Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights
(Matador)
When it comes to reviewing for fakejazz.com, it's not uncommon for CDs by artists you're totally unfamiliar with to come across your desk. Naturally, these discs will range from being exceptionally good to very, very bad. A few months back Interpol's self-titled EP came across my desk and I looked at it with some trepidation at first. Matador has been able to put some really great stuff out over the years, but the last few years they've been focusing more on some flavors of electronic music that haven't really done all that much for me. I was worried that Interpol would be along the electronic lines, especially with the euro-sounding band name, but tossed the disc in regardless. Rock music greeted my ears, rock music from a good twenty-ish years ago. The guitar sounds, song structures and vocal work were all reminiscent of the moodier British rock of the early eighties infused with a definite punk rock attitude. I got all of this from simply hearing three impressive songs. Turn on the Bright Lights is the band's first full-length release, and it keeps that same high standard.
After having only heard the band's self-titled Matador EP, I was left with the definite impression that the Interpol boys went into the studio with the main purpose of simply rocking with little time for other forms of expression. That impression was a pretty easy one to grasp since that disc featured the up-tempo rocker "PDA" along with the slow-build of "The Specialist." "NYC" was definitely moody and much slower than the other tracks, but that's exactly why it fit so perfectly between the two other tracks. It took little more than a couple of listens to Turn on the Bright Lights to figure out that the band is actually more about being pensive although they aren't afraid to rock out from time to time. The album starts with one of the band's more atmospheric numbers, "Untitled," where a slow echoing guitars builds up into a much more bottom-heavy progression. Banks' vocals will immediately strike you as being both distinctive and vaguely reminiscent. There is a definite similarity present, but it starts and stops there, or at least it does for me. The track's tone and pace remain at an even keel once the whole band has joined in, but what a pleasant little bass-rumbling and temolo-guitar filled world it is. Fade into the straight up rock of "Obstacle 1." Edgy one-note guitar work punctuate sharp snare snaps, and Banks vocals are accented by Carlos D's very accomplished bass work. Very nicely done. "NYC" follows and brings the tone and pace straight back down to the realm of the slow. Working to calm things in the same way that it did on the EP, the track seems to fit in even better at this point. Banks' lyrics and delivery are perfect as they set up a love/hate relationship with New York. It's not every day that you get to hear the subways described as pornography, but it works wonderfully as used here: "the subway is a porno / the pavements, they are a mess / I know you've supported me for a long time / but somehow I'm not impressed."
"PDA" rocks out next and provides the album's highest energy content. Punk and rock energy is summoned straight from the late seventies and early eighties and poured straight into this number. The vibe is simply infectious — just try to not get pulled in after you've heard it a couple of times. "Say Hello to the Angels" keeps the record rocking and within 40 seconds the record's most addictive guitar line slaps you right across your face. We're talking about a fulfilling and meaty guitar line here, not some weak-ass attempt. As expected, after getting two consecutive rockers, it's time for the band to bring the tone back down. "Hands Away" isn't exactly slow, but it's a much moodier and more somber number than basically all of the songs preceding it. Banks' vocals are much lower in the mix than the instruments for a change, and the keyboard work is almost (but not quite) creepy. The band's groove is one that could have gone on for a good eight or so minutes, but they cut it and leave it in a more manageable fashion. "Obstacle 2" follows and picks the pace back up a bit. Banks' narrator starts by telling his companion that he's "gonna pull in close / gonna wrap you up tight / gonna play with the braids that you came here with tonight" and "I'm going to hold your face / and toast the snow that fell." These lyrics are particularly menacing on their face, but the delivery makes these words seem almost like some sort of threat. The rest of the track builds confidently and tightly around this theme.
As it should be evident from its title alone, "Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down" is the album's centerpiece. Clocking in at six and a half minutes, some sort of strange, sad sex-obsessed but ultimately compelling tale unravels over Sam Fogarnio's constantly rolling drum work. We have a central character who walks around town obsessed with herself, her image while needing the attention desperately. As the song progresses, the chorus and bridge are both infinitely catchy. Near the end Banks refers to the title character as his "Benneton sex toy" who "dived down down in the sea," you can't help but smile.
"Roland" kicks the pace back up and acts as the album's final fast rock song. It's not particularly noteworthy, but definitely not bad. "The New" and "Leif Erickson" follow and collectively end the record on a slower and somewhat introspective note. These songs demonstrate the manner in which Banks can effectively use his voice as an additional instrument that can definitely help generate a mood. Between the natural sound of his voice and the slight effects laid over it, the songs definitely evoke that hazy period of night between three and four AM where the darkness may or may not be fading and your mental acuity is typically hand in hand. It really works.
With Turn on the Bright Lights Interpol has released an amazingly solid debut album. The sound isn't completely new, but it is fresh in relationship to the rest of what else is out there in the world of rock these days. Take a chance on something new with this one, and I think you'll be pleased.
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