Interpol has become one of the most interesting bands these last two decades. From being grouped with the "indie rock renaissance" of the early 2000s, to being paired with The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and LCD Soundsystem as the "New York indie-rock scene". As with the other bands I just mentioned, Interpol has evolved their sound and honed their writing skills since their 2002 debut "Turn On The Bright Lights". Many people have compared Interpol to Joy Division, mainly because Paul Banks' voice sounds similar to Ian Curtis. I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement, because every album they have put out has built upon the last. Their latest album "Marauder" still has the echoes of "Turn On The Bright Lights", but they utilize it in different ways. Whether that be a new vocal style, some new guitar work, or a catchy bassline. Interpol has become one of my favorite bands for this exact reason, but it's also because I can listen to their whole discography and like every song. Arctic Monkeys? I never really liked the "Humbug" era EPs they put out. The Strokes? The "Angles" era was ok at best with some weird guitar soundscapes. But Interpol? Everything is so concise and well put together that I have trouble finding something wrong with the song. I'm going to do a brief history of the beginning of the band below, but then I'll go into a track-by-track review, so you can skip the next section if you want.
I think my favorite part of Interpol's origin story is that it was the guitarist who handled everything, not the lead singer. Daniel Kessler's his name, and footwork is his game. (I'm not joking, watch this video he is a madman)
The way he uses the trilling technique on his guitar to create atmospheric yet simple tracks is astounding to me. He started making some tracks in 1997 and just wandered around New York City looking for a band to play with. He ended up finding Paul Banks, Carlos Dengler, and Greg Drudy. Paul Banks and Carlos were both attending NYU and were in the same dorm. I think it's funny because Paul only spoke to Carlos because he was dressed like a total goth, skirt and all. Carlos attended a party Daniel was having at his apartment and Daniel was so floored with his clothing that he immediately asked him to join the band. Daniel met up with Paul later at NYU and all 4 of them started recording together at a cheap studio called Funkadelic. There's a quote from an interview with Daniel that I thought was hilarious:
"Carlos, myself, and Paul went to the smallest room-- like a closet at Funkadelic-- and played a very slow song, and then Paul just started singing. Me and Carlos just looked at each other, like, "Holy shit, man."
Paul wrote poetry, but never really thought about it too much. There's a nice quote from him too:
My vocal style was affected by New York City: When you get in an 11-by-10 room with a drummer beating the shit out of a kit, shouting becomes the M.O.
Lyrics ended up usurping any of my poetry writing, which is all lost now, anyway. There was one moment early on when I was walking down the street in front of my dorm, and this crazy woman passed by a girl in front of me and said, "Put a lid on Shirley Temple and you'll be rid of the devil." I was like, "Fuck! Thank you crazy woman. That is the shit!" That line made a play in [Interpol EP's] "Specialist", at the first part of the bridge."
As they started playing gigs around town, they became well known for their looks, which always included suits. Interpol never really fit in with the "modern" New York rock scene in the 90s. This was at a time where they could go into the bar that the Strokes hung out at and there wasn't a group of people being like "We ARE the scene." It was really only when the Strokes broke out and were on every cover on every music magazine that people really started to pay attention to the "New York indie-rock" scene. The boys in Interpol started to self-release some EPs between '97 and 2000 to get the attention of some labels. Here's another quote from Paul about that period:
"I was sort of in la-la land: "Let's get wasted and make rock music." That was as far as I thought about it. Daniel was the one who was diligently saying, "We should make a demo, send it out, play shows but not too many shows, get on shows with touring bands that are coming to New York." I was just like, "Cool man, that sounds good."
It was at this point when Greg Drudy (the drummer) decided to opt out. Daniel decided to reach out to his friend Sam Fogarino, who he knew from a local vintage clothing store. Same was in a folk-pop band at the time, but he said he needed to go back to rock. Sam was almost a decade older than them, and had tons of experience playing in bands and the business in general. In April of 2001, the boys headed to the U.K. to do a session for John Peel at the BBC who got their demo tape. John Peel is a legendary radio host, playing some of the earliest stuff from Zeppelin to Bowie. After the session, Matador records co-owner Chris Lombardi invited the boys to his office where they decided on a two record deal. Sadly, 9/11 happened shortly after. Here are some of the boys' quotes from that time:
Sam: "For a few short weeks in New York, everybody was your best friend. Everybody had your back. Everybody held the door for each other. And then you realize life has to move on. And lo and behold, everybody got back to it. You can't hold that city down."
Carlos: "We were still going to put out this record, and we did. And everything started to be put together with this extra element, like: shit can happen. I don't know if we were very aware of that before 9/11."
Daniel: "We started making [Turn On The Bright Lights] in October or November 2001. By that time the songs were really formed"
The boys went to Connecticut to record the record with producer Peter Katis, who was one of Sam's friends. They finished the 11-song record with minimal arguing. Here's a quote from Peter about the record that I think puts the grand sound they had into perspective:
"There's something grand about the record. It's an odd mixture: kind of crappy-sounding and lo-fi and sludgy in ways, but it also sounds great. People talked about the luscious sound of the reverb, but it's fucking literally almost the cheapest reverb sound. Those guys came in with their little Alesis MicroVerbs-- cheaper reverbs have a sound that is darker and messier and cooler. And that's part of what gives the drums such a spank. Without that little $50 piece of gear, the record would've sounded totally different. We recorded "PDA" when we were coming up on finishing the record, and Paul was like, "Fuck that song. That's one of the first songs I ever wrote, and I don't even want to bother with it." And I was like, "Whoa, whoa, listen buddy, not to act like a bitch or anything, but that's your hit single." And it is their hit single."
And then in August of 2002, Matador released "Turn On The Bright Lights". It was a big hit, and the boys sold out all of their shows in the U.S. before they even left. I think it's an amazing success story to be frank. They've released 6 full-length albums and their most recent release was an EP with some songs that didn't make it onto the last album. Carlos sadly left the band in 2010 to pursue an acting career. Paul released some solo projects that I daresay are even better than some of the band's work. He's also made a new band called Muzz with his friend Josh and some guy from the band The Walkmen (I forgot his name lol) They have their debut album coming out in June and based on the singles they've released so far, I think it's going to be amazing. Sam created a band with Swervedriver frontman Adam Franklin and released an album in 2009. And Daniel? He's just so happy being in Interpol that he hasn't released any solo projects or other collaborations. Also, he owns a restaurant in upstate New York. He's so humble, it's hard to NOT admire him. To finish off this background info section, I'm going to leave you with some quotes that each of the (current) band members said about "Turn On The Bright Lights" on its 10th anniversary in 2012:
Paul: "I don't listen to my old work-- I've heard it enough. But the other day, something from Turn On The Bright Lights came on at a restaurant, and you know what? I'm really proud."
Daniel: "The crowning achievement is how people still care and talk about that record. On the actual 10th anniversary of the release date, we received all these emails and happy birthday wishes. To me, that's incredible. That doesn't happen all the time."
Sam: "Attention spans are shrinking on a daily basis, and it's getting harder to make an impression that lasts. So the fact that we were able to make a mark in a way that led to the continued relevance of the record is kind of crazy. I'm in awe of that."
P.S. All of the quotes on this section were taken from a Pitchfork article (don't worry, it's back when they were good) that you can find here:
Alright now we're on to the track by track review. You can skip this whole thing if you just want a TL,DR at the end.
Untitled - One of the most atmospheric openers ever. The band almost always opens with it at their live shows. I was looking at the Apple Music description of the album and it said that this "is the song that dozens of would-be U2s are still trying to write." And I think that's pretty accurate. (even though most of the Apple Music descriptions suck) It has this "walk home on a Saturday night" feel to it that just makes me wanna keep it on repeat and take the long route home. The way that Paul barely sings anything makes it even more impressive.
Obstacle 1 - This and "PDA" were the main singles from this album that were played at all the bars in New York. It's a rocker all right, but it has this hint of dread that makes you think "wow. screw it. lemme dance like my life depends on it." It's great. It's the classic "come back to it a lot" song that never changes the feeling you get from it, even when you get older.
NYC - One of the more toned down songs on the album. It's very introspective, and I also think it's very telling of the culture that developed in New York after 9/11. It's a melancholy song with just enough joy hidden in it that makes you keep listening to it. I totally listen to this when I'm down, but not completely sad. Daniel's trilling that starts halfway through the song is just ear candy and I can't get enough of it.
PDA - This is a song that I think inspired a lot of bands, like The Killers and Arcade Fire. It's a spiky, sludgy rocker whose lyrics seem to make no sense and yet you still somehow relate to them. Paul sings over the chorus "We have 200 couches where you can sleep tight", which really doesn't mean anything, but they way he says it sounds so interesting that you can't help but stay for the ride.
Say Hello to the Angels - Such an underrated song on the album. I adore the riff on this song. It's simultaneously catchy and depressing. It drives the song and Paul doesn't let it overtake his vocals. The bridge is just pure catharsis. *chef's kiss*
Hands Away - This is a song filled with anxiety. From the simple riff to the imposing drums, to the quiet synth that starts in the background and eventually washes over you. I think it's a great mid-album refresher that snaps you back into reality, but no too much.
Obstacle 2 - Personally, I prefer this to Obstacle 1. I think it's because I've listened too much to Obstacle 1 and not enough of Obstacle 2. There's a lot more emotion here, especially during the chorus. I think the lyrics are the standout here because there's no filter on Paul's voice and it sounds more raw. The rawness paired with the lead guitar is just gold.
Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down - This is the longest song on the album, clocking in at about 6 and a half minutes. This is where I think the atmospheric part of Interpol and especially Daniel's guitar work come into play. The buildup to the bridge and eventually when Paul just yells "Stella" is deep, but not the "I'm 14 and this is deep" deep. (I hope that makes sense) And it sounds like a deep-sea exploration, which just adds to it even more. Amazing deep cut.
Roland - The abrasive riff at the beginning is so inviting. Paul sounds like he's just talking for fun, like the lyric "My best friend is from Poland and um, he has a beard" is so funny to me because the "um" is purposefully included. The filter he has on his voice reminds me of the filter Damon Albarn uses on the album "Demon Days" by Gorillaz. The layers to this song keep making me come back. It's like "oh there's a nice riff. wow, there's another one. wait has there been a riff playing this whole time?"
The New - I hated this song at first. I thought the intro was really slow and unnecessary. But that's the thing, it needs to be slow and unnecessary to build up the atmosphere. Peter Katis said that he later cried when he listened to the song. Now, I'm not a big crier (last time I almost cried during a song was "Ode to the Mets" on the new Strokes album), but this song does have a lotta "crying potential". Not for me personally, but the uncharacteristic piano in the background that kicks in before any guitar riffs is really, really good. The transitions in this song are smoother than my skin. Paul starts shouting near the bridge, which brings more emotion to the song as a whole.
Leif Erikson - Probably the most "love-based" song on the album. Some of my favorite lyrics are in this song, like "She feels that my sentimental side should be held with kids' gloves", "Her rabid glow is like braille to the night", and "Well then hook me up and throw me babycakes, 'cause I like to get hooked." It's a big tonal change, but the best part is that it works. The symbolism in this song is insane, but you don't have to understand the lyrics to love the song. The instrumental compliments Paul's baritone perfectly. And the slow synth outro is the thing that snaps you back to reality just to say "wow."
TL,DR: "Turn On the Bright Lights" is one of the most influential and atmospheric albums of the early 2000s that encapsulates the feeling in New York as it tries to recover in a post 9/11 world. I don't really like associating this album with 9/11 because it stands as a great album on its own, but it's unavoidable. There's this feeling of glory within the album that you don't really feel from other debuts, like The Strokes' "Is This It" and The Killers' "Hot Fuss". You know that they were having fun just being a band and never felt the constant need to get famous. I highly recommend their other albums and their live shows (they've headlined 2 Glastonburys!)
Another interesting thing I'd like to say is that both Daniel and Paul were born in Europe, with Paul being born in England and Daniel being born in France. Daniel speaks fluent French and he actually guest edited for the New York Times restaurant section. Paul's family moved to Mexico for his dad's work, and he went to high school there. He is completely fluent in Spanish and has a legitimate accent. I bring this up because in an interview Paul says that knowing the Spanish equivalent of some words and how some Spanish words don't have an English equivalent helps him write lyrics. I just think that is a fascinating concept and it makes a lot of sense. Anyway, thanks for reading bro! :)
Comments