starts with a muted bridge and then explodes into one of the best sing-along riffs of the year. Maybe to broaden their appeal, the lyrics follow in the less-than-veiled homoerotic vein of "Michael" ("Well, he's a friend and we're so proud of you/your famous friend, well. I blew him before you"). "This Boy" is nothing new: though uninventive, it is quick-paced, simply structured and well-produced.\nTo be honest, the sassiness has only increased exponentially, as have the angular guitars that sometimes come across as a more sanitized Gang of Four sound. Still, it's nice they've started to venture into less speed-crazed territory with songs like "Walk Away," "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" and "Fade Together" -- the latter two sound very Beatles-esque, and the former sounds kind of like Electronic.\nThe lack of change is probably not a bad thing from a commercial perspective -- the success of bands like the Killers and the Bravery (all of which have copped the jingle-jangle neo-wave sound and have at least one sexually ambiguous song -- it's a formula, I swear) prove that the genre is viable. It helps that Franz Ferdinand does it best, too -- songs like "You're the Reason I'm Leaving" are extremely solid and will force you to at least tap your feet. "What You Meant" has a chorus riff that breaks out of its sleepy verse and turns heads. The buildup to the chorus of "I'm Your Villain" is jaw-dropping (even if the chorus sucks).\nThere was a hint of promise in the last track of their first record that brought to mind the most creative elements of Blur and Pulp. That hint returns a few times on this record (especially on the last track, which is great), but on a whole it's buried in variations on their 4/4 hopscotch-pop song template. But if you're looking for smart pop, that's no big deal.