andym173's Full Review: Antics [Slipcase] by Interpol
My friend’s in a band! Yay! Actually, this is nothing unusual; I have lots of friends who are in bands, but unfortunately none of them sound (to my ears, anyway) very good. As a polite way of putting it, the talent:ambition ratio is not very high. Anyway, this guy’s band are particularly abhorrent: I remember the first time I saw them they were playing in a very small venue where there wasn’t even a stage and the band simply had to do their stuff about two feet in front of a drooling (or not) audience. The ‘stuff’ that my friend’s band did, however, was nothing short of incomprehensible -- a hazy mess of over-driven guitars, unintelligible vocals, and I guess what could possibly be promoted as a ‘psychedelic style’. Each song seemed to blend into one another (or maybe it _was_ just one big song?), and suffice to say I was lying to him a lot later that night. He also insisted (and insists these days, by the way) that he must describe to me every new song that they’d come up with at the latest practice session. I began to notice a trend, in that he was playing the same beat every single time (yeah, he’s the drummer, which makes him cool! Yes?), the bass always seemed to be funky, and the guitars always seemed to make a ‘pyew-pyew’ noise, whatever that means. Of course, I am too polite and lovely to admit all of this to him. The band claim many influences, apparently -- ranging from The Verve to The Stone Roses -- one of which was the reasonably fresh New York-based group Interpol.
Yes! Some kind of relevance! I guess it was this guy who got me into Interpol, since he’d been raving about them ever since their 2002 debut Turn On The Bright Lights hit the scene. Having him talk my ear off about this band every day wasn’t pleasant, and to be honest I was about ready to find something sharp to stab him with, so I ended up caving and buying the album not long after (having heard absolutely nothing from it, which is pretty common for me anyway). My first impressions -- and second, and third, and fourth, as it turns out -- were that this band was melodic yet dark and had an almost robotic feel in some of the music they played. Vocalist Paul Banks sounded lazy and often monotonous, the guitars either chimed or churned away in what could be described by some as a repetitive fashion, and the bass and drums hit out plodding beats that never really seemed to be making an effort. It sounded like a slowed-down version of punk. Punk on dope? Yeah, that’s effective. (Although more musically verbose folks would be likely to refer to it as ‘post-punk’. How nifty.) They also seemed to be big fans of the crescendo technique in a lot of their tunes, starting off with sprinklings of guitar and gentle melodic-ness before eventually culminating in a whitewash of haze... somehow, it all worked. (As a side note, these guys have been compared incessantly to 80s group Joy Division -- to be honest, the comparisons aren’t all that hard to make; I’ve heard only minimal Joy Division and even _I_ can notice startling similarities. The only thing I would say is that Interpol tend to focus more on being melodic.) But what stood out about the group is the way they were able to incorporate some semblance of energy into music that was essentially dour and potentially depressive. To cut a long story short, the album was successful in that it built the band a strong underground following of loyal boot-lickers, and whatever they came up with next was going to be harshly scrutinised by these hardcore legions -- and the music press, I suppose.
What came next was the album in question: 2004’s Antics. Unsurprisingly, it’s not far removed at all from Turn On The Bright Lights in general sound. You can hardly blame Interpol for this; after all, what’s wrong with sticking to a style you’re comfortable with? The Strokes, while being a decidedly average band in _my_ opinion, have been highly successful, gained a large line of fans, and over their two albums haven’t changed their sound by one millimetre. Going further back, Nirvana -- who refused to budge from their simplistic, biting punk formula for the brief time that they were around -- are now made out to be some sort of supergroup, or an enigma, or an iconic band who were perfection personified. This, of course, is far from the truth; they were good, they weren’t _that_ good, but the media have proceeded to romanticise these three guys without them having to go through any spectacular evolution as a group. Obviously, I’d prefer it if Interpol were -- after Antics -- to go on and try something a little different, but a lot of bands have been afforded the opportunity to stick to their guns musically over the years, so why shouldn’t Interpol be allowed to as well? Anyway, if Antics does anything with Turn On The Bright Lights’ sound, it refines it a little. They feel more radio-ready on this effort, and the production is a bit crisper, and there’s a little more urgency, and every song seems like it could be listened to outwith the album and appreciated just as much as it is within (in essence, it’s more of a ‘singles’ album we’ve got here), and basically it’s a teensy bit more accessible than their debut. Although not overly so; you’d never hear this in the charts, for example. They go a bit more for the straight formula of gently melodic verses to overdriven choruses than on their previous disc, and the sound definitely has a lighter, brighter edge to it than Turn On The Bright Lights, ironically enough. If I’m honest, there are times when I prefer Antics to the debut mini-masterpiece; it’s packed full of solid tunes that will wind their way around your ears, and all in all it seems a bit less laboured. It’s nothing to stretch the boundaries of originality, but it’s an extraordinarily consistent sophomore effort -- personally I couldn’t have asked more of Interpol.
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The album is book-ended with what are probably the two mellowest tracks, and they contain the latent energy within nicely. Both spread out in front of the listener like vast oceans, gently easing you into their beauty as they build up slowly. Opener “Next Exit” introduces itself with the lines “We ain’t going to the town / We’re going to the city / Gonna track this shit around / And make this place a heart / To be a part of again.” It signals Interpol’s desire to build on what they already had, and as I’ve previously said, they’ve done it well on Antics, bringing a bit of a spunkier edge to their dour music. Anyway, “Next Exit” rolls along on gentle shimmering guitar chimes and a sloppy beat, and Banks’ vocals are stretched to the max -- very effectively, I must say. When the bass enters it gives the song a bit more of a low boom than a sweet chime, and things get a touch darker as we move into the choruses. But all of the hooks suggest optimism, and despite its lackadaisical exterior the song is rather uplifting. Closer “A Time To Be So Small” is almost the polar opposite, using resonant bass and whining, grating guitars to build up a gorgeous, glossy mood. It has a bit more prowess -- with its stammering, bobbing rhythm -- than the opener does, and closes the album on a melancholy yet powerful note. I tend to think of the ocean evoked by this one being more choppy than what is brought into view by “Next Exit”.
Now, Turn On The Bright Lights wasn’t without its fair share of up-tempo tracks, and they’re even more prevalent on Antics. The most instantly impressive has to be “Slow Hands” -- I believe it’s the second single. It runs along with an almost punk energy that I’ve never quite heard from Interpol, and it’s really pretty invigorating. The verses are, in a way, chaotic: guitars layer over the top of each other as they play stabbing riffs, and Banks spits out lyrics faster than he’s ever gone before, I think -- “I submit my incentive is romance / I watched the pole dance of the stars / We rejoice because the hurting is so painless / From the distance of passing cars.” A gritty ascending riff signals the build-up to the choruses, and when they enter they’re retro and energetic -- probably something that could’ve fit in very well on Franz Ferdinand’s debut disc. One of the other more instantly-appealing numbers would be “Evil”, as it possesses the most hooking and obvious bass line on the entire CD. The rhythm section is quite happy to punch the track along violently in the verses, and then the guitars wheeze out robotically during the whitewashes that are the choruses. Some nice bass hooks pump out in the build-up, the drums hit a nice thump just prior to the chorus’ entry, and there is a welcome mellow break every so often.
Liz is awesome by the way; she likes “Evil” a lot too!
Returning to the album after that unannounced outburst, there are some other tracks that possess a more dominant energy. Like the jarring chords and spiralling riffs of “C’mere”, for example. Like the heinous jagged riff of “Narc”, and its exceedingly loud chorus. However, this wouldn’t be an Interpol album without some well-placed ambient-lite moments. They put one of them pretty much at the album’s apex: right in the centre. “Not Even Jail” has to be the longest song on the album, really (doesn’t it?), and is one of the more slow-burning songs that’ll take a little while to creep under even the softest of skins. It’s got a dense sound, and a thumping beat, and ear-piercing yet beautifully melodic guitars in its patient instrumental moments. Another track with fleeting ambience is “Take You On A Cruise”, a track that carries a wailing -- and at the same time almost funky -- feel, but its individuality lies in the atmospheric lead-in to the choruses. The guitars twiddle and weave a glimmering little riff, until the bass decides to kick the song back into gear again and pumps it up to new levels. These parts fit the title of the song; you can almost imagine yourself sailing slowly away on a huge ship while these reflective interludes are going on.
The only track I’m not a huge fan of is “Public Pervert”, and that’s only because it carries a lot of the same elements as the rest of the tunes on here (bumbling, bouncy bass; surly, lethargic drums; those grating guitars; and a noise-fest of a chorus), but doesn’t quite pull them off with as much conviction. Even the laziness in this one feels forced, and that’s its problem really.
Aside from this one minor nitpick, Antics is a fine return for New Yorkers Interpol, and keeps them on the steady path while avoiding the sophomore slump that so many bands fall victim to. They still wear their influences pretty much on their sleeve, and the music is of a fairly similar style all the way through proceedings, but if you enjoy a darker, more challenging brand of rock music then this should be right up your alley. They’ve managed to equal (if not better, I haven’t decided yet) their tremendous debut disc, Turn On The Bright Lights, but at the same time make their sound just a tad more accessible. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I personally hope that Interpol can gather new legions of fans with Antics. It mightn’t be too original, and it mightn’t have the musical depth of its predecessor, but it’s nonetheless a solid album that can stand on the shelf alongside Turn On The Bright Lights without batting an eyelid (if CDs had eyelids, that is).
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Excellent: Evil, Slow Hands, C’mere
Good: Next Exit, Narc, Take You On A Cruise, Not Even Jail, Length Of Love, A Time To Be So Small
Average: Public Pervert
Weak: NONE
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