Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses

After a seeming eternity out of the spotlight following the artistic sideways move that was You Could Have It So Much Better, the pressure is on Franz Ferdinand to release the classic album they've threatened since that promising 2004 debut. From the outset, it's clear that Ulysses marks a change from their signature sound. An unashamedly funky bassline builds up to layers of fuzzy, glitchy synth, while Alex Kapranos yelps his way through the verses and howls the chorus in a voice that's one part Blur backing vocals, two parts dodgy Glaswegian Prince impression.

It sounds like the band are attempting to ditch their cerebral, starched-collar art-rock past and embrace stadium-ready tunes once and for all. Yet it's an uneasy transition for a band whose art is about artifice - the knowing wink, the carefully arched eyebrow - and there's something awkward and ultimately hollow-sounding about Franz's attempt at world domination.