Kapranos brands American bands 'bland'

Alex Kapranos has admitted that Franz Ferdinand's music may not go down too well in America due to the nation's bland listening habits.

The Scottish band's frontman feels that the fact that American rock is so 'samey' does not bode well for their widespread success across the Atlantic because his group have a more quirky, interesting sound.

Warners quote him as saying: "It's easy to get discouraged sometimes when you listen to American rock radio because everything is so bland, so self-referential.

"Obviously there are exceptions, but most bands stay within such boring boundaries. They don't pay attention to what's happening in hip-hop or other fields. It's like the stations are playing the same record 24 hours a day.

"But I've heard so many great bands from America over the years that I know there's an audience for something else, and that's what we feel at the shows - a hunger for that."