Hooks Are For Squares: Interpol-'Interpol'

“Criticism is something you can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, being nothing” ~Aristotle

Some might think that music fans are the worst. Casual fans, to be exact. Most of them are trying too hard to establish their identity by purchasing every physical releases of what current trend offers while incessantly worrying about losing their prepaid hard earned wedge albeit the reputation or workload of independent retailers upon whom they place their payment. Some others elevate the axiom by thinking that most of those casual fans camouflage their fandom in the veil of music journalism, hence the casual music journalism, which can be figured (and pointed) out in no sweat. 

But to me, crème de la crème of this much ado about music is critic whose critique usually revolves around pointing out divergence of one musical output from a band (“album”) against its predecessor(s) or another band’s albums which built upon foundation established by another band and the list went on until you got nothing but tribal beats found by the early homo sapiens, our ancestors. A condition which amusingly captured by the picture below.

 

Hence the necessity for most bands for constant validation, be it from alt or mindie publications, by writing songs critics and discerning crowd want to hear and being something they will find impressive. Little did they know, validation seeking is something that will harm their true selves, cause them to start doing nothing while nodding to the same patterns (or requests) all over again and avoiding to do important things. 

 Luckily, that’s not what happens to Interpol (in 2010) upon the release of their Self-Titled Album, “Interpol”.

 

Staying true to their salience, upon which doing nothing is to repeat what they have done, Interpol observe the first golden rule of rock and roll and take opportunities where the potential for reward is high, but the possibility for criticism was equally enormous.

The worst (and best) thing about Interpol is their mastery of deceitful profundity and that what makes me love them. Being a bunch of prolific musicians and accomplished image crafters, it is somewhat burdensome for typical listener to get rid of the temptation to correlate “NYC” with 9/11 and accept that there’s nothing substantial that underlies the song, so it’s just merely subtly-written breakup song.


While on the more discerning critique, I can see that some of them think that Interpol are just a bunch of hook-producing alpha males and the lack thereof, surprised them:


“At the core of every great Interpol song hangs a hook so barbed it could draw blood, no matter how heavy the surrounding goth atmospherics. But somewhere between 2004's Antics and the mostly tepid 2007 major-label debut Our Love to Admire, the noirish New Yorkers lost the monster sing-alongs and danceable rhythms that made early tracks "PDA" and "NYC" so captivating. That trajectory continues on their fourth album, as the group continues to drift where they once focused intently.
…
When artists self-title albums, it's often a statement of purpose or of redefinition, but that's not the case here. Interpol sounds both strangely distant and overly familiar, like a band struggling to remember who they are.” - Josh Modell


But the last time I checked, I still believe that Interpol are bigger than Captain Hook.


As those hooks on their previous offerings start to build the crux upon their reputation, one can easily fathom the purport of the artwork of “Interpol”: Demolishing of a perfectly sculptured monument that resembles Interpol (the band) to pull the band into a familiar territory. Something inconceivable by the “sightless” Josh Modell.


Upon Interpol’s emergence, I could easily find the word “Joy Division” written in 10 out of 10 articles about the band (the name-dropping that I considered objectionable). And when Interpol finally entered the same state of “Closer” (“Isolation” + several monotonous goth songs = ”Barricade” + several monotonous goth songs, compressed in approximately 40 minutes), typical fans and most critics are dumbfounded by the band’s approach. (Please note that 2010 marked the rise of “dark ambient”-thingy across the scattered music universe and the fact that young folks felt more fulfilled by wearing “Unknown Pleasures” t-shirt instead of “Closer”). 
 




As what Paul Banks said to “give some meaning to the means to your end”, he decided to add some meaning to the band’s entrance to the realm of “Closer”. “Success” is a preemptive decree to set his band apart from their fellow contemporaries and embark to “the great unknown”: “Dreams of long life/ What safety can you find?/ If the sea was that strong/ Maybe we had to fly” because: “I have succeeded/ I won't compete for long/ I'm not not supposed to show you/ I've got two secrets/ But I only told you one”. “Safe Without” is a bold statement of saying no to validation: “I'm not the hero out the gate/ So much to feel, so much to gain/ My higher reason will take pain/ I'll be okay, I've got my shapes/ We are not alone, we share our stake/ And I think the winds all will be wonderful/ Go alone, we'll spread the chase/ To all the roller copter way/ There's no allegiance left to take/ These great big sheets disintegrate”. And finally, their farewell note to Capitol: All that I see/ Show me your ways/ Teach me to meet my desires... with some grace/ All that I fear/ Don't turn away/ And leave me to plead in this hole of a place.../ What if I never break/ Estuary, won't you take me/ Far away, far away/ All that I seek/ Please police me/ I want you to police me/ But keep it clean/ All that I feel/ Capital ways teach me to grieve and conspire with my age/ All that I can see/ A gold mystic spree/ A seething routine I could never navigate, maybe I like to stray/ No harm it seems to be less so free... not today/ It's like you want it that way”).


Musically speaking, typical fans despised “Interpol”. The album somewhat lacked vigor but anyone who LISTENED to “Closer” should’ve thought that “Interpol” is a solid album. Note the machine-like drumming in “Try It On” which directly borrowed from “Heart and Soul” and opted to substitute its bass chord with piano. “All Of The Ways” is to “The Eternal” as “Summer Well” is to “Passover”. Guitars are getting heavier and abrasive like slow approaching snowstorm (“Lights”, “Memory Serves” and “Success”) but also tingling just like old times when necessary (“The Undoing” and “Safe Without”).


Finally, as a legacy to the band, D contributed his most evocative but angular yet brilliant painting via his deft left fingers as his canvas and plectrum on the right as his brush as if every minuscule plucks upon his bass strings on “Barricade”, a reminiscent of “Isolation”, sounds both spontaneous and calculated. A true masterpiece that probably drove Hooky to apply for D’s position and the three legged Interpol to turn him down.

Interpol’s attempt to bring “Closer” into the new millennium, adorned with slicker production, is a subtle pejoration to faux fans and critics who compared them to Joy Division at the wrong time while documenting four well-versed musicians boldly switch out of their comfort zone and jump in head first into the realm of near-nothingness.

“Interpol” is also “the why” some people won’t be as awesome as Gerard Cosloy.




PS: When Joy Division dissolved right after "Closer", in a not so twisting plot, Interpol rode on. Is the current Interpol is the new New Order?