Out of all those Brooklyn post-punk-redux bands who mined the early 1980’s in the last couple of years, Interpol is the only one that seem to be any good. I’ll be honest, I’m a little out of the loop. Is it even cool to like Interpol any more?
Our Love to Admire is the most cohesive and, fuck I’ll say it, best, record they’ve released yet. It’s hook laden, the songs are better and it’s the only one of their records I can sit through without getting bored. It’s all gloomy intent as per usual but there is a new sense of bombast and confidence in this record. Paul Bank’s voice is way less of a one dimensional, mood setting (read irritating) instrument and he brings some (and I emphasise some) subtelty to his approach. Look I’ll be honest I find myself listening to this record a lot. Interpol have finally got it right. It’s no huge new departure from their previous records. It’s just a much better album. It doesn’t just prop itself up as a mood piece and an image.
Interpol still sound to me like a cross between the paranoid gloom of Joy Division mixed with the snotty arrogance of Echo and the Bunnymen but, you know, I quite like that.
Ducks Battle Satan 