According to Thomas Mann, ‘Great artists are great invalids’.

…a theory that would see Franz Ferdinand sitting in the waiting room of fame, with their tatty cardigans and NHS style, just itching for some full-blown disease to come along and murder them to sky-high super fame. Possibly the spleen cracking catalyst of invalidity will be called ‘Take Me Out’.

Ignoring the fact that the first 50 seconds are a seemingly entirely unrelated other song, ‘Take Me Out’ is a work of sheer clanging wonder, held together by the best spazzmo guitar riff you could hope to hear in 2004, and it cries the words of ‘great indie’. It’s twice as good as ‘Darts Of Pleasure’, and gives a broad hint that the new year could be their great year of sickness. Here’s hoping.