CD Review – Interpol: Interpol

Interpol
Interpol
Matador

It isn’t easy being Interpol.

One of the original and most successful New York bands of the post-punk revival in the early 2000s, their debut record Turn on the Bright Lights was of the best albums of the last decade – a grand, atmospheric album of desperate longing, eroticism, and post-9/11 anxiety.

Ever since then, it’s been a downhill slope for Interpol, and the band’s two subsequent albums failed to connect with audiences in the same way as that first brilliant record.

Their fourth record, Interpol sounds incredible. It recaptures the sense of texture and grandeur long absent from their releases. “Lights” and “Summer Well” are two of the best songs the band has written in years and, are reminiscent of past favorites such as “Leif Erikson” and “Obstacle 1.” Vocalist Paul Bank’s lyrics maintain their vague sense of mystery, without lapsing into embarrassment as they did on Our Love to Admire’s “No I in Threesome.”

If there is one disappointing aspect to this record, it’s that Carlos Dengler’s bass playing is barely present, and it used to take such prominence. Otherwise, Interpol is a restatement of purpose for the band and a step towards those bright lights of the past.

Christian Hardy
A&C Editor

Featured tracks:

"Lights"

"Summer Well"