Interpol’s eponymous fourth album makes it clear from its album cover that a theme of falling apart will certainly be a part of the music. It has been a tough time for the band, as bassist and key member Carlos Denger left the band following the recording of this album. It seems the music and the artwork show this rift quite obviously.
Interpol has always been a dark band, and they do not stray far from their style. Most critics compare them to Joy Division, but I feel just as Muse got the “Radiohead monkey” off of their back with each subsequent album, Interpol sounds less like Joy Division then when they started out. The layers of guitar are still present on this album, and there are very few riff-oriented songs. Dengler’s bass riffs seem a little lost in the mix, which may be a reason for his departure, among others.
Some of the upbeat songs are when Interpol is at their best. “Success” starts the album off with a punch and the next few tracks are very strong. “Lights” was released for free earlier during the year and raised some eyebrows among fans. I personally love it, and it was one of the first Interpol songs I heard. I credit it with getting me into the band in the first place. It’s a slow builder that climaxes with the ending lyrics repeated for around a minute.
First single “Barricade” is also very different compared to the rest of the album, it’s easily the poppiest song, but it’s very enjoyable. The ending is also very beautiful and a little unexpected because of the music before it.
One of the main strengths of this album are Paul Banks’ vocals. They are a lot less monotonous then in previous albums. His range is a lot more impressive, especially in some of the background vocals that are mixed in with the lead. At times these background vocals sounded like Damon Albarn to me. The more frequent use of piano is also a good change for the band. “Try It On” is one of my favorites on the album because of the addicting little piano riff mixed with the great drumming.
One of the negatives however is that the last few songs on the album really drag it down, and sound very grey. In general the songs on this album do blend together a little too much as well. There are not as many different little things to pick up on like on “Turn On The Bright Lights”, but it is still a pretty good album in my book. Fans of the “TOTBL” will probably enjoy this album, just not as much. Either way, it seems as if Interpol has come full circle in the past eight years, and it will be interesting to see if they can change again to remain relevant.
7/10
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