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The Franchise - "To The Rescue" CD

For all my ranting and raving about liking creepy horror movie scores and ear-shattering metal music, I do have to admit to loving the "quirky" school of music. Music that ranges from the mainstream styling of Weird Al Yankovic to the Gen X sensibility of They Might Be Giants, to say nothing of my strange attraction to bombastic show tunes… Okay, now that I think about it, I tend to like any form of music that makes my head bob and feet stomp… Um, except country, damn do I hate country "music"...

Anyway...

I received a copy of The Franchise's newest (and I believe second) release To The RescueThe cover displays a group of costumed saviors defending the Capital against a giant squid. Dang, talk about knowing all the correct Geek buttons to hit... Superheroes and giant monsters, good start! The Franchise describe themselves as a mix between college years REM, early U2, and They Might Be Giant with a smattering of punk style. And, as strange as that may sound, it really does work and is in no way pretentious. The Franchise clearly love the inspiration behind their music. There is little to no irony within their lyrics. Living in Portland, the home of ironic entertainment, this is a very refreshing departure.

With titles like Superhero, Rorschach (the character, not the test - AD), Where the Sidewalk Ends, and Geek Chic one would think you had to be a basement dwelling dice tossers to enjoy this CD. Not true. While your enjoyment will definitely deepen if you are able to catch all the references with To The Rescue, you do not need to be of the Geek persuasion to enjoy the fun lyrics and catchy melodies. In the immortal words of Dick Clark, "It had a catchy tune and you can dance to it.".

Musically, The Franchise are a little rough. However, some of that can be attributed to lower produce costs that is the hallmark of any band's early works. Still, their sound is crisp and is definitely one of the more entertaining albums I've listened to in a good long while. So much so, that I hopped onto CD Baby and order their first release The Sound and the Furry. Give The Franchise a listen, I think you will enjoy their musical trek through the Geek world.

I give The Franchise’s To The Rescue 3.5 of out 5 Critical Hits!

Find their CD at CD Baby.