The opening song on Interpol’s new self-titled album seems to show tried and true elements of the band which so captivated audiences a la Turn On the Bright Lights in 2002. This one is somewhat a returning to form after the relative disappointment of their third studio album, Our Love to Admire. “Success,” the song that aptly headlines this fourth album, is aggressive yet archetypically Interpol-airy.
Percussion beats underpin Paul Banks’ slowly driving yet haunting vocals, and it all builds up to a typical sound one might expect from a big song coming from a big band.
Interpol is well aware of their status as a now-major group, commenting on reaching something in both the band’s eponymous album title, as well as the lyrics “I have succeeded / I won’t compete for long.” But competing they are, both within the space of their past failures and the incredible originality of singles such as “Obstacle 1” and “Untitled” way back in the day. “Success” is somewhat reminiscent of 2004’s “Narc” with none of the nonsense of a band still enraptured in the throes of its ascending fame. Here is a much more reserved and confidently demure sound, charged with all the power of substance over show, “Somebody make me say no.”
“Memory Serves”, the second track, serves as a cool down from the highs of “Success” but still maintains the new percussion underpinning from drummer Sam Fogarino that characterizes this album. “Summer Well”, the third track, is a similar non-starter, homogeneous and dry in its blend of decent guitar work drowned out by percussion. “Lights”, the following track, puzzles with its subdued tones, and continues on that theme of indecision with out-of-whack instrumental and vocal synchronization. Lyrics like “Please police me” makes the song seem like it is asking for self-revision, a unpolished fragment from the songwriter’s head. There are moments in this song in which music begins to happen, and the high tones of the Interpol we love are tantalizing in their application, but the dominant guitar theme wrecks havoc on what must be a purposefully chaotic sound-in-a-song.
The album’s lead single, “Barricade,” really just sucks, serving as what can only be a literal barricade towards wider appreciation of this album. Banks’ crooning voice runs long in the tooth as the song goes on.
Finally, by the seventh song of this 10 song set, an interesting beat makes an appearance, accompanied by dissonant guitar work.
Unexpectedly haunting, it stands out as one of the more gripping works here, developing in complexity and tonal texture and even throwing in what sounds like a tambourine to subtle effect.
The concluding sounds begin to creep in by Track 8, “Try It On”, but wait, here comes the bridge. “No way, no f***ing way,” croons Banks, in a moment that is arguably a vocal and musical high that eclipses “Success” and then some.
Reverberating manipulated fading lyrics add to the haunted mood that fans can identify as the distinct Interpol sound. “All of the Ways”, the penultimate track, tries to reflect on a much bigger scale, and “The Undoing”, the final track, seems like the typical feel-good closer one might expect to fall here. But come on, a return to form for Interpol means a return to melancholic indecision.
It is all here, along with the tambourine, cycling through two to four separate acts of catharsis that leaves the listener feeling burdened yet relieved when the credits roll.
