Interpol - Marauder

Interpol is the legendary Indie Rock and Post Punk band hailing from New York, lead by Mr. Paul Banks.  Now, sometimes with bands these days it takes them a little while to get their sound in check.  But with 2002's "Turn on The Bright Lights", Banks and company proved very quickly they knew what they were doing, almost too well. This was an absolute masterclass in Post Punk and Indie with Interpol attacking at all angles.   From the tense and manic "PDA", to the strangely off the rails "Say Hello To The Angels", to the "Untitled" intro that still sometimes brings me to tears, this album is one of the 2000's most memorable Rock debuts.  Interpol returned in 2004 with "Antics".  Now, the first thing that was glaring about this album was the lack of that very dreary atmosphere, and Interpol was clearly going for a much more immediate sound.  And at first, I resisted.  But this album has so many great moments from start to finish, from impeccable singles like "C'Mere" and "Evil", to gloomy, brooding moments like "Take You On A Cruise" and "Next Exit".  Interpol may have been pandering to a slightly different audience, but I'll be damned if they didn't sound great doing it.  But with 2007's "Our Love To Admire", Interpol really started dropping the ball.  Outside of singles like the undeniable "The Heinrich Maneuver" or the slow-burning "No I In Threesome", there was barely anything to truly love here.  Paul Banks often sounded exhausted, and the wonderful atmosphere that once haunted Interpol albums was long gone.  And in its place, just seemed to be a bunch of really exhausted sounding, poorly written Indie tunes.  Then we have 2010's "Interpol" album, which I'm not even trying to be funny, I completely forgot came out.  This album is criminally boring, filled with faceless instrumentals and Paul Banks just sounding out of ideas.   But Interpol came back with a slight improvement with 2014's "El Pintor".  This was an album fueled by more aggressive singles like "Anywhere" and "Breaker 1", which actually weren't that bad.  And yes, there is still a slew of really boring tunes that just do nothing for me overall.  But Interpol did seem alive and cooking again.  Not to mention "All The Rage Back Home" is one hell of a single.  So it's been a hot minute since we've heard from Interpol.  But from the sound of these singles, the band do sound rejuvenated.  Let's talk about this Interpol album, shall we?

(A personal favorite of mine!)

This album starts off with “If You Really Love Nothing”.  Now, as far as the instrumental goes here, I actually think this is a pretty decent, focused intro.  Like, I love the determined drums and the energy coming from Interpol.  But Mr. Banks, ahem, what is you doin’?  I have no idea why he’s going for these genuinely cheesy verses that seem to take all the mystery out of all of this together.  And yea, that’s really what drew me to Interpol in the first place.  The chorus is fine and all, but all of these high pitched vocals on the verse are absolutely laughable and ridiculous.  Like, it ends up bringing down this entire track, this isn’t where I wanted to start.   At the very least “The Rover” as an early single from the album actually packs a whole lot of punch.  I love the upbeat riff and just how much heavier some of the production is here.  Like, as far as that goes, this is easily one of the heaviest tracks the band has come out with since the band’s days of “Antics”.  And that goes for all around.  Paul sounds fantastic and full of energy.  And while no, that famous atmosphere that ruled the airwaves years ago isn’t anywhere in sight, I have no issues with this.  With “Complications”, it continues to be obvious that Interpol just seems like they’re full of life for the first time in a while, really does add a lot on its own.  Here, Paul Banks is right back to sound full of mystery and is genuinely twisted sounding.  Of all of the tracks here so far, this one actually stands out to me the most.  I love the twisting verses and just how genuinely evil Interpol sound, when was the last time I’ve been able to say that about these guys?   It’s also just so tense, I love it.  The hits just keep on coming with “Flight of Fancy”, which is once again incredibly tense and an atmospheric Post-Punk tune.  I’m not going to say “go tell your friends that Interpol sounds like themselves again”.  But, if you’re up for a real throwback track, this is actually pretty awesome.  I love just how sweeping and hypnotic this track is.  Like I said, I wouldn’t say that business is back to normal, but with tracks like this, I wouldn’t mind coming back for seconds.  But I don’t know, “Stay In Touch” slowly reminds me that things really aren’t what they seem.  I do like this track in a way, even if that twangy and practically country riff just doesn’t let up at all.  It’s just so damn goofy, and it’s a shame because I really love a lot of what else is going on here.  It’s certainly dark and chilling, and it absolutely has that mysterious vibe to it.  But I don’t know, I just feel like this is a stretch.  Like, I feel like this isn’t coming to the band like it once would, and so easily at that. 

But let me tell you, the lack of an atmosphere is continuing to get to me.  Let me just say, if “Interlude 1” is supposed to get me in a chilly mood, I’m not biting.  At all.  But I do like the very tense playing of “Mountain Child”.  You have to give Paul credit when he’s on, he’s really on.  Here, he just sounds so dangerous, and the band around him sound just as determined.  But oh God, this chorus is just so damn corny.  I feel like Interpol at the end of the day are just so flimsy these days.  They want to do things the old fashioned way, they want to make these dark, foreboding atmospheres.  But with this track, I just feel like there’s part of Paul that wants to create a memorable single or two and that’s it.  This is just so damn wishy-washy.  But Interpol continues to know how to reel me back in with “NYSMAW”.  This one is honestly in every way exactly where I want to hear Interpol these days.  Paul hasn’t sounded this genuinely twisted this entire album.  The instrumental is just so determined and nocturnal.  Listening to this, I just sort of picture Interpol driving around in Brooklyn being up to no good, which is originally where I loved hearing them.   Not only that, but here Paul has such a sorrow, and he sounds so tortured and torn here, I really can’t tell you how great that is.  And to be honest, yea the heavily drenched in sound effects vocals are a little cheesy.  But this is still quite possibly the best track of the bunch.  But every time I really get in the zone here, Interpol gives us a track like “Surveillance”.  Some of these softer tracks are seriously flimsy.  Sure, Paul may be putting on an act here and trying to sound like a total villain.  But let’s be real, as far as ballads go, Paul has fallen a lot since his days of “NYC”.  This track is just so faceless, even with the riffs being hypnotic.  Hell, even the rest of the instrumentals are so lively and interesting, but this track is still far from where it should be.  On the other hand, I actually still love “Number 10” since hearing it a while back.  It’s got a great atmosphere, a memorable guitar riff, and just tons else going for it.  Not to mention, the production on this album as a whole has been on point.  And when this track picks up into a much more upbeat Post Punk track that’s reminiscent of Interpol’s legendary “PDA”, it just get’s special. It’s an awesome tune, and if I heard this track and this track only, I would honestly think Interpol were back firing on all cylinders.  Not to mention this is easily Paul’s most passionate and heartfelt performance here.  It actually does a whole lot for this tune, I’m happy. 

I do have to continue to say, the sheer urgency of this album is a massive step in the right direction.  But with “Party’s Over”, I have to ask why the hell Paul continues to break out these unbearable high pitched vocals.  I literally couldn’t take these seriously if my life depended on it.  And it just gives me this horrible taste in my mouth, like even Interpol aren’t taking this album seriously.  And yes, “Interlude 2” is actually much more on an interlude than the first one.  But what the fuck does that even mean?  And why do Interpol have to focus on minute-long interludes to build an atmosphere?  Then we have the finale, “It Probably Matters”, which I’ll be honest have some clashing thoughts on.  For one, this tracks bouncy riff shouldn’t exist, this isn’t what I showed up for.  But I do enjoy some of Paul’s very dreary performances here, and I do think the atmosphere is one of the best of the bunch.  But I’m just so torn because that bouncing riff is just so freakin’ goofy.  This track is just ok.  This entire album is OK.  Sure, this is better than everything they’ve done since “Antics”, but what does that even mean? 

Rating: 7.2/10

Give A Listen To: “Complication”, “Flight of Fancy”, “NYSMAW”, “Number 10”

Least Favorite Track: “Party’s Over”

Genre: Post Punk / Indie Rock 

Overall Thoughts: I have good news and bad news.  The bad news is, If someone tells you that the original Interpol sound is back for good with this new album, they’re lying.  The good news is, this is the most concrete work Interpol has put out since “Antics”.   Most of that is due to some better production, heavier riffs and some genuine energy coming out of Paul Banks for a change.  However, let’s be real, there are a few moments on here where Paul’s vocals are cringe-worthy to no end.  Not to mention, why is it that time after time I feel like this isn’t coming naturally to Interpol and they’re reaching for this sound big time.  Still, though, there are some really great moments on here, much more so than their last three albums combined.