New Interpol album on the horizon

Interpol get a lot of shit heaped upon them. From the constant references to Joy Division & The Chameleons, down to the criticism of Paul Banks’ admittedly oft-baffling lyrics. 2007’s Our Love To Admire seemed like the flashpoint for everyone who’d been patiently waiting for a major screwup to release steady streams of contempt and disdain in Interpol’s direction.

I actually included OLTA in my Best Albums of 2007 list, and while in retrospect I’m not sure I didn’t put it there just to piss off people who wouldn’t stop prattling on about Neon Bible, I still think it’s an unfairly maligned album. It’s far from perfect, sure, but there are still plenty of good tracks on there (sans The Heinrich Maneuver, a.k.a. Slow Hands with different lyrics). Nearly 3 years on and I still find a great deal to…uh, admire.

So the announcement of a 4th LP for early 2010 sparked my interest. Sam Fogarino recently told Paste:

“[Our Love To Admire] was not our most cohesive moment… It was when reality kicked in as to where we were and where we were never going back to. The new record falls back towards the first. In trying to move forward, there was an unspoken realisation that you can’t let go of your sonic-defining tag.”

I’d imagine this means they’ll be dialing back the grandiose indulgences and going after the more stripped-back, atmospheric sound of their first album. If they can do so without merely retreading, it could be interesting. Typically, when a band says they’re going to ‘go back’ with their sound we end up with competent but uninteresting records. Fingers crossed.

Interpol – Say Hello To The Angels
Turn on the Bright Lights

Tags: interpol