Interpol - Our Love to Admire

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 8 / 7 / 2007

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Review

Interpol's third album is a departure from their first two releases. While they are still very much reminiscent of Joy Division, it is a little lighter in its darkness. The cover also features animals and a design rather then the bleak Peter Saville-style covers of the past. 'Pioneer to the Calls' opens the album. It is jangly with soft but haunting keyboards which are very low in the mix. Paul Banks' vocal isn't as harsh as usual, but the sound is fuller and much more widescreen. The rhythm section of bass and drum fills the gaps, painting the picture a deeper shade of black. 'No 1 in Threesome' has a deep groove bass. The keyboards here assist this. Paul's vocal here sounds unusually commercial for Interpol, while the guitars are very charming. 'The Scale' features slow but dark beats, and is a song to the lonesome for the middle of the night. 'The Heinrich Maneuver', the recent single, follows, while 'Mammoth' is massive in sound, a little like the Beatles with its chugging guitars. 'Pace is the Trick' starts off sounding slow, jangly and haunting. When the whole band kick in, it has a trippy, swaggering sound. 'All Fired Up' has dirty, gritty guitars. Paul's vocal is angry, with true pain spat out with each word, as grand as you could wish for from this band. 'Rest My Chemistry' is loud with deep beats. Paul's vocal is crystal clear and very convincing. 'Who Do You Think' sounds like a dark version of the Who's 'Can't Explain' and is a toe tapper for the black coated crowd. 'Wrecking Ball' is haunting and sounds like the Chameleons whom are an influence. It ends with 'The Lighthouse' which sounds like the Velvets tuning up as if they wre class A bluesmen. Paul's vocal is hymnal and it eventually turns into a funeral march. A damn fine record !

Track Listing:-

1 Pioneer To The Falls
2 No I In Threesome
3 The Scale
4 The Heinrich Maneuver
5 Mammoth
6 Pace Is The Trick
7 All Fired Up
8 Rest My Chemistry
9 Who Do You Think
10 Wrecking Ball
11 The Lighthouse