Interpol

Is brooding really as boring as Interpol make it seem? When I’m wrought with inner torment it’s often a dynamic experience—my mind slips between imaginative emotional outbursts and rational restraint. Admittedly, there are other times where I simply sulk and moor myself in a bog of misery. Our Love To Admire makes me realize how incredibly bland said sulking can be.

The bulk of this album consists of slow groaners that rely on rudimentary riffs, bass lines, and beats to provide a backdrop for Paul Banks’ mirthless vocals—which is what gives this band purpose. Banks’ unique voice keeps Interpol from being thrown into the overflowing indie melting pot. No matter how loud Banks shouts or how high he stretches his pitch, it seems impossible for him to emit (or evoke) any joy whatsoever, yet his earnestness and sincerity can hardly be questioned.

Apart from Banks, there is nothing special about this album. “Pioneer To The Falls” and “Pace Is The Trick” use the same drumbeat, use the same notes in their intros, and open with bland-as-chicken-feed riffs, which is followed by Banks oozing out a few lines before the band creeps in. Suffice it to say I get more titillated seeing my grandmother in a girdle.

“The Scale” and “Rest My Chemistry” have some good grooves and angular rips, though the hook in the former gets old quickly. “The Lighthouse” is a ticklish, ethereal requiem, but is hardly anything original.

Our Love To Admire is another easily digestible, unstimulating record that makes hipsters feel good about themselves because they aren’t listening to modern rock. Yet, this record’s popularity is more than fit for mainstream (it debuted at number four on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart), and, appropriately, is just as generic. Banks gives fans enough reason to remain faithful, but new ears might as well listen to someone eat bran flakes.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Pioneer To The Falls
02. No I In Threesome
03. The Scale
04. The Heinrich Maneuver
05. Mammoth
06. Pace Is The Trick
07. All Fired Up
08. Rest My Chemistry
09. Who Do You Think
10. Wrecking Ball
11. The Lighthouse

Run Time: 46:59