Interpol - Our Love To Admire
Reviewed by - Andru Aesthetik
I'll be the first to say that I am a fan of Interpol, not so much because of their music but more so now because of what they have come to represent. When it comes to the popularity of post-punk music today, there is no doubt that they lead the way and have proved that this genre can have veritablity and commercial appeal while not at least totally sucking.
I remember when I first got their debut Fukd ID 3 EP way back in 2001. It showcased a band that had a raw energy & vitality. Subsequently, when their debut album Turn On The Bright Lights came out, I was definitely impressed and felt that this band was going to be serious contenders within independent music. Though Interpol has certainly gone on to to justify that claim, I feel now that sadly, whatever it was this band had when they released their debut album, they've clearly lost by now. But that's not to say they haven't gained something in return as there are some marks of growth and progression on this album, its just nowhere as great as the first one and less accessible than the last one. But did you seriously expect it to to be?
On this album I get a strong sense of a band that is trying to be something more than they know they're capable of. On some songs it seems as if they're attempting to grasp whatever it was that they had with their first album, while other songs sound like uninspired out takes from "Antics". A clear example of this would be the current first single, "The Heinrich Maneuver" which is nothing more than "Slow Hands" flat out regurgitated and its one of the better songs on this album if that tells you anything.
I will give the band credit and say that I feel they have wrote probably one of the better songs of their career, albeit on their weakest album but that's just what "Pioneer To The Falls" is. Epic and extremely powerful, "Pioneer.." is easily the best song of the album which upon first listen will lead you to believe that Interpol is back to doing what they're best suited for but sadly its a false start as the rest of the album cannot support the weight of that first song.
Other songs like "Mammoth", "Pace Is The Trick" & "Rest My Chemistry" show that the band has managed to create some rather decent songs that grip you whereas a good example of them outstretching themselves would be the album closer "Lighthouse" which goes for a more subdued & sparse approach that is interesting but seems out of place compared to the rest of the album. "Mammoth" could have easily qualified as the second best song of the record but it suffers severely for Carlos D.'s plagiarism of Peter Hook's bass line from Joy Division's "Means To An End", which is unfortunate because otherwise it's a rather intense and powerful track.
Musically speaking, the guitar interplay between Daniel Kessler and Paul Banks has suffered a bit and is no longer as clever and complimentary as it used to be although there are a few good moments mostly thanks to Kessler's more ambient parts. Also, I don't know why but Sam Fogarino's drumming has become less dynamic and artistic as it used to be and has transformed into a more straightforward style, which is really sad because his playing on Turn On The Bright Lights was some of the most creative drumming I had heard on a modern record.
Overall, I would say that this release is a mixed bag for Interpol fans. It possesses much of what made the last album "Antics" a disappointment, while having very few of the qualities that made it entertaining. That means that a lot of their newer fans won't be as much into this album as they were into Antics whereas their fans who loved Turn On The Bright Lights will notice that the band is trying to reach out to them with a couple songs but still lacking the will to commit fully to a more focused approach.
Personally, I feel that Interpol's strength as a band lies in their ability to craft more ethereal, moody music than more progressive pop friendly songs. Antics suffered greatly as an album due to the lack of a NYC, Untitled, Hands Away or Leif Ericsson. This album starts and closes with two sprawling, epic songs but what is sandwiched between them is rather hit or miss and demonstrates the band's confusion (whether they know it or not) over how to deal with their own popularity which has probably eclipsed their abilities.
The first time I saw Interpol live was in 2001 at a very small venue in West Hollywood called The Troubadour, which handled 300 people at the maximum. I remember that a lot of their equipment had been stolen prior to the show and they were playing with some borrowed gear they managed to put together on the spot. Fast forward six years later and their next upcoming show in Los Angeles will be headlining at The Forum, which seats about 18,000 people. 300 to 18,000, that should give you an idea of the growth and scope this band has amassed within such a short period. When a band becomes that big, there's no doubt they have fully entered the mainstream of commerciality and Interpol has certainly done that. The reason why fans like me sometimes struggle with it is because there is always a sense of betrayal when a band that only got off the ground because of its underground fan base, becomes so huge that they have to cater to the masses. Interpol does their best to try and ride that fence and keep both sides interested and this album demonstrates that divide more than anything else but how long will they be able to maintain the balancing act?
Records of Reference:
The Chameleons - Fan & The Bellows
Joy Division - Closer
Echo & The Bunnymen - Crocodiles
წყარო:
http://www.myspace.com/postpunkკარგი სფეისია, დაიმატე ჯორჯ.. კიდევ არის რევიუები, ასევე არის ახალი პოსტ პანკ ჯგუფების ძალიან ბევრი სფეისების მისამართები.
INTERPOL
