FRANZ FERDINAND: You Could Have It So Much Better (Sony/BMG).

SCOTTISH quartet Franz Ferdinand has graduated from one-album wonder to true contender with a second record that bristles with confidence. The band wears its post-punk influences proudly and delivers angular rifferama, while singer Alex Karpanos provides the cold heart and rock star indifference. Don't expect much warmth on The Fallen, Do You Want To, Evil and a Heathen and the title track, but Franz's danceable metallic crunch is the sound of a band on a mission.

JEFF CRAWFORD