Scottish band Franz Ferdinand's new album Tonight was released yesterday to mixed reviews of what the band agrees is a shift towards synthesizers and dance pop.

"There's a little bit more synthesizer, a little bit more bass, but it's really Franz Ferdinand," lead singer Alex Kapranos said before a gig at a record store in central London.

Sales of Tonight, the first big British album release of the year on the independent Domino label, will give music executives an early taste of what is in store.

UK album sales fell 3.2% in 2008, a smaller than expected decline and stronger than the double-digit drop in the key US market last year. Singles, boosted by digital downloads, jumped 33% in Britain.