Turn on the Bright Lights

Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Critic Score
Based on 11 reviews
2002 Ratings: #25 / 259
User Score
2002 Rank: #4All Time: #239
Liked by 809 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
AllMusic

This record is no fun at all, the tension is rarely resolved, and -- oh no! -- it isn't exactly revolutionary, though some new shades of gray have been discovered. But you shouldn't allow your perception to be fogged by such considerations when someone has just done it for you and, most importantly, when all this brilliance is waiting to overwhelm you.

95
Pitchfork

Turn On the Bright Lights has been one of the most strikingly passionate records I've heard this year. That other people I've spoken with have the opportunity to experience it, and that they feel similarly about it, can only be a good thing.

91
Entertainment Weekly
On their debut LP, Interpol mix the propulsive sonic backgrounds and emotional swells of early-’80s post-punk with unexpected bursts of melody and their own brand of wit to create one of the most exciting new sounds of the year.
90
Drowned in Sound

Interpol have emerged at time when reinventing the past is the new “it” thing. They take that 80s melodic, post-punk sound and make it feel renewed rather then rehashed.

90
Tiny Mix Tapes

As a debut full-length, the group is definitely doing some excellent stuff, but like any band that gets swept up by the hype machine, you may be disappointed if you expect too much.

80
musicOMH

This is cold soul, post-punk mope-rock at its absolute best, and Turn On The Bright Lights is a nearly flawless and consistently impressive debut.

80
NME
Through all those years of bad irony and blank angst, The Dark’s vital signs have kept strong. With ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’, Interpol interpret them perfectly for these new and exciting times.
70
Uncut
There's exhilaration amid the despondency, as powerful songs and a light, shoegazey sheen means they frequently soar.
60
Rolling Stone

Interpol’s sleek, melancholy sound is a thing of glacial beauty.

60
Q Magazine
Predictably claustrophobic listening.... When they come up for air, Interpol have the tunes to match all the mannered gloom.
CLJesse
100

I ejaculate every time I listen to this

BradTasteMusic
90

One of the most depressing albums I’ve ever listened to. Why did people want me to react to something like this?

YungNoodle
98

MY BEST FRIEND’S A BUTCHER HE HAS SIXTEEN KNIVES

88

I like this album

VanDarPapi
91

Overwhelmed in darkness with nothing to cling onto, deep within us still possess the will to live how we want to, despite of everything...

The downcast and queasy aspects of the vocals makes up for the ethereal and ominous direction of Turn on the Bright Lights. Interpol's debut record contains the poignant and somewhat melancholic outlook of the New Yorkians, a response following the unexpected 9/11 shock.

In the shadows of its depressing journey emerged the magnificent arrangements of ... read more

ccecilletsplay
91

Just hit after hit. This album has a sense of unnervingness to it that makes it stand out to all other indie rock albums of this time. It can be chaotic, depressing, catchy, and just conveys a lot of emotions. Singer is great and unique, the riffs are great, song structures are awesome, and PDA will always stick with me cause I watched Ian from Smosh sing it in Rock Band as apart of Smosh Games when I was young

(Ignore the fact I'm writing this review a day later)

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Track List

1Untitled
3:56
93
2Obstacle 1
4:11
96
3NYC
4:19
93
4PDA
4:59
93
5Say Hello to the Angels
4:28
91
6Hands Away
3:05
87
7Obstacle 2
3:47
89
8Stella was a diver and she was always down
6:27
93
9Roland
3:35
90
10The New
6:07
93
11Leif Erikson
4:00
91
Total Length: 48 minutes

Year End Lists

#1/Pitchfork
#10/NME
#32/SPIN
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