Interpol
Interpol formed in 1998; takes a while to get noticed in this game.
But it’s been a sturdy, gradual, rewarding ascent ever since. Formed around the core of singer/guitarist Paul Banks, bassist Carlos D (boaster of the finest hair across the land) and lead-guitarist Daniel Kessler, it was 2000’s introduction to the unit of drummer Sam Fogarino that the NY quartet finally made those necessary waves. Three acclaimed EPs followed (inclusive of a rare, 12”-only unleashing on The Delgados’ Chemikal Underground indie), not to mention a deal with Matador Records.
But, then, 2002: debut-LP ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ dropped. One of the word-of-mouth records of our time, its icy, ambient morbidity and fixation with timeless songcraft were an immediate turn-on for those that didn’t ‘get’ the blues-rock revival that had been spawned the previous year as an offshoot of certain other New York notables. Interpol, through the likes of singles, ‘NYC’, ‘PDA’ and ‘Obstacle 1’, had captured a time, essence and space not then occupied, yet since emulated; it’s fair to say, they were the precedent for any and all that have subsequently looked to the greater embers of the 80s for inspiration.
Their brooding odes hypnotised and transfixed; critics elated, records soon sold, and they’re now one of the most appealing ensembles on the block. With ‘Antics’, their second LP completed and due in autumn 2004, the ball keeps rolling – a devastatingly poignant and euphoric collection that builds on the arrangements of their first, and in ‘Slow Hands’ and ‘Narc’ delivers some of the most intense vocal deliveries of 2004. From cultdom to stardom, their transition will be rapid, sweeping and deserved.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: As dapper as the band themselves, their elegant authorised web-space is straightforward, to-the-point, and styled in a not-so-surprising red, black and white (er, like this site then).
MATADOR RECORDS: We love Matador; it also features ‘Pol label-mates such as Matmos, Mission Of Burma, Yo La Tengo and Pretty Girls Make Graves. Wahoo.
DVD SINGLE RELEASE – ‘OBSTACLE 1’: little other than gushing praise for this classic single, and its somewhat ravishing, accompanying video.
FESTIVAL REVIEW – CARLING WEEKEND 2003: one of the more favourable second stage acts, we’ve a paragraph and image from the group’s most recent UK festival appearance.