Top 50 Albums of the 00s - #15: Interpol - Antics

Yep, we're counting down the top 50. Click here for overview and criteria.

When evaluating Interpol, a friend of mine once scoffed, "They made a great album then they made it two more times." This was before 2010's eponymous release. And his biting statement is pretty true. They are not an outfit striving for diversity. Their singer is limited. Their songs don't even think about the existence of other genres. When I read my list to see what we had left, I was surprised to see Interpol this high. But then I played the record again, and instantly remembered why I had them where I did. I shouldn't have doubted myself.

When "Next Exit" begins, it does so at a pace that says, "I'm not going out of my way for you here." Still, it's got a groove that pulls you along in its own plodding way. Anyone who was feeling impatient is will be pleased as we quickly get to "Evil." The first time I heard this song, I was totally blown away, and haven't ever lost that feeling. It is without a doubt one of the five catchiest songs of the decade, and the chief reason why the album makes the top 15. This is one of those songs that, as soon as it ends, you have the urge to play it over again. What starts off with a gripping but calm groove explodes at the one-minute mark where the intensity increases before the track keeps building from there. The peak doubles as my favorite non-word vocal of the decade, Paul Banks' "awww!" that comes 2:52 into the song. It probably doesn't mean a damn thing, but it just sounds so cool. The song is simply a big part of my life. I don't think I've had a party or road trip in the last six years that didn't include it somewhere.

We're in the top 15 now. One track simply isn't enough. "Narc" keeps the groove going and builds to its peak where Banks hollers "You should be in my space, you should be in my life!" Between the pounding "Not Even Jail" and blend of light guitars and heavy everything else on "C'mere," there are other worthy additions to the Interpol oeuvre. Again, never steering too far off the charted course.

It is worth nothing that the mid-00s saw a tremendous resurgence of Joy Division inspired, dark indie pop. You can pick your preferred branch between Editors, The Bravery, stellastarr*, The Killers, and The Rapture, just to name a few. But nobody did it with more panache or talent than these guys. Maybe it doesn't point to anything new, but putting this album on again reminded me how perfectly they crafted their driving intensity.

If Turn on the Bright Lights was about a night in Gotham, Antics is where we pick up the day after. In the end, this dark, monotonous music somehow rings beautifully, and it's that touch of additional brightness that makes this Interpol's best release. They are likely to be a band lost to their (retro) time. I don't think people will be clamoring for an Interpol reunion tour in 2020. But by doing this list, I reminded myself that this is an album worth returning to.

The audio stinks on this video, which is a shame. But play it anyway.


Previous Entries:
#16 - Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
#17 - Jens Lekman - Oh You're So Silent, Jens
#18 - Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
#19 - Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
#20 - The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!
#21 - Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
#22 - Mission of Burma - The Obliterati
#23 - Don Caballero - World Class Listening Problem
#24 - The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
#25 - Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon

Full Immersion: First Blush Roundup Vol 3

Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
I pretty much thought... that this album was a near seamless blend of what had always made Dinosaur work. And I called you a slacker. Sorry about that. You're not a slacker. Just a little lazy.

First Blush is cool because... "this is a classic Dino track. Stringy-haired gentleman across this land are bobbing their heads back and forth as we speak." Just a really heartening image in my opinion.

I'm obviously a genius because I said... "'Think about the future, let the past unwind,' which I guess kind of explains how we got to this point." I thought that was a pretty nice get on the fly and still rather profound in retrospect.

I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... "Verrry Thunderkiss ’65! (chun-chun-chugga-cha-chun-chun-chugga)" Really, that's not so idiotic, but it's the best example I could find. I was way on point throughout this review, if I do say so myself. OK, now I've proven my idiocy, right?
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... that I can't tell the difference between this latest Dinosaur Jr. release and everything they've done previously. And that's a good thing in this case. As I mentioned in the review, it's often difficult to keep Dino's song names straight. And now when I hear songs from this album, I have to think for a second about which release they come from. It's one of the band's strongest outputs, and the songs played great live as well. I can't wait for the next one.

Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist

I pretty much thought... that there were some positive aspects, but overall the album seemed a bit too homogeneous and lacked the substance and flair of the Pumpkins' greater achievements.

First Blush is cool because... of the free, Best Buy bonus track, I said, "So far this is like getting free fat on your steak."

I'm obviously a genius because I said... "I am getting concerned about the album just being hair metal at this point."
I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... "'Yes, Lord, I’m sinkin’.' I can’t recall a previous God reference in a SP song. Seems out of character for Corgan. Like he doesn’t mean it." I'm pretty certain that statement is not true. I mean, "I am One" was all about the Holy Trinity, right?
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... it's a near miss. Unfortunately, that what's missing is crucial makes it a pretty lousy album overall. Honestly, I admire what Corgan was going for. Nobody really rocks anymore except for bands like Slipknot who don't really mean it, and they approached these songs with some serious gusto. But the whole thing remains very lacking. I think I hit the nail on the head in the initial review when I said, "I wonder if they even had a chance to work through these songs before making the album. Usually bands can try things out in front of audiences first." And also when I said, "I can’t see myself slogging through this album over and over again." Perhaps they've improved the songs by working them out in their live set by now. There was a ton of potential in their approach. It was just errant potential. And all the self-congratulatory attitude in the liner notes aren't going to do much to endear people to the band. I still believe the Smashing Pumpkins may have one last great album in them. But this definitely wasn't it. I haven't listened to it all that much since it came out.

Interpol - Our Love to Admire

I pretty much thought... that the band was forging new ground and had come up with a handful of compelling and unique songs amidst some less interesting ones.

First Blush is cool because... "Now the vocals are louder, but so is everything else and I can’t make anything out except an accentuated 'fucking'."

I'm obviously a genius because I said... of All Fired Up, "2:00 – This is somehow lighter and heavier than a usual Interpol track at the same time. Like it’s dense and agile at the same time. Does that make any sense? 2:38 – “I’ve got this soul. It’s all fired up!” See what I mean? Heavy and light?"
I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... "Almost kind of poppy. I don’t really mean that. I don’t know what I mean. But this track has a different feel than any Interpol song I’ve heard before. But it’s still distinctly them."
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... that it's a fine release, but not an all-time classic. I spun the hell out of it last summer leading up to Lollapalooza and thoroughly enjoyed it at the time, but my interest has waned a bit. I feel like this album came out three years ago. Perhaps that is because it fails to differentiate itself from anything Interpol's done before. As a friend of mine said recently, "Interpol made a great album, and then they made it again two more times." Above, I praise Dinosaur Jr. for making an album that fits in the greater scheme of their catalogue. So is this hypocritical for me? Not really because if this premise is true, Interpol doesn't really have a catalogue. Anyway, I still think it's a solid release, but it had about a four month shelf-life before it receded to the background of my CD collection. Or maybe it is forever tarnished by the fisticuffs during their Lolla set. Still, it's definitely a solid release, even if there's no track as gripping as "Evil" or "NYC."

Thursday Youtube

Seeing as it's unofficial "Lolla Week" here at FtY, here's what you're going to get. The best of the Lolla performances currently up on Youtube. In chronological order Enjoy!

Fratellis: Chelsea Dagger


Ted Leo: Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone? (out of focus, but audio is good)


Silversun Pickups: Lazy Eye


LCD Soundsystem: North American Scum


Ryan Shaw: Nobody


Interpol: NYC


Rodrigo y Gabriela: Wish You Were Here (part of it, anyway)


The Stooges: I Wanna Be Your Dog (camera is shaky, but audio is excellent)

Lollapalooza 2007 - Day 2

Once again making the train in perfect time, I arrived early enough to hear I’m From Barcelona singing a song about the Chicken Pox with a chorus of kazoos behind them. Sure it was fun and interesting, but wasn't it just too silly? I wasn’t there long enough to fairly judge, but the audience seemed like they were enjoying it.

I scooted over to the Playstation stage to see soul act Ryan Shaw. He led off with an a capella rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” that immediately gave me chills. The band he fronts consists of three mellow guys on guitar, bass, and drums who sing spot-on harmonies. Shaw is short in stature, and his voice is more soulful than it is powerful. Apparently he’s spent most of his life singing in church and only recently come to secular music. He did a fine job of working the crowd up, and while most of the audience seemed to be there mainly out of curiosity, they quickly became Ryan Shaw fans. His first single, “Nobody,” featured some audience call-response and was probably the highlight of the set.
It was hard to leave Shaw while he was still throwing the soul, but I wasn’t going to miss Tapes ‘n Tapes. The last time they played Chicago, I was jet-lagged and exhausted, but still greatly enjoyed their performance. This set was at another level. Frontman Josh Grier clearly isn’t that interested in the onstage banter, but gave a few quips including the fact that they left their giant pyramid at home. Tapes ‘n Tapes are one of the rare indie bands whose sound is enhanced by being on a larger stage with a bigger audio setup. Their new tracks in particular contained a fat fuzz that provoked a visceral reaction from the crowd. The entire set kept building to a climax near the end of “Insistor” when Grier let out a fierce “Aahhh!” They finished with “Jakov’s Theme,” featuring an opening where the entire band shredded the hell out of their instruments. While the crowd was somewhat stoic for most of the set, they got going near the end, clapping along with the kick drum on “Insistor.” This was a superb performance. I can’t wait to see them again. Tapes ‘n Tapes setlist (with some laughable guesses on the names of the new songs):
Just Drums
The Iliad
Beach Girls
New song (“You traded ‘em all”)
New song (“In the night”)
In Houston
Ten Gallon Ascots
Icedbergs
New song
New song
Omaha
Manitoba
Cowbell
New song (“Are you holding?”)
Insistor
Jakov’s Theme

I sat down and heard Stephen Marley play some of his dad’s songs. I couldn’t help but wonder why he’s here. I know they have to satisfy the hippie contingent as they have lots of dough, but it’s not exactly groundbreaking work. However, it was certainly inoffensive.

I got to Rhymefest later than I’d hoped and missed the start of his set. By the time made it over, he had breakdancers on stage sporting “Chicago Tribe” T-shirts. These kids had solid moves, and seemed ecstatic just to be performing, which only made it better. The music here was fine, but unfortunately, his backing band was not very good. Notes were missed and consequently the music was neither crisp nor powerful. The best moments of this performance were when he rapped a capella which came off more like spoken word poetry than hip-hop. He nearly brought himself to tears during one of these moments. My friend Chris theorized that the guys in his band were just his friends and he was pulling them up with him. That may be true, but if he’s going to play with a live band, they’ve got to be better than this.
A tremendous mass of people flocked to Butler Field to see The Roots. It was packed. We were so far away, we pretty much had to watch the jumbotron which I hate doing ‘cause you might as well be watching TV at home. The Roots always deliver live, but from my vantage point, it was just too hard to get into it. They did have a sousaphone on stage which, while a big gimmicky, was still pretty neat. They covered Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everybody is a Star,” and later there was a fabulous bass solo which included a quick Inna Gadda Davida riff.

I decided to catch the start of Roky Erickson’s set. He was introduced by Beatle Bob – my only BB sighting of the weekend. Roky and his band are clearly the oldest looking group in the Lolla lineup. His fans were also of the older variety, but they were very enthusiastic and excited to see him. Without his distinctive vocals, their bluesy rock wouldn’t really be anything unique. Unfortunately, the bass was turned way up and overlapped with Roky’s voice. I would have liked to stay for the entire set, but had to make a quick choice to bolt…
…to see The Hold Steady. I was planning to see Regina Spektor at this time slot, but over the last week or so, The Hold Steady’s albums were finally growing on me (and they were really good last year). So I ditched one group of friends to meet another who were set up right near the sound booth. The band came out pumped up with their keyboardist in a tuxedo and frontman Craig Finn wearing a Twins jersey. They easily earned the distinction of “band most happy to be here,” thoughtfully recalling their garage-band beginnings and telling the audience, “There’s so much joy in what we do up here. Thank you for sharing that joy with us.” Finn bounced all over the stage, often shouting to the audience off-mike as if they could hear him. He reminded me of comedian Louis Black, only if he was on Gleemonex infused with caffeine. Despite Finn’s exuberance, the band played extremely tight – their downbeats popped and they rocked much harder than on their albums. That was some fun rock n roll.

I had no idea the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were this popular. I knew they had a following, but Hutchinson Field was thick with people way, way back. Karen O zoomed from one side of the stage to the other and then rolled around behind her monitors, all the while singing at the top of her lungs. A friend who was closer to the stage texted me, “She is hot and wild!” Halfway through, I went north to get set up for Interpol.

But I was able to catch the last several Snow Patrol songs which included Nikki from Silversun Pickups singing on “Set Fire to the Third Bar.” I’m not versed in Snow Patrol’s music as it’s a bit straightforward for me, but their sound was clean and pure. Later, lead singer Gary Lightbody climbed into the audience while playing guitar. I couldn’t help but notice that many of the fans around me looked to the jumbotron to see him in the audience, even though he was just as close as the TV screen. That blew my mind. They could have probably spit to him, but chose to watch TV instead.
As soon as they finished I settled in about ten feet from the stage along with a whole mess of people who waited for Interpol with me in close quarters. Sadly, they were not showing the Patti Smith show on the jumbotron on our end. I have no idea why not. It would at least have given us something to look at, plus she sounded great as far I could tell. At that time I was regretting my choice to miss her set. However, there was a fair amount of camaraderie in my area. There were some cool college students from Philadelphia right behind me and a cool kid from Springfield to my right. The consistent drizzle did not hinder conversation and general good feelings from everyone in the area. Interpol finally took the stage five minutes late to a fervent reception. They opened with “Pioneer to the Falls,” and I was struck by how good Paul Banks’ voice sounded. I’d seen some live videos and was concerned that he would be very flat, but that was not the case. The band is tight as hell, but completely impassive. They did not acknowledge the audience at any point, not that this surprised anyone. The setlist covered all three albums equally. “Evil” brought more passion from the crowd, and people seemed more engaged from that point on. However, when the band left the stage before their encore, there was hardly any cheering from anyone. One could argue the band was getting what they deserved, but I still thought it was pretty weak. The night peaked when they led their encore with NYC. That song remained in my head for the rest of the night. I was really hoping to hear “All Fired Up,” but that will have to wait for another time. So two days in, we’ve seen a ton of great shows, and even though it rained a bit, the cooler temps made it far more comfortable than yesterday. Didn’t stop this guy from taking a snooze in the shade by the Playstation stage, though: Tomorrow we have one crucial appointment – with The Stooges at 4:15. Beyond that, I expect the final day to be the frosting on this already tasty cake. Ugh – did I just write that? It’s clearly well past bedtime and I've got a big day tomorrow... G'nite!

First Blush: Interpol - Our Love to Admire

I picked up Interpol’s first record, Turn on the Bright Lights at some point when it was still pretty new. I enjoyed it enough, but it took me a long time to become a real fan of theirs. I didn’t pick up their second album, Antics for quite some time – largely because it was always 18 dollars. But a friend’s Best Of 2005 comp featured the song “Evil”, a tune which I have had on high rotation ever since. The new single sounds like more of the same from these shoegazers, but because I like what they’ve done before, I am not at all discouraged by that. Let’s check it out!

Track 1 – Pioneer to the Falls
0:22 – Spooky guitar and a little piano open things up.
0:47 – “Show me the dirtpile and I will pray that the soul can take three stowaways.” This is really dark.
1:10 – Drums enter, but we’re still in creepy territory.
2:41 – “Girl I know you try. You fly straight into my heart.” The sound is really clean. Like every instrument is isolated intentionally. This is a good first track.
3:49 – Had a big crescendo, but then dropped back to the minimal beginning section.
4:13 – A capella here.
4:52 – They’re going for “haunting” on the opener and I think they nailed it.

Track 2- No I in Threesome
0:02 – Bass intro like much of their previous songs.
0:19 – And piano over the top with the drums coming in.
0:50 – Almost kind of poppy. I don’t really mean that. I don’t know what I mean. But this track has a different feel than any Interpol song I’ve heard before. But it’s still distinctly them.
2:29 – “Babe it’s time we gave something new a try.” So maybe this is a very literal track – trying to talk his woman into going for the ménage a trois. If so, that’s kind of dispassionate. Or at least I don’t know why the rest of us should care about it.

Track 3- The Scale
0:03 – Guitar led into one extremely loud pound on the drums. I dug it.
1:02 – “Well, I made you. And now I take you back. It’s too late, but today I can define the lack.” What always confuses me about this band is that many of the lyrics are plaintive, yet the vocals are never delivered with any sense of begging or humility. Paul Banks always sounds like he doesn’t really care that much.
3:13 – Echoey guitar solo leads to the end of the song. I was hoping for a bigger payoff.

Track 4 – The Heinrich Maneuver
0:02 – “How are things on the west coast?” By now we’ve all heard this one, and I have to say it’s loaded with hooky goodness. I get it in my head and it stays there all day.
0:49 – Folks over at popular Chicago Bulls blog Blog-A-Bull had previously mentioned the Hinrich Maneuver. It occurs when Kirk Hinrich dribbles all the way through the lane and then keeps curling to the other side. I highly doubt that Interpol had that in mind when they wrote this song. They’re probably Knicks fans and they spelled Hinrich wrong.
2:13 – “’Cause today, my heart swings.” I like the line. I s’pose it’s as good an “I’m not over you, but I’m over you” statement one could write.

Track 5 – Mammoth
0:10 – Vocals are almost completely covered by drums and guitar which are pounding ahead.
0:58 – Now the vocals are louder, but so is everything else and I can’t make anything out except an accentuated “fucking”.
1:40 – Lots of changes going on in this tune, but the whole thing is really “up”.
2:12 – “Spare me the suspense!”
2:51 – Damn, that was a loud thump. I’m not sure the overall track is all that great, but it has a ton of quality elements in it.
3:48 – Building and building and…
3:55 – Sailing out with about fifteen seconds of steady, pulsing beats.

Track 6 – Pace is the Trick
0:42 – Not much to say yet. Long intro on this one (with vocals).
1:16 – A lot of the fire is gone on this track. It’s nothing bad, but it’s just low-key. I can’t imagine this one will be any good live.
2:27 – “And to allll the destruction in man. And to all the corruption in my hand.”
2:50 – OK, things are picking up.
3:08 – It’s still more of a “pop” song, and I don’t think it shows their best qualities, but there’s more potential here than I gave the song credit for in the early going.

Track 7 – All Fired Up
0:17 – Was that some horns? Couldn’t tell.
0:39 – Drums just pounding while ___ sings, “I’ll take you on!” Another punchy track here.
2:00 – This is somehow lighter and heavier than a usual Interpol track at the same time. Like it’s dense and agile at the same time. Does that make any sense?
2:38 – “I’ve got this soul. It’s all fired up!” See what I mean? Heavy and light?

Track 8 – Rest my Chemistry
0:45 – Nothing new to report. A slower song with a rather long intro.
1:23 – “I’ven’t slept for two days. I’ve bathed in nothing but sweat. And I’ve made hallways, seeds for things to regret.” Not sure if I heard that right, but it’s clearly about worry. Or maybe about drugs.
1:47 – “Tonight I’m gonna rest, my chemistry.” OK, it’s drugs.
2:37 – Things drop off a bit here as ___ says “You’re so young,” as if he’s talking to a little brother or perhaps a young lover. Like he’s trying to help despite his own foibles.

Track 9 – Who Do You Think
0:23 – After twenty seconds of silence, the sound comes charging up and keeps kicking.
0:50 – “I only call them when I know I don’t see them.” Why would you need to call someone if you could see him? I’m just askin’.
1:16 – Fastest song on the album thus far. It’s a bit more straightforward than the other ones here.
2:41 – A good way to get us to the last two tracks of the album. I’m not complaining. Nine tracks in, I’m overly pleased.

Track 10 – Wrecking Ball
0:04 – Not a Crooked Fingers cover. Although that would have been shocking I suppose.
0:25 – The album art and particularly the info is very minimalist. There are photos of Wild Kingdom dioramas, but the disc, back cover, and any pages in the booklet with words are pretty much all black. Nigel Tufnel’s going to sue.
2:08 – Least interesting song so far. The vocals are featured, but not much is going on.
2:43 – Everything just dropped out.
4:23 – And stayed out.

Track 11 – The Lighthouse
0:46 – No drums or bass – just jangly guitar and vocals all with a lot of echo.
2:01 – Piano and bass join us. But only a little.
2:13 – “What do the waves have to say now?”
3:53 – Very dreamy song. I’m ready for bedtime.
4:26 – And the drums come in. The guitar sounds like it was lifted from a spaghetti western. Or maybe that’s because of the chimes. It’s plodding, but powerful.

The hooks are hidden, like they always are on an Interpol record. The first listen was alternately enjoyable and intriguing. Basically, I don’t know what the hell’s going on here yet, but I know I like it. I have no idea what the reviews look like – I’m guessing a lot of complaints that they haven’t changed their style enough. But I would disagree with that notion. This is definitely unique. They’re doing what I wish the Pumpkins would have done yesterday – mixing things up a bit. There are real ebbs and flows, not just over the entire album, but within the songs themselves. I anticipate spinning this disc liberally between now and Lollapalooza. I’m sure they’re going to be a bit stoic onstage, but if they play well, I won’t care.