Interpol

Interpol | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 7, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Matador Records
• ASIN: B003UDBSW8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,001 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The long-awaited fourth album from New York s INTERPOL finds them exploring dark musical landscapes of layered depth and intensity. In contrast to 2007 s Our Love To Admire, this self-titled opus hangs together as an album, a set of very different songs that thematically connect. From the highly melodic Barricade and Lights through the snarling Memory Serves and the extraordinary triptych of connected tracks that close the album, Interpol have never made work this emotionally resonant or packed with crescendos.



Mixer Alan Moulder has brought the rhythm section back to the fore, anchoring a thicket of orchestral sound that brings to mind touchstones from black metal to 70s art rock, but always remains identifiably Interpol. Hypnotic, bizarre, always indelible, Interpol is the band s magnum opus.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Let it sink in, September 7, 2010

By 

Susan S. "Susan S." (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Interpol (Audio CD)

Interpol is not a band that grabs you instantly. You have to spend some time with them to get the full impact of their music. Their songs unfold slowly. I'm afraid that in this era of collective ADD, no one will give this one the time it needs to reveal itself. "Interpol" is not a collection of singles. It is a concept album meant to be experienced from beginning to end. In interviews promoting this album, the band has said that this follows a relationship as it disintegrates. The pleading, the bargaining, the anger, the hurt & finally, acceptance. It's all here & it's a haunting & emotional ride. Listen, with a good pair of headphones, from beginning to end, multiple times. You'll be rewarded.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A true "Grower".....but you do need to put the effort in., October 7, 2010

By 

H. Jin (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Interpol (Audio CD)

I'm pretty cynical about music fans who protest that their favourite band's album is a Grower that needs ten or so listens to fully "get". For me, "grower" often means "this album's bad but the fans won't admit it". And after listening to this album a couple of times and just not getting into it, I felt my fellow Interpol fans were in denial again. I actually had my two star "They've Blown It" review ready to go. But I didn't want to give up on Interpol, and it did take a while for me to get OLTA, so I decided to give it a few more spins. And then something just clicked. I'd catch myself humming and singing songs I'd dismissed as boring or generic, and I suddenly got where those experimental tracks were coming from. Believe the fans, 'Interpol' is a true grower; easy to dismiss as mediocre or unfocussed on first listen, but it will reward you if you put the work in.

First things first: what's the album sound like? We heard comments that it would be a return to the sound of 'Bright Lights', and others that it would be full of orchestral epics even more ambitious than 'Our Love'. The answer is that it's a bit of both, and this is where the "grower" part comes in. 'Interpol' is as dark and difficult as their debut, but it's dressed up in the same heavy production and instrumentation that characterised OLTA. So whereas 'Bright Lights' was raw and intimate, 'Interpol' requires a fair effort to dig out those riffs, melodies, and hooks. Don't be fooled by 'Barricade' into thinking this is full of radio-friendly pop gems, there's very little here that is instantly accessible or an easy listen.

'Interpol' basically follows the formula of OLTA by having half the songs follow the standard Interpol sound, and half pushing in ambitious new directions. In fact, it sometimes sounds like two different albums, since all the boundary-pushing songs come toward the end of the album. In the first half, 'Barricade' is an obvious single, even more poppy than 'Heinrich Maneuver', and really the only immediate song on the album. The guitar-driven slow-build of 'Lights' and the more familiar 'Success' and 'Summer Well' will reveal their secrets more gradually; give the first half a few spins and you'll realise these are four strong, memorable, Interpol songs. 'Success' in particular I'd initially thought was a very mediocre song and weak opener, now it's one of my all-time favourite Interpol tracks. It's that sort of album.

The second half is much more daring, with those keyboards and strings really kicking in. Only 'Safe Without' is recognisably Interpol, and even that is given hints of funk, even hip-hop, with that tribal backing drumbeat and hypnotic guitar riff. Fans seem to dislike this song, but for me it's one of the album's highlights. 'The Undoing' is another favourite, an epic hymn-like closer with mournful minor key organ, brass, and Spanish lyrics. 'All Of The Ways' reminds me a lot of 'The Lighthouse' with its sheets of shimmering guitars, while 'Try It On' is driven by a spiralling piano riff and burbling background electronics. It's a decidedly un-Interpol sound, but for the most part the band pulls it off. Again, you need to put in some serious listening, but those who liked 'Wrecking Ball' or 'The Lighthouse' will appreciate the band continuing to branch out and try new things (and generally succeeding).

It's not a perfect album; fans seem to be raving about 'Memory Serves', which doesn't do much for me, but for the most part it's a brave, bold effort from a band that many people have pigeon-holed. Sure, everyone wants them to make 'Bright Lights 2', but Interpol continue to show how willing they are to push the envelope and expand their sound. Casual listeners and those expecting an album full of 'Barricade'-like hits will probably be disappointed; this is an album that will reward those die-hard Interpol fans who are prepared to give this the effort it deserves.

Four stars.

64 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars R.I.P.?, September 8, 2010

By 

Hamster Army - See all my reviews

This review is from: Interpol (Audio CD)

I've closely followed and loved Interpol's early music since '02-'03. I really don't know why Paul and the gang are so uninspired. It seems they possibly tried to regain their "Indie cred" by going back to Matador for their latest self-titled release, but the album falls flat, fairly badly. Songs go nowhere, most of them are paced very slowly with Paul's purposefully cryptic lyrics, but now, they're all about girls and relationship drama(targeting emo teens?). Maybe it was the super model girlfriend? (ugh, cmon) I don't know, but I suppose there's a reason Carlos left the band after recording this...he knew the music was bad and that their light had apparently gone out, starting with OLTA, which was a better album actually in my opinion (and isn't saying a whole lot ultimately).

In fact many of these songs sound like rejects from the "Julian Plenti" album, sans one or two tracks. There isn't even a song nearly as good as "Games For Days" on here. The songs seem half-baked and uninspired. I can't even go into them as they are almost all so utterly dull.

I quite literally had to, for the first time with their music, force myself through their new album, and I had already heard/owned "Lights" and "Barricade" (and they gave me the "oh boy this is going to be a bummer album" feeling immediately). The songs, again, go nowhere, seem uninspired, and are just plain boring, to sum it up.

I don't know what else to say, so I shortened this review, there's no point in knocking someone when they're down. Time for solo projects and shoot-off bands guys.