With the smash single "Take Me Out" still fresh in the minds of Top 40 fanatics and uber trendy hipsters alike, overnight Scottish superstars Franz Ferdinand follow up their massively successful self-titled debut with the quick sophomore release You Could Have It So Much Better. Not straying too far from the formula that started the goose to laying golden eggs, So Much Better at times almost feels like a carbon copy of last year's blueprint of whip-smart dance punk. However, any time you try to duplicate something the copy always comes off a bit spotty and faded - which is certainly the case with this labored-feeling duplication.. In fact much of You Could Have smacks of major label pressure, to strike while the iron is hot and churn out some more of that radio-friendly magic. Look no further than snoozers like "This Boy" or "Evil And A Heathen" to see exactly what I mean.

You Could Have It So Much Better is actually best when Alex Kapranos and company tone down the razor sharp guitars, taking cues from mellower influences like Orange Juice on "Walking Away" and The Beatles on the double headed beast of "Fade Together" and "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" respectively. (could that Eleanor be Alex's former flame Eleanor Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces? Inquiring minds want to know!) Even though the previously mentioned toned downed tracks are the better part of So Much Better, there are still a few dance punky numbers that are sheer ear candy. First single "Do You Want To" is a treat with its tongue in cheek homoerotic tendencies. And sure to be second single and album opener "The Fallen" is the barn burner of the bunch with its la la la's and whoo hoo's firmly in place. "I'm Your Villain" with its cocksure marching beat and mid-song tempo change should also end up becoming a fan favorite. But even with the few things that excel on this album, it's too bad it all comes off sounding so forced and rushed - though it's not a fall-on-your-face disaster by any means, you can't help but recognize that we could have had it so much better..