Interpol

Interpol - Interpol
Critic Score
Based on 31 reviews
2010 Ratings: #752 / 924
User Score
Based on 434 ratings
2010 Rank: #323
Liked by 24 people
September 7, 2010 / Release Date
LP / Format
Matador / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

83
Entertainment Weekly
The riffs here are grander, the rhythms more limber, and the melodies more memorably moody than they’ve been in years. Lapsed fans may be surprised to find themselves reminded of why they loved this band in the first place.
80
Q Magazine

Ominous fourth album from the masters of emotional turbulence.

80
Uncut
It is still familiar as an Interpol album, but it's certainly their most refined, elegant and frightening release.
80
Consequence of Sound

It ... makes you wonder how far they will go, as this album is already a struggle between the classically-tinged heavyweight tracks and the featherweight of their streetwise, cynical brand of NYC rock.

80
No Ripcord

I guess I’m the contrarian here, but I think Interpol deserve a significant amount of respect for taking the risk and mustering the sheer talent to create something so deeply submerged in melancholia you can’t even see light.

73
Paste
Though the record meanders into aimless moping in its final third, most of the 10 tracks are bold, heavy and among Interpol's best.
70
Drowned in Sound

On the whole, Interpol isn't easy listening. In fact, it takes several spins to come to terms with it, and if all of their previous records have come littered with big singles guaranteed to excite alternative clubland's dancefloors and radio stations, Interpol is lacking in anything as instant as 'Slow Hands', 'Obstacle 1' or 'The Heinrich Maneuver'.

70
Rolling Stone

They revive their pretensions for Interpol, a surprisingly solid comeback.

70
Under the Radar

The size has always worked off the razor-sharp edges of the music, with Daniel Kessler's guitar leading the way. Interpol restores some of the shine, but the music still feels softer somehow, the cuts not as precise.

70
AllMusic

Ultimately, Interpol isn't a statement of purpose as much as it is the end of an era for the band: With Dengler gone and back on their original label, they have the ability, and perhaps necessity, to go in any direction they choose.

67
A.V. Club

Getting back to basics is fine for Interpol; Interpol is just a little too basic.

60
Evening Standard
Channelling his inner Ian Curtis on the post-punk drone of Memory Serves, Banks's world view remains as dark as his band's wardrobe.
60
musicOMH

Interpol mostly deliver on this album with what they do best, sprinkling some of their most creative moments across it.

60
NME

Overall, ‘Interpol’ seems cinematic, abstract and complex, but that adds up to something interesting rather than thrilling.

60
The Guardian
It could be that they're distracted – they've been together 10 years, and have numerous solo projects; is there more to for them to do with Interpol?
60
Alternative Press
Even if Banks sticks to the "I've got two secrets but I only told you one" songwriting approach, hopefully a band shakeup will spark the soulfulness only occasionally heard in his contributions.
51
Billboard

Interpol is undoubtedly a solid effort, but solid shouldn't be satisfying for a band that has proved to possess the talent of indie rock's elite class.

50
Slant Magazine

Interpol may not be quite self-parody, but it's also not the sort of thing that's going to make them hip again anytime soon. Not that they would even care.

50
PopMatters

Given the band’s lack of blinding instrumental technique, it’s probably not wise for Interpol to try to stretch too far away from its strengths (namely, trading in clipped, minimalist tunes neatly assembled with simple-yet-effective riffs that a five-year-old could play), but what do you know, that’s what the group has decided to do here.

50
SPIN

Interpol sounds both strangely distant and overly familiar, like a band struggling to remember who they are.

50
The Needle Drop

Most of these tracks are too underwhelming and repetitive to keep me interested. This album isn't offensively bad, but I'm not really in love with it either.

49
Coke Machine Glow

Humbled by a silenced rhythm section and bafflingly reverberated guitars, the majority of Interpol is little more than background static. Maybe it’s time for an intervention.

46
Pitchfork

The whole thing sounds like the eighth day of an endless party where everyone's already slept together, burned themselves out on drugs that used to be fun, and developed systems of grudges and resentments that make it barely worth talking to one another. And yet the party goes on and there they sit, sighing bitterly while confetti pours down and the drinks go around.

40
Spectrum Culture

Interpol makes for a mostly bloated Interpol, the echoing synths in “All of the Ways” and the particularly cheesy synthesized-piano part in “Try it On” dressing up the band’s songs in unfortunate post-Killers could-be-anyone modern rock territory.

40
Tiny Mix Tapes

HAVING SAID THAT, this is still lukewarm Interpol, beginner’s stuff from a band that has weathered enough moons to know better. That it is an improvement over Our Love to Admire, now that I think about it, was a wriggling Given, a throbbing Certainty; but it’s telling that the strongest compliment I can give this eponymous step-in-the-right-direction is that it is a step in the right direction.

scorpi
45

Fuck this album. Right in its tight, flat ass.

I shouldn't have to explain who Interpol are as a band. They make post punk revival for people who enjoy having sex, nice alcohol and professional, slick looking business suits. I myself enjoy none of those things but dear god do I feel like I'm on top of the game of life whenever I put on songs with such a finesse such as Mammoth or Say Hello To The Angels. The thing is, this shouldn't even be the case: most Interpol songs are horribly depressing ... read more

Nightwing734
45

this aint it

SnowyFighter
57

Edit: (62-->57) Blehhhuasdfgjkfdnsfo

I thought self titled albums were supposed to be good :/

It isn't that bad. It's just sorta unmemorable. The first half isn't bad, and then the second half is just extremely forgettable. There are zero risks being taken, and that's why this album falls short in a lot of categories, and that's why everyone seems to think it's the worst. I think it gets a little too much hate, but even then I kinda see why. It's just another Interpol album. This is an ... read more

speedmaster
63

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ this was pretty boring tbh

dreamsdefied
49

God. Where do I even start with this one.

Self Titled is such a god damn snooze fest. I really hate to say that, because I love Interpol so dearly, but it’s the truth. This album is a failed attempt at trying to reinvent their sound; it clearly doesn’t look like they tried very much, if at all. And this isn’t to say I don’t like genre changes! I genuinely like what I’ve heard off of Marauder and OTOSOMB, so I don’t feel like it’s a matter of me being ... read more

MrMeme
76

Everyone's least favorite Interpol album was next in my journey through their discography. Not gonna lie, even though I loved their first three albums, I was a bit nervous going into this one. The criticism and the general lack of favorability hindered my enthusiasm for it a little, and the terrible album art didn't exactly help things. After listening to it, I have to say, this is a fairly solid PP Revival album! Far from perfect and often misses the mark, but I did end up enjoying the overall ... read more

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Track List

1Success
3:26
84
2Memory Serves
5:01
74
3Summer Well
4:03
73
4Lights
5:37
81
5Barricade
4:10
87
6Always Malaise (The Man I Am)
4:13
64
7Safe Without
4:39
67
8Try It On
3:40
78
9All of the Ways
5:16
67
10The Undoing
5:11
70
Total Length: 45 minutes
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