| CD REVIEW Interpol |
 |
|
Band : Interpol Darned, I was só sure I'd come against this New York City based Indie Rock band before, but when I checked I found no material by the band in my collection. Would've been possible though, as this is the band's 4th full-length release since their 2002 debut album Turn the Bright Lights On (issued through Matador Records, the second album on that label being 2004's Antics,and 2007's Our Love To Admire was released through major label Capitol Records), following several EPs between 1998 and 2001 and a self-titled EP (actually their first release for Matador). Formed in 1997, the band's been through a couple of line-up changes, one even very recently. Of the original members...singer/ guitarist Paul Banks, guitarist/ singer Daniel Kessler, bassist/ keyboardist Carlos Dengler, and drummer Greg Drury...only the two guitarists remain. Drury was the first to leave in 2000 (to focus on his other band Hot Cross and his Plane Records label) and has since been replaced by Sam Fogarino. Following the recordings of the new album, Kessler decided to decamp to pursue personal projects. That leaves the band officially as a threesome, even though they recruited bassist David Pajo (formerly of Slint and many other acts) and keyboardist/ backing singer Brandon Curtiss (of The Secret Machines) for touring purposes. Over the years the band has gained some growing popularity. While the debut album was slow in the uptake saleswize (in spite of critical acclaim), it did sell around 300,000 copies by the time their sophomore album arrived. That one sold 350,000 units in its first month of release, and saw the band earn 3 Top 40 hits in the UK (“Slow Hands” charting at #36, “Evil” at #18, and “C'mere” at #19). Gold status for the album was reached in the UK first, then in the US. The second album's success is certainly due for a large part in the band's unrelenting touring (more than 18 months, including a number of shows as supports to U2 and The Cure) to promote it. The positive sales were due to attract the attention of major labels, and the move to Capitol Records was not an unexpected one (even though there were strong rumours about Interscope at the time). The rest of the story is predictable: the band's album for that label must not 've moved as many copies as its money-greedy manager types had expected (in spite of the band touring the summer festival circuit throughout the Us and Europe for starters), and the band was therefore dropped! Work on the material for the new album was started as early as March 2009, and in interviews the band's members sent out somewhat contrary signals: Fogarino referred to the new material as having gone back to the original sound of the band's debut album, a statement later contradicted by Banks, whom said it would sound nothing like their debut album, and that one could expect some very “classical stuff going on” with it! Whatever the case, I have no means to check those claims. All I know is, that each listening session I've gave the album was like the first...while I enjoyed the music well enough, there wasn't anything that clung to my mind enough in order to be remembered the next time. And, I know, although most of you would say that is not a very positive statement, I would like to contradict that with the fact that the material never bored me for an instance! Nay, what it means is I need many more sessions with the album in order to be able to let all its details sink in. You know, time I do not hàve at this moment, because so many other albums are still awaiting to be reviewed! In short, what I heard were shards of Post-Shoegazer, interesting passages with seeming simple exteriors, but with nice intricacies underneath...stuff that takes quite a while to analize overall! If you're in for it, at the moment you can give the complete album (oh, and in the US it is again released through Matador, I hear) a listen (or more) at myspace.cominterpol! Then, there's an upcoming possibility to witness the band in live conditions real soon, as the guys areagain on tour in promotion of the album. At the moment of writing they're still in the US, but Nov. 12 sees the first leg of their European tour (shows in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Holland's HMH in Amsterdam on Nov. 21) before crossing the Channel for a full tour of the UK (until Dec. 7). The guys then step on a plane to Australia for a tour over there with shows into early January. That leaves out Belgium so far, but the band returns to Europe in March for further shows in the Northern parts of our continent, and the trip is ended on March 16 with a visit to Antwerp's Lotto Arena. Ooh...before I forget: the album's also available on limited edition 12-inch vinyl, namely as normal 33 rpm LP and as double 45 rpm EP...both including a digital download code! 85/100 Tony. |