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[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL
"First Impression of Interpol" |
04.04.12 |
BY MIKEY MIGO
Every few weeks I take a step back from the normal topical and obscure discussions to broaden my musical lexicon. Some bands just don’t cross paths with you for some reason. Be it location, the crowd you hang out with, the interest, whatever it may be. Some time’s it’s just the lack of hours in a day. Sometimes you hear a band, know a single or two, but never really gave them a fair shot. It happens to everyone. For me, I like to take this time to listen to a band’s entire studio discography and form an honest first impression. It’s a very risky task, but someone has to do it.
Why Interpol?
Why not Interpol? I know I’ve heard them before. I’ve been told that I’ve even seen them in concert. I’m sure I’ve heard them, but I still debate if I actually saw them in concert. That’s not a great sign. If I saw them and forgot about them they didn’t trigger ANY reaction from me. I do know I’ve listened to their music. I’m going to assume it was their first or second album. I’m fairly certain I didn’t hate it. That’s what I’m banking on today. I’m hoping that after I listen to these four studio albums that I realize I missed out on a great band. It would suck to spend four albums with a band and not enjoy it. So here’s to optimism!
Turn on the Bright Lights
(2002 – 49 minutes) - The band’s first studio album kicks off with "Untitled". It has an intensely built piano loop to start and eventually starts to grove with the backline. It’s drony and stripped down. There isn’t much vocal dominance. While there are some lyrics sprinkled it, it still feels like an instrumental. The opening riff of "Obstacle 1" sounds familiar. It makes me think of “By The Way” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but then it goes a whole different direction. The vocals are present here. It’s a strong rock song. The vocals have a staggering mono-tone sound you’d hear in a Modest Mouse, The Killers, or even She Wants Revenge. Maybe even a little Michael Stipe too. The music is muddy as it is melodious. I head nod to this song. "NYC" has more of a somber sway to it. It’s a down-tempo, almost lullaby-like, track about NYC. You can’t help but be swept up by it. I HAVE heard "PDA" and I really liked it. I think I even had this track on a few mix CD at the turn of the millennium. I wouldn’t have guessed Interpol did this song though. This is a pleasant surprise for sure. "Say Hello to the Angels" kicks right into a heavy riff and builds tension to a peak until it breaks into a dance-able rock ditty. We get a really somber slow burner in "Hands Away". The drones are soothing and the distance guitar playing makes it really easy to fall into. The music is beautiful. I think I’ve heard "Obstacle 2" before. It’s a neurotic-mono-tone ranty rock ballad with a sweet tune. "Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down" tells a fun story with a pretty pimptastic bass-line. The bass has been a stand out for most of the tracks, but on this one I feel especially inclined to point it out. It’s, dare I say, funky shit. "Roland" starts off with an addicting guitar riff and goes into a panicky sound. The melody and grove is there, but the vocals make you on edge from being frantic and odd. Good stuff. Distant noise pulls you into a very pleasant guitar melody on "The New". Then the somewhat-laid back vocals boom into the track. It’s jarring at the first, but blends in as the melody changes for the chorus. The album wraps up with "Leif Erikson". It starts with droney sounds that sound like a church organ. The vocals kick in with a slow stomp. It doesn’t give you much choice. If you’re listening, you’re absorbing it’s impact. It all goes into a great arrangement at like a minute and a half. The song continues to evolve and strip away at the same time. I don’t know how THAT works at all. A lot of critics and reviews give this album really high ratings. I can see why.
Antics
(2004 – 41 minutes) - After such a strong debut, a sophomore jinks has to be in effect… right? Let’s hope not. The album shoots off with "Next Exit”. Somber church sounding organs start off and the vocals start. I’ve heard this song before. I’m sure of it. It’s a really good song. Apparently "Evil" was a single. It sounds vaguely familiar, but not for sure. It’s a cool rock muddy indie rock track. The vocals are that signature “frantic rant” and it just works out. The groove of the base reminds me of Nirvana. Can’t hate on that. It says "Narc" was another single. I don’t remember this one for sure. It has an addicting guitar riff that pulls you along as the melody and vocals are almost hard to decipher once you let that riff get ahold of your ears. There is a slow building drone on "Take You on a Cruise" that goes right into a really cool “epic-like” song. So far, I think it might be the best Interpol song of the discography. I like it a lot. I totally remember "Slow Hands" from the radio. I dug this song a lot. The weird bounce of the chorus and just the balls-out rock-out of it all. Upon a closer listen with a tad more perspective I am really surprised this song didn’t have a bigger reach. It should have been a much bigger single. Especially for the music style of a 2004. The title "Not Even Jail" is remarkable. The song has a nice kick-drum sounding intro that absorbs the atmosphere until the somber vocals and keen guitar work kicks in. The kick-drum continues and this near six minute song gets a little tiresome. It sounds cool, but nothing ever really develops within the story of the song. It’s just sorta “there”. Keeping the trend of cool titles, "Public Pervert" is next. It’s a sway-like down tempo tuneWithout much intro, we’re bolding told “It’s way too late to be this locked inside ourselves” on the chilled out head nodder that is "C'mere". The start of "Length of Love" is automatically enthralling. It takes us into a distant, almost Morrison-like vocal display. I’m really feeling it. The sound becomes full and this song is pretty much amazing. The band’s sophomore effort ends with "A Time to Be So Small". It feels like an 80’s rock ballad when it starts. I imagine mullets, neon colors, and headbands. Luckily, the song takes us elsewhere. It’s an intense outro. Their debut album made me feel like I missed out on this band already. This album is damn good. You can hear them evolve and build on what they already put out there. I’m eager to hear more…
Our Love to Admire
(2007 – 47 minutes) - A few years has passed at this point. The band releases their third album and it starts with "Pioneer to the Falls". It’s a brooding track. It slowly brushes over some darkness and makes you feel like you’re on a journey of sorts. This track hopefully sets the atmosphere for a fun mind-warping album. It’s a really epic opener for sure. I’m not sure how the rest of the album can match up. Next is "No I in Threesome". It’s all bass, all the time at the start. It quickly goes into a decent enough track. The energy is saved with "The Scale". The opening build, the vocals, the melody, and everything about the song is good. It doesn’t grab me by the neck or anything, but my ears are pleasures. I’d be a dick if I hadn’t heard "The Heinrich Maneuver". I remember this track being on the radio a lot on trips to Chicago. It’s a solid single and quite possibly the latest song I’ve heard by the band. How ARE things on the west coast? I don’t recall the other single, "Mammoth". It has a straight forward tempo and you can’t help but dance a little to this song. It just gets in there and makes ya. You know, I agree whole-heartedly to the title of "Pace Is the Trick". It builds as a quiet and distant intro. This lyricist is pretty unhappy. Regardless, I can’t stop myself from swaying to the melody. The guitar work at the start of "All Fired Up" is splendid. The vocals kick in and we’re treated to more poetic rant-singing. I don’t know how else to describe it. I do like it. I was worried that by this point that I’d be tired of that kind of vocal style. Nope. All good. Gimme more. It takes a while for "Rest My Chemistry" to really get going, but once it does it reminds me of the Pixies. The melody is awesome, but as a whole this song feels a little bit like filler. I just can’t fully get behind it. The guitar in it is worth a listen if inclined. I don’t know what’s going on in "Who Do You Think". It feels disjointed and doesn’t work. It’s purely “pop noise”. I expected a track titled "Wrecking Ball" to be more aggressive. Instead it opens with a distant and calm guitar loop and the vocals kick in almost ballad-like. This song is really unlike anything else so far. It’s like a completely different band with a completely different sound. The end of it is rocktastic. The band’s third studio release closes out with "The Lighthouse". The music and melody almost rattles always from us as the vocals quietly lullaby us into a comforting silence. Yeah, this album wasn’t as good as the first two. That’s not too big of a problem considering this album was still really enjoyable. I’m enjoying this listen so far…
Interpol
(2010 – 46 minutes) - The band’s most recent and possibly their last effort starts off with "Success". It has more of a muddy bass-line, but droned out melody and music makes for a really interesting listen. I don’t know if I like it or if I just appreciate how different and weird it is. "Memory Serves" has droning in the distance, but up close it’s a slower and down tempo rocker. It builds and goes in all sorts of directions. It’s clear they’re exploring new grounds here. It’s almost jarring how good this sounds for all the chances being taken. The bass is funktastic on "Summer Well". I really enjoy this song. It’s got a strange contrast going on, but you feel it on both levels. I heard the opening distortion of the guitars and want to say I may have actually heard "Lights". I don’t think so. The tone of the song is almost uncomfortable. The throbs of bass and deep sounding keys turn this song into something considerably more “haunting”. I wish I had heard it before now. The tone shifts into something way more upbeat and playful in "Barricade". The start of it makes me think of the 90’s. The end result is a fun and very danceable track. And we’re back to weird haunting ballad-like down tempo stuff in "Always Malaise (The Man I Am)". I’m starting to get bored at this point. We’re down to the last four songs. Let’s hope it’s a solid home stretch. "Safe Without" kicks off with a break-beat sounding drum and a tripped out guitar whine. It’s one of the best tracks on the album. I can at least say that about it. I forgot to type anything while listening to "Try It On". I got lost in the song. It’s one of the better songs on the album. It morphs right into "All of the Ways". It’s another Odyssey of a song. It’s bold, trippy, and muddy. It reminds of Pink Floyd in some aspects. Cool stuff. The album ends with "The Undoing". It’s a low tempo moody groove song. It does its job of fading the album out. A lot of the stuff on this album feels like it’s wandering around waiting for someone to call it great as opposed to just being great itself. It wasn’t offensive or even that bad. Just when you compare it to the first two albums, it was pretty damn lack luster.
THE VERDICT
(1997 – 2011) - I can hear the appeal. They fit into that early 00’s indie rock world. As time went on, I can imagine them not being as cool as they used to be. Current music sounds way more watered down and way less interesting than a band like this. There are times they felt a little repetitive, but more times than not I was enjoying myself. The truth of the matter is that a week from now I’m not going to remember any of this. While it was enjoyable, it’s generally forgettable. The main thing I got from this was the fact that I’ll be about point out what band is responsible for the handful of singles I already knew. It’s not that they’re bad. They’re talented dudes for sure. It’s just not my cup of tea. They have a lot of attributes I look for in a band, but they still lacked a certain level of genuine emotion that I need to really invest into a band. I know it’s “indie rock”. I know it’s “electronic”. Still. I’m not sure, but it almost feels like “indie yacht rock”. Then the question is if that even a bad thing? I don’t necessarily think so.
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