Franz Ferdinand: Hipster rock that doesn't suck

It's that time of the year again -- time when rock critics scream out that "such-and-such" band is going to save Rock 'n Roll. We've had The Vines, The Hives, Jet, The Killers and an assortment of other unwashed, pouty young men who look like they dived through a second-hand retail shop for their clothes and are retro-cool with posturing like Mick Jagger.

Thankfully, the better of the bunch right now for me is Franz Ferdinand -- a Scottish group with some interesting guitar work that reminds me of early New Wave rock bands.

Everyone knows the single, "Take Me Out," which gets most of its appeal from a heavy rhythm line that is foreboding and tough in a way. But my favorite singles are '40 -- which has an Asian feeling with the guitar plucking. It's been my favorite song to play with the car windows down and me singing loudly.

I'm also fond of "Dark of the Matinee." The bored, hipster lyrics compliment Franz Ferdinand's style in a way that doesn't annoy me -- in fact, I could imagine myself saying those lyrics in high school to a friend in an attempt to be cooler than what I was.

I normally don't like hipster rock -- it tries to be cooler than everyone and lacks a certain warmth and depth. But in this case, Franz Ferdinand's been fun to listen to and I haven't gotten sick of it yet.