Following their critically-acclaimed 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights, the New York quartet Interpol has emerged as one of today’s premier indie-rock acts. A few vocal critics, however, have harshly labeled the band as unimaginative because its particular mix of brooding guitar rock and dark lyrics bore more than a passing resemblance to 1970’s post-punk acts like Joy Division and Television. Interpol clearly took this criticism to heart when producing Antics, its sophomore effort, attempting to carve out its own sound and distinguish itself from its influences.
The album’s first single, “Slow Hands,” illustrates the group’s new direction. The song’s tempo is noticeably faster than any of the tracks off Bright Lights. Also, the bass is given much more emphasis and keyboards are added to the mix. Still present, however, are Interpol’s signature two-part guitar harmonies. The result of these elements is a driving, danceable song that resembles a gloomy Strokes’ tune.
Pulsating beats, harmonic guitars and lead singer Paul Banks’ raw voice make up the standard formula for the album. This pattern never becomes monotonous, though, as each song has its own distinguishably brooding yet beautiful melody. This blueprint is best realized on “Narc,” one of Antics’ standout tracks. A catchy lead guitar riff is repeated during the verse as Banks sings a tale of love and infidelity. After a minute, the keyboard and a second guitar enter, slowly building tension behind the vocals, “Baby, you can see that the gazing eye won’t lie / don’t give up your lover tonight,” until chords and distortion seamlessly flow into the chorus.
Interpol diverges from this pattern only twice on the album on two noticeably slowed-down songs. Their lagging guitar and bass lines lack the power and appeal of the other songs, ultimately resulting in a pair of boring tracks. These songs aside, Antics is an excellent, entertaining album that introduces several new elements to Interpol’s sound without discarding the characteristics that made Turn on the Bright Lights such a great album.
