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“Antics”
Interpol
Matador Records
Interpol’s sophomore release, “Antics,” is nothing short of brilliant – if you are a fan of their first CD, “Turn on Your Bright Lights.” Still with Matador Records, the boys from New York City take the dark emo trance rock that popularized them with their first big single “NYC” and make some leaps.
It’s important to note that the record is nothing of a departure from their first album – same meal, just a different recipe.
The album starts with a moody organ, shocking the guitar friendly fans of Interpol. Despite the album opener’s casual and belabored mood of “longing to belong,” it’s a great starter. “Evil” follows, and the song seems anything but that. A mix of their dark rock with a heavy pop feel to it, this song may be the most similar to their first album. But there’s some sweet echo on the guitars, so the track is worth that alone. “Narc” has a similar feeling. This song unfortunately did nothing for me. Frankly, it may have been wasted effort.
“Take You on a Cruise,” however, is Interpol at its best. Their best songs seem have something brooding beneath the lyrics and guitar tones – forcing the listener to ask questions of the lyrics and musical composition. This song’s verse is nothing special, but its pre-chorus and chorus are genius. The first single, “Slow Hands,” follows in a very unpredictable fashion – with a nice rock edge. Again, Interpol has a nice hook in the verse, only to explode into some ethereal rock during the chorus. They can do one or two things, but they do it well.
“Not Even Jail” has the feeling of something you’d hear at a goth rave. Not that the boys in Interpol have gone techno, it’s just driven by a nice beat with simple guitar licks.
The next two songs, “Public Pervert” and “C’mere,” just didn’t do it for me – at all. They almost seem like a jazzed up, friendlier version of Interpol. The truly amazing songs by this band seem uncompromising in the mood or desire to express, and these two felt unnatural to the progression of the album.
“Length of Love,” however, wipes the board clean so you can remember exactly why it is you were compelled to buy their album. This song is reminiscent of “PDA” from their first album. If you know that song, then I really shouldn’t need to explain why “Length of Love” is so great. A nice Interpol jam occurs at 2:35, and it’s something to behold. Again, they paint vivid scenes with their guitar work.
Album closer “A Time to be Small” is a great way to end this album – another song that could have come from either one of their albums.
The only problem I find listening to Interpol for an extended period of time is that a lot of their songs are the same. Any number of bands are guilty of this, so if you’re OK with Interpol’s formula, this is a must have.
-Marshall Dury
