Interpol
Groups get together and break up. It's a constant process. So where do you go and what do you do if you're looking to join a group? Well, there's taking out an ad in a music paper or hanging around a music store or a record store. Drummer Sam Fogarino did the latter. Both he and the members of Interpol frequented the same store. So when Interpol's drummer left, they asked Fogarino to join. Pays to have contacts.
New York University students; U.K. native Paul Banks (vocals/guitar), Daniel Kessler (guitar) and Carlos Dengler (bass) got together in '98. The group nursed its live act for a couple years before Fogarino joined. They participated in a compilation project ("Fukd I.D." series) which helped build their U.K. following. Successful appearances in the U.K. and France resulted.
Interpol nailed a Matador contract and released their self-titled debut EP in '02. Later that year, their full-length album "Turn On The Bright Lights" arrived. Two years down the road, Interpol issued their sophomore CD, "Antics" with "Evil," "Narc" "C'mere" and "Slow Hands."
Interpol unfurled their third album but first major-label (Capitol/EMI Records) effort, "Our Love To Admire" in the summer, '07. The 11 track album contained the single "The Heinrich Maneuver."
Banks, working under the name Julian Plenti, released his '09 debut solo album "Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper." With help from Interpol's Fogarino and others, the set was recorded in Brooklyn (Seaside Lounge) and Manhattan (Electric Lady Studios) and came out on Matador (the same label that had issued Interpol's early work).
In May, '10, Interpol announced they had parted ways with Carlos D. (Dengler). He left following the completion of the group's self-titled fourth album "to follow another path, and to pursue new goals."
Interpol was slated to open for U2 on the '10 leg of the Irish band's 360° trek. But during rehearsals Bono suffered a serious spine injury that derailed those plans.
Instead Interpol was able reschedule a tour to promote their latest release. Joining them was bassist Dave Pajo and Secret Machine's keyboardist Brandon Curtis.
"Interpol" marked the group's return to the Matador imprint. One of the key tracks was "Success" which according to Banks was "about the foibles of fame and narcissism."
Interpol's preferred mode of operation is to have one guitar play a repetitive figure as the rhythm section kicks in. A second guitar adds atmosphere or propels the song forward - often both. Then Banks enters the fray with David Bowie influenced lines that deal with relationships, the fallout and loneliness. Reminiscent of the Psychedelic Furs, Interpol regularly achieves that same ethereal quality.
"Turn On The Bright Lights" has a trio of sharp Rockers. "PDA," rides single note guitar shots. "Roland" has Banks' processed vocals and some hot guitar licks. "Say Hello To Angels" begins with a slashing guitar and intense rhythm before giving way to an appealing, accessible beat. Interpol also takes it down a notch to give Banks the opportunity to delve deeper into the songs. Set opener "Untitled" and the haunting Rocker "Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down" (great title) pull it off. There are also a couple ballads. "NYC," with the line the "subway is a porno," provides some interesting imagery. But the most intriguing lyric is found in "Obstacle 2" - "Friends don't waste wine when there's words to sell." The meandering "Hands Away" falls a bit short but the rest of the album comes through.
"Antics" improves on just about everything done well on "Turn On The Bright Lights." There's more energy as Banks perfects his mournful, if slightly detached, '80s Wave style. "Evil" has a clever and engaging arrangement while "Narc" and "C'mere" help make this album the group's best.
Interpol goes for the heavy drama on "Our Love To Admire" but they fare far better when they restrain those tendencies and mine 80s Wave ("No I In Threesome") and U2-lite ("The Heinrich Maneuver"). "Pioneer To The Falls" starts moody but quickly sheds the weight while "Mammoth" injects a taste of '60s psychedelic. The commanding "All Fired Up" is the set's best Rock song.
Artistic pretensions are sheer death for most bands. It's more than "reach exceeding grasp." Rather, an album devolves into a singular trip down the rabbit hole. For some that can be a revelatory experience but for everyone else it's simply a bore. "Interpol" is a perfect example.
Though seen by many critics as an improvement over "Our Love To Admire," "Interpol" is a dreamy, mystical and heady set where only the lead track "Success" and the popish "Try It On" resonate.
Aside from the uptempo "Unwind," "Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper" isn't much. Banks, under whatever name he works under, should not give up his Interpol day job.