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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Interpol
Wednesday 08 January @ 11:45:43 |
 by Celeste Tabora
It’s on everybody’s lips: whether or not you’re a fan, chances are you’ve said the word “Interpol” sometime in the last six months. Drummer Sam Fogarino, Singer/guitarist Paul Banks, Bassist Carlos D., and Guitarist Daniel Kessler rule the dark and moody side of the New York music scene. Blending the Smiths’ swirling and swelling guitars with Ian Curtis-like vocals, bass lines that are as infectious as the Cure’s and stylish hints of Wire and Slowdive, Psychedelic Furs and Bauhaus—well, it’s hard not to fall in love with Interpol.
Sure, you can point your finger at all the stylistic elements that remind you of the aforementioned bands; but Interpol is consistently innovative in their songwriting. They add glamour and class where their colleagues have recently been overly glam and trashy. You won’t find the screaming or crotch flinging of Peaches or Karen O., the pounce and dirtiness of Liars, the debauchery of The Strokes, or the kitchiness of the White Stripes. Instead Interpol projects a sly, confident, and almost snobbish attitude. They’ve quickly become media darlings with their fashionable suits and willingness to strike a pose. And though some of the other bands-of-the-moment do produce catchy and entertaining tunes, for the most part Interpol’s songs are far more sophisticated and interesting.
Interpol’s first full-length, Turn on the Bright Lights, was released in August of 2002 on indie-favorite Matador Records. It was recorded with Peter Katis (who has also worked with Clem Snide and Mercury Rev) and was mixed by Gareth Jones (known for his work with Depeche Mode, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Clinic). The band spent 16-hour days working on the record at Tarquin Studios in Connecticut. Kessler remembers himself being a zombie at the time, saying that he didn’t leave the studio for nine days. Because of the time they were allotted at the studio, the band was left with mixes that were unsatisfactory. Instead of opting for another studio to get the project done and over with, they opted to wait three months for Katis to finish up with Get Up Kids in order to rework the tracks. In the end, the band felt confident with their decision and content with the final product.
“What we really wanted to do with the album was recreate what we do live,” says Kessler of Turn On The Bright Lights.
Says Fogarino, “Live, we want to be really raw and really ‘what you see is what you get.’” Carlos D. adds that they’ve been drawing on a post-punk energy lately; that Interpol isn’t a dainty, ethereal thing. He admits that they can be that way and embrace it, but they can also “turn it up.”
Turn on the Bright Lights is full of dismal-but-true declarations of love—most pleasingly and achingly in “The New.” “Settling down it takes time / One day we’ll live together / And life will be better… I can’t pretend / I need to defend / Some part of me from you.” Those who have been through a break up or two can’t deny that they can relate.
After finishing up the rest of their tour after this Minneapolis stop, Interpol will be turning it up on Last Call with Carson Daly on January 21. Does this mean they are skimming above underground? Isn’t it about time?
Kessler says that being a successful band isn’t about conscious ambition, it’s about a need; that it’s about loving being in a band. You can tell they’re a tight group. It’s in the way they stand together, be it in line to see “Lord of the Rings” or at a fashionable dance club in New York’s meat packing district. The foursome protrudes from the crowd, almost in a huddle. Some might chalk it up to pretentiousness, but it perhaps it’s just that these people are such a close-knit unit.
It definitely wasn’t their musical influences that brought them together though. Banks is into hip hop, Carlos is a fan of Goth music. Kessler comes from a hardcore/punk background and has recently gotten into electronica and indie rock. In fact, they’ve said that the only band they have in common is Led Zepplin. One of the members is even rumored to have said he’s never listened to Joy Division—the “influence” that the media has pegged them with most frequently.
Interpol has captured the attention of many fans from teenage girls to professional therapists. Just let go of any comparisons you might make, and give a good band’s good album a good listen.
Interpol will play the First Avenue Mainroom on Tues., Jan 14 with Calla.8 p.m. $10/10. 21+.701 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8388.
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