Interpol
Antics
»
Interpol
Antics
Matador, 2004
RiYL: Suede, The Strokes, The Cure |
One interesting side-effect of this is that I don't have any liner notes. No pictures, no credits, not even a track listing (yeah, I know it's hoopty). And for a band whose image -- slick NYC hipsters "reviving" post-punk -- seems to have helped forge their nascent "legacy," it's in some ways refreshing to only have the music with which to get to know them.
I'm not saying this band is all about image, because clearly they aren't. In fact, that's the point. Remove their GQ outfits, take away their membership cards to "the New York scene," disallow any cooler-than-thou posturing or angular hairdos staring out from magazine covers, and Interpol is still a damn fine rock band.
Antics does teeter on the edge of a void called monotony. At more than a couple junctures on the album, Paul Banks' detached melodies or his and Daniel Kessler's guitar parts hint at boredom via repetition and almost sound stagnant. But some other element more often than not salvages the tunes, and on a handful of numbers they actually sound like a pop band.
"Evil," "Narc," "Slow Hands" and especially "Public Pervert" have a lot better chance of becoming radio smashes than anything Wire or Gang Of Four ever released, if you care to go there.
The latter, paired with predecessor "Not Even Jail," is a one-two punch better than any on the group's more heavily lauded debut Turn On The Bright Lights. "Public Pervert" starts with a single deliciously reverb-y yet simple guitar line, eventually leading into a down-beat bridge that contrasts eloquently with the bubbling, rhythmic chorus. Banks' alliterative "so swoon, baby, starry nights" is full of emotion, as he seemingly makes the leap out of his ultra-monotonous phase.
Closer "A Time To Be So Small" also seems borne of the same cloth, shimmering keyboard and guitar lines cascading down its melody as Banks' vocal stands in the middle, intoning strange but omniscient-sounding lyrics about "the cadaverous mob in the doors to the tent."
Other than that, there's plenty to like here. The group's debut was met with near-universal praise, and Antics showcases an incredibly confident band that doesn't give a second thought to concepts like "sophomore slump." Neither does Interpol try to reach too far beyond its known borders on the new set. The band plays it cool, which is exactly what we'd expect, image or not.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.