Straight out of the Big Apple, Art-Punk/Indie heroes Interpol have blasted their way back onto the charts with their new self- titled album. Earning some serious street-cred, Interpol has gone so far as to impress rock legends U2, as they were awarded slots as openers on this year’s tour. Not only is U2 impressed, but I must say that I am as well. Interpol is very trippy, but you can feel and hear the post-punk attitude and swagger in their music, and it makes a big difference. Confidence and establishment in the music scene has led Interpol to go back to their roots and it works, as their CD is full of heavy, orchestrated, and well arranged music. They are a beautiful mix of styles and backgrounds, and each member of the band intertwines their styles into something entirely new. Prog, post-punk, Indie/Art rock, and even some classical melt together into one sound unlike many others in popular music today.
Guitarist Daniel Kesser earns respect breaking out some excellent riffs, each full of post-punk romance and proves to be one of the few indie-rock guitarists who knows how to get heavy and technical. In addition, he dances a fine line, holding back and keeping mellow when the music calls for it. The lyrics don’t really make sense, but I’m sure they did to somebody when they were written and they fit the music, so I won’t complain. Eerie and haunting, singer Paul Banks croons and pleads over the epic and sweeping synths and guitar in the masterfully composed, “The Undoing.” The real meat and potatoes of the album, however, is found in the epic and trippy cut, “Lights.” The guitar opens the song with some echoing, twangy progression, sounding like a Clint Eastwood classic in outer space.
As far as I’m concerned, Interpol is a real powerhouse of a band, drawing from inspirations like Muse, U2, Incubus and Angels and Airwaves, but miraculously managing to not sound like a rip-off or copy-cat. They are talented musicians, orchestrators, and storytellers, weaving lyrics full of paranoia and longing with music that could have told you the same story almost as easily.
Rating: 3 Stars