Album: Antics
Artist: Interpol
Born: East Village, Manhattan, New York
Released: September 2004
Genre: Indie Rock
I know the critical consensus favours Interpol's first LP, Turn On The Bright Lights (2002), but I still have deeper affection for their follow-up, Antics. One of the band's earliest songs, and probably their defining moment, NYC, appears in a reworked version on their first LP, and this is one important reason why that first record is so highly praised. What I like about Antics though is that Interpol occasionally break through that mood of sophisticated gloom, a highly male trait perfected by Joy Division, and even allow disco beats and pop elements to emerge into the mix (a bit like New Order did too). Interpol were similar to contemporary bands like Franz Ferdinand and British Sea Power in that they were deeply influenced by post-punk, and this kicked off a revival of the genre in the noughties. On Antics, Interpol really honed their talent for stately grandeur, and songs like opener Next Exit are reminiscent of Echo & The Bunnymen at their peak, but with a distinctly New York flavour. Trailing the release of Antics by a few weeks was the single Slow Hands, which definitely felt like an evolution of the band's sound compared to Turn On The Bright Lights, with its dance floor swagger and higher production values. Listening to the single at the time, I had no idea what "we slow hands" meant, thinking it was a New York turn of phrase, but in the context of the song it sounds like a metaphor for how love can operate with stealth to put "weights" on our heart.
Seeing the band live at Brixton Academy in April 2005, Slow Hands was definitely one of the highlights of the set, as was their rendition of Take You On A Cruise, one of my favourite tracks on the record. The crowd also managed to persuade the band back out for three encores, all from Turn On The Bright Lights (NYC, Obstacle 1 and Roland). Take You On A Cruise is one of several songs on the album with a nautical theme, and the liner notes contain Morse code spellings of several song titles (Narc, Length, Cruise and Exit). Narc is one of many tracks on the LP that's good enough to be released as a single, and Paul Banks shows an ability to sing (as opposed to darkly intone) that's not been evident before. All the playing, whether that's Daniel Kessler on guitar or Carlos Dengler on keys, sounds crisper too. On songs like Length Of Love and C'Mere, there are even elements of funk and upbeat disco, showing Interpol to have a wider range than previously imagined. While some tracks, like Not Even Jail and Public Pervert, offer the same claustrophobic mood as Turn On The Bright Lights, for the most part Antics is far more varied than their first LP. They even make a nod to the influence of The Pixies with the bassline on Evil. I continue to buy Interpol records to this day, but the group still haven't released anything to match the majesty of their first two LPs.
I know the critical consensus favours Interpol's first LP, Turn On The Bright Lights (2002), but I still have deeper affection for their follow-up, Antics. One of the band's earliest songs, and probably their defining moment, NYC, appears in a reworked version on their first LP, and this is one important reason why that first record is so highly praised. What I like about Antics though is that Interpol occasionally break through that mood of sophisticated gloom, a highly male trait perfected by Joy Division, and even allow disco beats and pop elements to emerge into the mix (a bit like New Order did too). Interpol were similar to contemporary bands like Franz Ferdinand and British Sea Power in that they were deeply influenced by post-punk, and this kicked off a revival of the genre in the noughties. On Antics, Interpol really honed their talent for stately grandeur, and songs like opener Next Exit are reminiscent of Echo & The Bunnymen at their peak, but with a distinctly New York flavour. Trailing the release of Antics by a few weeks was the single Slow Hands, which definitely felt like an evolution of the band's sound compared to Turn On The Bright Lights, with its dance floor swagger and higher production values. Listening to the single at the time, I had no idea what "we slow hands" meant, thinking it was a New York turn of phrase, but in the context of the song it sounds like a metaphor for how love can operate with stealth to put "weights" on our heart.
Seeing the band live at Brixton Academy in April 2005, Slow Hands was definitely one of the highlights of the set, as was their rendition of Take You On A Cruise, one of my favourite tracks on the record. The crowd also managed to persuade the band back out for three encores, all from Turn On The Bright Lights (NYC, Obstacle 1 and Roland). Take You On A Cruise is one of several songs on the album with a nautical theme, and the liner notes contain Morse code spellings of several song titles (Narc, Length, Cruise and Exit). Narc is one of many tracks on the LP that's good enough to be released as a single, and Paul Banks shows an ability to sing (as opposed to darkly intone) that's not been evident before. All the playing, whether that's Daniel Kessler on guitar or Carlos Dengler on keys, sounds crisper too. On songs like Length Of Love and C'Mere, there are even elements of funk and upbeat disco, showing Interpol to have a wider range than previously imagined. While some tracks, like Not Even Jail and Public Pervert, offer the same claustrophobic mood as Turn On The Bright Lights, for the most part Antics is far more varied than their first LP. They even make a nod to the influence of The Pixies with the bassline on Evil. I continue to buy Interpol records to this day, but the group still haven't released anything to match the majesty of their first two LPs.
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