Customer Ratings & Reviews

It was shortly after the release of "Turn on the Bright Lights" when I was first introduced to Interpol. As a big and long-time fan of Joy Division and New Order, one of my co-workers recommended I check out Interpol. Taking his advice, I picked up a copy of the "Obstacle 1" single and immediately fell in love. Shortly thereafter I picked up "Turn on the Bright Lights," which contains my all-time favorite Interpol song, "Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down." 2004 saw the release of "Antics," which is without a doubt the best album this band released to date. And probably ever will. 2007 saw the release of "Our Love to Admire," which I bought without hesitation. Then I listened to it. Something about the album felt...off. Perhaps the word I'm looking for is "mainstream." Whatever made Interpol such a unique-sounding band was gone, and while "Our Love to Admire" has grown on me, it does not and cannot compare to the band's prior work. Which brings me to the new self-titled album. Yet another album that just doesn't feel...right. It doesn't feel like Interpol, at least not the Interpol I fell in love with back in '03. Perhaps it had something to do with why Carlos D. left after the album was completed. Something that the band's return to Matador Records couldn't even fix, which is a shame and--in my opinion--spells doom for what used to be one of my favorite bands. Now, with all that said, the new album is, if nothing else, solid. In my opinion, the stand-out songs on it are "Summer Well," "Lights," and "Barricade." But these songs aren't enough to overcome the overall mediocre and unispired songwriting that has plagued this band since their last album. Even the musicianship feels subpar compared to the grand scheme of their work, almost as if the band itself is beginning to lose interest in their own work. This leaves me with one question: will there be a next album?