I am SOOO behind on reading the digests, so forgive and ignore me if
this has been dealt with, but what's the general consensus on Franz
Ferdinand?

I just happened across this one lately, and find myself listening to it
a lot. I like the fact that they are being inspired by so many different
bands and end up mashing those inspirations together into a single song.
I can see where their regular changes in tempo/mood will probably drive
some people crazy, but I like the fact that the songs have a tendency to
veer off into odd tangents, seemingly on a whim. I see it as having so
much to say that they just can't limit themselves.

I really like the song "Matinee."  Right now, it's about my favorite
single so far (but then again, there's a lot of new music I haven't had
the time to listen to yet).