Interviews with members of Interpol preceding the release of their self-titled fourth studio effort may have caused some confusion about the album’s sound. Frontman Paul Banks alluded to something grand and orchestral, while drummer Sam Fogarino saw the album as a reminiscent of their 2002, debut and fan favorite, Turn on The Bright Lights. Luckily, neither was very far off.
Interpol is the band’s most cohesive release since their debut, and while they’ve revoked certain stylistic elements of 2007’s godforsaken Our Love To Admire, they haven’t simply returned to what they know works. The 10 songs on this record display a sense of grandeur that they’ve never had before, as they experiment with piano riffs and hypnotic synth lines in addition to Banks’s trademark gothy drones. Perhaps most impressive is their ability to blend a certain degree of pop sensibility into an album so reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera.
Given the strength of the album, it almost seems that Interpol released lead single “Barricade” to trick listeners into avoiding their new album. The song is choppy and repetitive, and has a chorus that does not invite singing along. This weak link plays halfway through the record, after four of the band’s most shoegaze influenced tunes.
Album opener “Success” proves that while Interpol lacks the ominous crescendos of Turn on the Bright Lights, you shouldn’t quite write them off as the newest mainstream flop. The stark guitars create intricate atmospherics, and Banks’s falsettos are always welcome.
“Memory Serves” follows in a similar vein, and showcases the album’s prominent piano. Sparse chord placement resounds throughout the number, ultimately helping bring the song to a climax and finish.
“Summer Well” and “Try it On” also rely heavily on the piano. In the former, the piano leads the song into a relentless, clashing melody of guitars and the album’s most singalong-worthy chorus. In the latter, guitar riffs are largely replaced with layered piano, creating an atypical, warming sound.
“All of the Ways” may be long-winded, but it redeems itself with an ominous tonality that sounds nothing short of apocalyptic, and in the closing track, “The Undoing,” indecision between the English and Spanish languages culminates in a claustrophobic hustle of nonsensical shouting and layered electronics.
Listeners will surely recognize that Interpol does not have the lasting appeal of Turn on the Bright Lights. But it should also teach us that the Interpol record everyone is waiting for will never come. The band has changed, and with the recent departure of bassist Carlos Dengler, we can’t expect them to ever return to their earlier stylings. Interpol marks the beginning of a new page for the band. We’re just lucky they didn’t stop with Our Love to Admire.
Voice’s Choices: “Summer Well,” “Try it On”
