Interpol (album)
Encyclopedia
Interpol is the fourth studio album by the American post-punk revival
band Interpol
, released on September 7, 2010 on Matador Records
. The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios
in Greenwich Village
. "Lights" was released as a free download through the band's website, originally in May 2010 with an accompanying video released in June 2010 by Charlie White. Bassist Carlos Dengler
left shortly after the album's completion. The lead single "Barricade
" was released in August 2010.
Despite the explicit language in the track "Try It On", this album does not have a Parental Advisory
label on it.
notes that Interpol and Our Love to Admire
which preceded it have served to establish a downward trend with regard to critical reception since their second release, Antics, although its rating of 66% based on 33 critic reviews means it is still considered to have released to "generally favorable" reception. AnyDecentMusic?
shows a rating of 6.3 based on 33 reviews. Victoria Segal of Q
awarded the album four out of five stars, stating that "Paul Banks
's vocals as attention-grabbing as a hand on the back of the neck while subtle textures rub up against the drama of the guitars" and concluded by saying that "for a band who specialise in the dark, their touch is thankfully light". Chris Coplan from Consequence of Sound
praised the "rich narrative" and "brilliant pacing found throughout the record" and described it as "a story that builds from an emotionally-resilient semi-joyousness in the beginning [...] to creepy, morose, and sinister by the end". Iann Robinson
of CraveOnline
described the album as "epic, sad, disastrously emotional music that is written to exploit feelings of melancholy and despair" and noticed that "with so much pop music either dedicated to false sentiments of love or infant bouts of angry tantrums it’s kind of nice to hear a band looking into deeper ideas". Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly
felt that on Interpol "the riffs [...] are grander, the rhythms more limber, and the melodies more memorably moody than they've been in years" and stated that "lapsed fans may be surprised to find themselves reminded of why they loved this band in the first place". Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone
called it "a surprisingly solid comeback" and praised Daniel Kessler
's guitar as "the essence of arty post-punk romance". In an early track-by-track review of the album, Paul Stokes of NME
wrote that the band is "as atmospheric and dark as they were on their debut, and yet more intricate, and - as the trumpets prove - orchestral".
Benjamin Boles from NOW
gave the album three stars out of five, saying that the band does not sound "exactly eclectic in mood, sound or even tempo" and noticing that "the best moments come when they shy away from their trademark wall-of-reverb blueprint". He concluded by saying that "it’s a better album than their last, and diehard fans should be satisfied, but it’s not going to get the rest [...] very excited". Josh Modell of Spin
found it "more dull than hypnotic". He felt that "it tries to assemble skyscrapers, but ends up muddling around without a strong foundation" and noticed that Interpol sounds "both strangely distant and overly familiar, like a band struggling to remember who they are". James Reed of The Boston Globe
said that most songs have "room to ramble but nothing resembling a core" and called it "heady and disorienting". Greg Kot
of the Chicago Tribune
described the album as "bits and pieces of promising music without strong foundations" and stated that although "the band sounds terrific", the album does not offer "more than one or two truly memorable songs".
To date, the album has sold around 400,000 copies worldwide.
Post-punk revival
The post-punk revival was a development in alternative rock of the late 20th and early 21st centuries in which bands took inspiration from the original sounds and aesthetics of garage rock of the 1960s and post-punk and New Wave of the late 1970s...
band Interpol
Interpol (band)
Interpol is an American indie rock and post-punk revival band from New York City. Formed in 1997, the band's original line-up consisted of Paul Banks , Daniel Kessler , Carlos Dengler and Greg Drudy . Drudy left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino...
, released on September 7, 2010 on Matador Records
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
. The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
. "Lights" was released as a free download through the band's website, originally in May 2010 with an accompanying video released in June 2010 by Charlie White. Bassist Carlos Dengler
Carlos Dengler
Carlos Andres Dengler , previously known as Carlos D., is an American musician best known as the former bassist for the band Interpol.-Early life:...
left shortly after the album's completion. The lead single "Barricade
Barricade (song)
"Barricade" is the lead single from the self-titled fourth studio album by New York post-punk revival band Interpol. The song debuted at #39 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, their fourth appearance on that chart.-Music video:...
" was released in August 2010.
Despite the explicit language in the track "Try It On", this album does not have a Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
label on it.
Recording
Recording started in early spring of 2009. The band announced that they were writing new songs in March of that year.Critical reception
Critical reaction to Interpol has been mixed. Aggregating website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
notes that Interpol and Our Love to Admire
Our Love to Admire
Our Love to Admire is the third studio album by the American post-punk revival band Interpol, released July 10, 2007 on Capitol Records. Recorded at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village and The Magic Shop Studios in New York City, the album is the group's first to be released on a major label...
which preceded it have served to establish a downward trend with regard to critical reception since their second release, Antics, although its rating of 66% based on 33 critic reviews means it is still considered to have released to "generally favorable" reception. AnyDecentMusic?
AnyDecentMusic?
AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates reviews of contemporary music albums, covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots and urban...
shows a rating of 6.3 based on 33 reviews. Victoria Segal of Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
awarded the album four out of five stars, stating that "Paul Banks
Paul Banks
Paul Julian Banks is an English American musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and guitarist of the rock band Interpol. He is also a solo artist under the name Julian Plenti. As a singer, Banks' voice lies in the baritone range.-Early life:Banks was born in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
's vocals as attention-grabbing as a hand on the back of the neck while subtle textures rub up against the drama of the guitars" and concluded by saying that "for a band who specialise in the dark, their touch is thankfully light". Chris Coplan from Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound, also known often as CoS, is a Chicago-based music website featuring news, album and concert reviews, and editorials. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook micro-site, which serves as an on-line database for music festival news and rumors...
praised the "rich narrative" and "brilliant pacing found throughout the record" and described it as "a story that builds from an emotionally-resilient semi-joyousness in the beginning [...] to creepy, morose, and sinister by the end". Iann Robinson
Iann Robinson
Iann Robinson is an American writer, musician and television personality best known as a former MTV VJ.Born in New York, Robinson co-hosted a show called Monkey Butt Sex on a Manhattan Public-access television cable TV in the 1990s...
of CraveOnline
CraveOnline
CraveOnline is a male lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company AtomicOnline, the publishing division of Evolve Media Corp.- History :...
described the album as "epic, sad, disastrously emotional music that is written to exploit feelings of melancholy and despair" and noticed that "with so much pop music either dedicated to false sentiments of love or infant bouts of angry tantrums it’s kind of nice to hear a band looking into deeper ideas". Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
felt that on Interpol "the riffs [...] are grander, the rhythms more limber, and the melodies more memorably moody than they've been in years" and stated that "lapsed fans may be surprised to find themselves reminded of why they loved this band in the first place". Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
called it "a surprisingly solid comeback" and praised Daniel Kessler
Daniel Kessler
Daniel Alexander Kessler is the guitarist and backing vocalist for the New York City-based band Interpol. He was raised in the United States....
's guitar as "the essence of arty post-punk romance". In an early track-by-track review of the album, Paul Stokes of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
wrote that the band is "as atmospheric and dark as they were on their debut, and yet more intricate, and - as the trumpets prove - orchestral".
Benjamin Boles from NOW
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
gave the album three stars out of five, saying that the band does not sound "exactly eclectic in mood, sound or even tempo" and noticing that "the best moments come when they shy away from their trademark wall-of-reverb blueprint". He concluded by saying that "it’s a better album than their last, and diehard fans should be satisfied, but it’s not going to get the rest [...] very excited". Josh Modell of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
found it "more dull than hypnotic". He felt that "it tries to assemble skyscrapers, but ends up muddling around without a strong foundation" and noticed that Interpol sounds "both strangely distant and overly familiar, like a band struggling to remember who they are". James Reed of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
said that most songs have "room to ramble but nothing resembling a core" and called it "heady and disorienting". Greg Kot
Greg Kot
Greg Kot is an American writer and journalist. Since 1990, Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune, where he has covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and business issues...
of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
described the album as "bits and pieces of promising music without strong foundations" and stated that although "the band sounds terrific", the album does not offer "more than one or two truly memorable songs".
Track listing
All songs written by Interpol.Personnel
- Paul BanksPaul BanksPaul Julian Banks is an English American musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and guitarist of the rock band Interpol. He is also a solo artist under the name Julian Plenti. As a singer, Banks' voice lies in the baritone range.-Early life:Banks was born in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
– lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Daniel KesslerDaniel KesslerDaniel Alexander Kessler is the guitarist and backing vocalist for the New York City-based band Interpol. He was raised in the United States....
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Carlos DenglerCarlos DenglerCarlos Andres Dengler , previously known as Carlos D., is an American musician best known as the former bassist for the band Interpol.-Early life:...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Sam FogarinoSam FogarinoSamuel Joseph Fogarino is the drummer of New York City-based band Interpol. He has played in bands The Holy Terrors, Gus, The Wahoos, Napoleon Solo, The Ton-ups and The Last Night....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Additional personnel
- Alan MoulderAlan MoulderAlan Moulder is one of Britain's premier alternative rock record producers. He has worked with such artists as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Elastica, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Curve, Ride, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, Lostprophets, Shihad, Ivyrise and Placebo, as well as with many American...
– mixer - Claudius Mittendorfer – engineer
- Greg Calbi – mastering engineer
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
7 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
13 |
| German LP-Downloads Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
5 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
8 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
34 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
10 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
7 |
| Mexican Album Chart | 18 |
To date, the album has sold around 400,000 copies worldwide.