Ominous fourth album from the masters of emotional turbulence.
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.
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.
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'.
They revive their pretensions for Interpol, a surprisingly solid comeback.
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.
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.
Getting back to basics is fine for Interpol; Interpol is just a little too basic.
Interpol mostly deliver on this album with what they do best, sprinkling some of their most creative moments across it.
Overall, ‘Interpol’ seems cinematic, abstract and complex, but that adds up to something interesting rather than thrilling.
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.
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.
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.
Interpol sounds both strangely distant and overly familiar, like a band struggling to remember who they are.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
1 | Success 3:26 | 84 |
2 | Memory Serves 5:01 | 74 |
3 | Summer Well 4:03 | 73 |
4 | Lights 5:37 | 81 |
5 | Barricade 4:10 | 87 |
6 | Always Malaise (The Man I Am) 4:13 | 64 |
7 | Safe Without 4:39 | 67 |
8 | Try It On 3:40 | 78 |
9 | All of the Ways 5:16 | 67 |
10 | The Undoing 5:11 | 70 |
#17 | / | Gigwise |
#29 | / | Q Magazine |
#30 | / | Under the Radar |
#40 | / | Rhapsody SoundBoard |
#73 | / | NME |