Rockers stay moody on self-titled album
Paul Banks has the second most ominous voice in indie rock today (Tom Smith of Editors takes first prize). While Interpol has surely crafted valuable tracks in the past the part of them that is most singularly Interpol is Banks’s cavernous, almost nefarious bellow. And after three roughly similar records we’re left with the question: can Paul Banks possibly brood any harder?
He can, and does, on the band’s recent self-titled record. However, said deepening is not a product of a change in his voice but rather of a fuller backing sound. Here, drums are heavier, guitars are more spectacular and basses have more drive. We even get the added bonuses of pianos in the distance (on “Lights”) and some sort of atmospheric orchestra (on “Always Malaise”). In short, Interpol has achieved a certain fullness of sound that adds yet another emotional component to their already poignant catalogue. Even if Interpol’s emotional dial seems to have notches at only Anger and Lament, the spectrum between these two settings has become surprisingly richer. We’ve heard Banks get worked up before, but that doesn’t make album standout “Barricade” feel any less powerful.
Interpol’s fellow Indie Rock poster children, The Strokes, have experienced a similar graduation from lo-fi to fullness; the band’s First Impressions of Earth is a far cry from their crackly debut, Is This It? We’ve also seen the bands’ respective critical acclaims slip down as these changes occur. Though Interpol is a solid album it does sound quite a bit like their past work, which makes you wonder: if a band makes a name for themselves on a single sound, can they ever break away from it and try something new? But this is only a minor contextual gripe about an otherwise moving album.
INTERPOL
Interpol
Sounds Like: Practically everything else by Interpol
99-Cent Download: ““Barricade”
Good For: The soundtrack of your evil lair
3.5 Stars
