Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand's relatively quick rise is no hype job. They have arrived fully-formed, that rare combination of great hooks, smart looks, live prowess and swagger -- without all that messy pretension. Their songs are a delectable mix of rock, pop, disco and postpunk, a band not afraid to combine the nervy guitar funk of The Talking Heads and Orange Juice, the off-beat hi-hat accents of Moroder-era Blondie and the glam stomp of The Fall. HUGE hooks, I tell you. I mean, huge. Already a massive European hit with over 200K sold, and spreading fast.