"Collaborations Don't Work," goes a puckish epic toward the end of Franz Ferdinand & Sparks' first album together, but this is the rare one that keeps the different flavors vivid and distinct in the brew. FFS sounds exactly like you'd imagine they sound: the circling melodies of Sparks' arch art-pop wrapped snugly around Franz Ferdinand's muscular, bouncy '00s post-punk. On tracks like "The Power Couple," the Scots' malevolent sashay complements the Los Angelenos' acid lyrics well enough to briefly convince you that this is the real band -- that its constituent parts are only side projects.