buscemifan's Full Review: Antics [Slipcase] by Interpol
Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights was an instant classic. One of those CDs that instantly becomes part of your CD player and never leaves. An album that is moody, dark, infectious, innocuous, sublime and delicately temperamental. Antics is not.
While it’s a quality work by lead singer Paul Banks and co., my ten or so spins since receiving it last week (back in early August) have caught me skipping tracks, something that is impossible when listening to Bright Lights. From the beautiful instrumental” Untitled” until the “Leif Erikson,” these are all my favorite tracks. Beginning with the opener of “Next Exit,” a hint is even received from the title itself, a little bit harder to swallow then a debut, more lush and exploratory. The opening track commences with music that seems the mixture of a wedding and a funeral. “We ain't going to the town / We're going to the city / Gonna track this S$#t around/ And make this place a heart/ To be a part of” It’s an acknowledgement of a new time in Interpol’s history, a turning point choice where the band can stick to form or move on and try out some new things.
Credit must be given to a band for shifting from a working formula. The same influences are there in a slightly different order. More New Order and Smiths, less Joy Division, even if Mr. Banks has a piece of Ian Curtis lodged inside of him. More dancy beats, less painful struggle but the pain is still present. Not to say Mr. Banks has changed his lyrical stylings from tortured pain and love with a slight bit of sadism, Stella from “Stella was a Diver (and She was Always Down)” has changed to Rosemary in “Evil.”
“Evil” could be the best song opening lyrically in “Rosemary, Heaven restores you in life / Coming with me / Through the aging, the fear and the strife.” Leading into a stellar bridge, “It's the smiling on the package / It's the faces in the sand / It's the thought that holds you upwards / Embracing me with two hands.” “Public Pervert” has that same Interpol touch especially with it’s beautifully, exploratory line; “If time is a vessel, then learning to love / Might be my way back to sea / But I’ll let it age, and maybe my tune will change it a few months.”
The album also does feature some excellent songs like the previously mentioned “Evil” and “Public Pervert” as well as “Slow Hands,” and “NARC” but this likeability comes from it being more familiar to their old style that has entertained me for close to 3 years. Maybe this will replace Bright Lights as their new seminal work, but I highly doubt it.
Note: “Obstacle 2” is ten times better than “Obstacle 1.”
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![Antics [Slipcase] by Interpol](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/a8/7b/c1/2002282957-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.