Turn on the Bright Lights

by

Interpol

Edit

I bought this album because people told me it sounded just like Joy Division, who are my all-time favorite band. Well, somebody has to say this and it's going to be me- Interpol don't really sound much like Joy Division, and all the reviewers who say otherwise are just demonstrating that they've never really listened all that closely to either band. Yes, Interpol are a dark post-punk band, but the similarity really ends there. Interpol songs are not built around the bass line like Joy Division songs, they aren't nearly as manic-sounding, and the tone of Interpol's music tends to be moody and reflective whereas the tone of Joy Division is coldly futuristic and impersonal. However, Turn on the Bright Lights is a brilliant album in its own right, with some of the best songwriting I've heard in a long time, and songs that grow on you more and more till you hardly want to hear anything else. Of course Interpol have their influences like any band does, and one of those influences might be Joy Division. But they don't really need to be compared to anyone. They shine on their own.

This is a promising debut, at least more so than albums like "Pablo Honey" and "Boys Don't Cry" were.

I can sort of understand the Joy Division comparisons since these songs have atmospheric guitar, but I think the similarities end there. It's important to remember that JD were breaking new musical ground when they came out with what they were doing in the late 70s (i.e, they sounded like no one else before them). Furthermore, I don't think there is quite the same level of raw innovative talent and synergy among the members of Interpol. Fans of TOTBL may want to do themselves a favor and pick up a copy of JD's "Unknown Pleasures"..

I'll agree with another reviewer that this is probably the strongest debut by an American band since Pearl Jam released their great debut, "Ten." It is at least refreshing to hear a band out of this country that sounds, if not totally original, derivative of GOOD bands.

Although somewhat generic in overall sound, one of the coolest things about Interpol's music is that virtually all songs develop as they go, often progressing into very nice endings; Obstacles 1 + 2 and PDA are good examples of this.

Hopefully these guys will stay together, continue to experiment and expand their ideas and instrumentation, try out some more interesting producers to work with on their next albums, and most importantly, develop a more unique sound.

No bad songs on this record, though I thought "Leif Erikson" was most impressive, followed by "Obstacle 2," "Hands Away," and the aggressive "Roland".