Thoughts OnInterpol: Our Love to Admire

"Admiration is a very short-lived passion that immediately decays upon growing familiar with its object, unless it be still fed with fresh discoveries, and kept alive by a new perpetual succession of miracles rising up to its view."

-Joseph Addison

One aspect of rock music that's often overlooked is that some of the most memorable groups have something distinctly awkward about them, be it the melodies, the arrangements, or the overall songwriting style. The converse is also usually true: if a band is too polished or lacks spontaneity, one should be suspicious.

By this Libertines fan's own admission, Arctic Monkeys have made better 'Libertines' music than The Libertines ever did. Morrissey has made more perfect 'Smiths' music solo than he ever did with Johnny Marr. Not to be outdone, Coldplay and Muse have sanded off the rough edges of Radiohead and Jeff Buckley into an easily accessible musical product.

In the past few years, we've seen Interpol's formula "Edited" into the blueprint for a host of other groups. These sort of rock simulacra are of course built into the system, with the majors and indies trotting out countless imitators in the off-years between albums by the Radioheads, Oasises, and Interpols of the world.

So what's a band like Interpol to do when so many of their contemporaries have stolen from their playbook? There's the Oasis model: confronted with groups like Cast, Hurricane #1, and Ocean Colour Scene, they simply put their head down and trudged ahead making 'Oasis' music. Then there's the Radiohead model: go off on a wild tangent that leaves other groups (and many fans) scratching their heads. Interpol have chosen the Oasis route, and to be sure, there is some fine 'Interpol' music on this record. After verging on self-parody for much of "Antics", Paul Banks and co. would seem to be back on track.

"No I in Threesome"'s expansive chorus evokes the sort of sun-drenched despair that one might find in a Bret Easton Ellis novel. "The Heinrich Maneuver", the album's first single, is punctuated by Banks's dramatic guitar stabs and Sam Fogarino's military-like precision on the drums. Lyrically, Banks has moved away from the pole-dancing-of-the-stars absurdity of "Slow Hands": the chorus's refrain of "today my heart swings" exudes the sort of easy cool he achieved consistently throughout "Turn on the Bright Lights".

"Pace is the Trick" is simple and all the better for it. Built around a circular, arpeggiated guitar figure, the song unexpectedly bursts into one of the strongest choruses ever found on an Interpol record. "Pioneer to the Falls", meanwhile, offers incontrovertible proof of the band having developed its palette (on this one song, at least). Built around a haunting piano figure and including what sounds like a melodica, it has the sort of widescreen melancholy one wishes had made up the whole record.

Listen to "Pioneer to the Falls":

[Download the MP3 Here]

While the rise of the Internet and music blogs has had the inarguably beneficial effect of exposing eccentric acts to a wider audience, it has also enabled a troubling synchronization of opinion. A quick tour of the blogosphere reveals a flurry of sycophantic posts and a disturbing lack of dissenting views. The band of the moment becomes infallible, bathed in the warm glow of breathless hyperbole, just as those who say otherwise are ridiculed.

So at the risk of subjecting myself to further bullying by internet taste makers, I'll say that "Our Love to Admire" just ain't good enough. Listen to modern third records like "OK Computer" or "Urban Hymns", landmark achievements striking for their depth and ambition, and "Admire" seems like a bit of a cop-out. It offers no sustained musical progression: on most of the songs, the band play it safe; when they try to strike out into uncharted territory, they usually do it unsuccessfully.

The intricate "Mammoth" is like a finely crafted piece of origami, impressive in its complexity, yet ultimately hollow. "Rest my Chemistry" and "The Scale" are uneventful retreads of songs done better on "Turn on the Bright Lights". "Wrecking Ball" tries to incorporate compelling elements like a brass section, minimalist drums, and multi-tracked vocals, but the end result is a musical mess. This sort of failed experiment is why God created b-sides; for Interpol, a band never known for its prolificacy, it has become a crucial album cut.

"Mammoth" Live:

Make no mistake, this album will probably do quite well. Capitol is no doubt betting that there are enough people not familiar enough with Interpol's debut to be truly excited about "Our Love to Admire". But for this listener, who's been watching the group since their unsigned days in NYC, there's something deeply unsatisfying about this record. One can only hope this a case of course correction, rather than a sign of what's to come.

Rating: 6 out of 10