Of the current bands aping JOY DIVISION (SHE LOVES REVENGE, THE EDITORS etc) INTERPOL is one of the most interesting.

They make old Goth Ian Curtis sound halfway to A-HA - a sustained melancholy (vocals by Paul Banks) surrounded by icebergs of synths and understated bass work (Carlos Dengler). Like in the vastly interesting opening number of their 3rd record Our Love to Admire, Pioneer to the Falls. Like an indie A-HA with tribal drumming (Samuel Fogarino), no pressing commercial aspirations, they strangle the tormented melodies to the breaking point (Daniel Kessler's tonitruant guitar). Their sound refuses to he downsized and tamed in, say, like histrionic emotribes. Downer epic results.

As they come from NY, it's an unique mix, English post-Punk and Scandinavian post-New Wave. Even though lyrics remain firmly in vicarious standpoints.

Another hint of their tormented, yet stylish selves comes in the form of No I in the Threesome, a surreal post-Punk wet dream performed SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES' way. It resembles THE KILLERS without enthusiasm. The textures (guitars and voice) are worthy some spins. But they don't try enough fusions to entertain us. It's fairly conventional these days.

Another stoned JOY DIVISION/A-HA hybrid follows, Scale. In a linear way of doing things. The minimalist arrangement collides with rollicking guitar-synth melodies - and it sounds like two bands in the field. Not quite COLDPLAY, they prefer to let each landscape on its own. They end up with less than the sum of such parts.

Heinrich Maneuver (?) seems something THE EDITORS would cut out of their German fixation. Instead we have a generic THE KILLERS with guitar timbres slightly inclined towards...COLDPLAY. It seems INTERPOL is aiming at a hit single. This way they will find a slot in next THE KILLERS tour instead. With voice prominently featured, not especially charming, it's an off-kilter number flourishing with (chart) ambition.

Mammoth's title promises something ominous, reckless and brutal. INTERPOL's way is far from these features. From the other pole of post-Punk we have ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN's lilting vocal melodies fused to a descending Eastern riff and a vague synth resembling a Moog organ. Whatever. It's a cerebral music box with some interesting outbursts of dynamics. The slightly paranoid vocals become more pleasing as the skewed melody becomes more prominent. This time they just want a "feelbad" time - acquiescing to the cohesive sonic hybrid. A nice moment for this band.

Pace Is The Trick - indeed! What a great title. The minimalist arrangement resembles LINKIN PARK (!) and vocals are decisively Goth. The track stands up more in mood than in pace - it coalesces around a NEW ORDER-ian melody (Vicious Streak) invoking a despondent heartbreak atmosphere. THE KILLERS fused NEW ORDER's hollowness with "new Rock" excitement. INTERPOL prefers to delve in a NEW ORDER groove of their own. There are no comparable bass or singing duties, of even vocals, as Banks prefers Curtis as a model. The modest results are pleasing for this band, nevertheless.

All Fired Up is a surprising show of Rock N'Roll straightforward past. Sidelining JOY DIVISION to indulge in THE DOORS' egotrips, INTERPOL finds plenty of space for their THE KILLERS' theatrics in a different set of sonic canvas. What they miss is the rhythmic and vocal excitement to bring down the house set on fire - take it by the half-baked coda. Loose decadence in an otherwise stylish, detail-obsessed set.

If INTERPOL sounds like an insomniac band sometimes we can blame the chemicals between them. Like a muscular SUEDE offshoot (Oakes-shot), the seaside power ballad Rest My Chemicals is a highlight in Our Love to Admire. Baker sounds uncannily like Brett Anderson and the overall proceedings follow accordingly. The overloaded consciousness is something SUEDE would hardly attempt and there's not much dynamics apart from the recreation of vintage neo-Glam but still, a nice offering. Better than THE TEARS! "You're so young/Like a lazy daisy/In my eyes"! Wow!

Who Do You Think's intro is another retro downer, halfway between THE ROLLING STONES' Paint it Black and SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - but quickly we have another generic THE KILLERS in autopilot. The shortest tracks seem afterthoughts to this band. They want hits but they don't believe their style fits it in. Banks in particular is plodding and faceless thru and thru. Only drumming remains compulsive.

Wrecking Ball is a more understated affair, a howling descending riff and an affected moaning (both from Banks) conveying a depressive atmosphere. Emos may love the ghoulish backings and despondent snippets of melody sprinkled around this singers' tormented self - otherwise it's hard to keep face value. Not much distinctive. Keep your BUNNYMEN records close to heart especially Heaven Up There and you'll see why. At least the guitars-synth grandeur is noticeable, as if they took a trip to the Urals.

Last but not least we have the stream of guitar rambling called Lighthouse - one of the most affecting, eerie incursions of INTERPOL through the sonorities of 2 decades ago. A random mirrory guitar - quite impressive - is followed by decent, detached vocals from Banks, the man finally putting aside his Curtis' makeup to convey something of his own. The ethereal, mantric quality of this tune is at odds with the remaining tracks - and it feels good! Kind of an epic tune without pomposity. It's an inner trip to oblivion. More DAVID BOWIE's acquiescence before the vaguely transcendent than BUNNYMEN's thorny ambitions - until the massive coda arrives, that is. See ya!

File under: Depressive transformism

Tracklist:

* * * * 1/2 Pioneer to the Falls
* * * 1/2 No I in Threesomes
* * * 1/2 Scale
* * * 1/2 Heinrich Maneuver
* * * * Mammoth
* * * * Pace Is The Trick
* * * All Fired Up
* * * * Rest My Chemicals
* * * Who Do You Think
* * * 1/2 Wrecking Ball
* * * * 1/2 Lighthouse

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Going to Sleep