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Album: Our Love To Admire
Artist: Interpol
Websites: Official and Myspace
Interpol has long been one of the greatest bands to emerge out of New York's post-punk, indie-rock scene. Musically, they are clean, crisp, and concise with the lines they draw. Their newest album is a dark assembly of the dramatic sound that has made them so formidable over the years. With Our Love To Admire, Interpol has taken all the best of their good intentions and rolled them right up with the rest of everyone else's mal-content and indecision to create a startlingly beautiful album.
While one could argue that not much has changed over the years as far as the way this band composes their songs, constructs their sound and delivers the finished product, there is no argument against the effectiveness of the end result.
They are irrevocably the same in their presentation, but their message varies and intrigues. Having said that, it is nonetheless thrilling to listen to wave after startling wave of rich vocals, thunderous drum beats and guttural bass lines mixed in with an echoing guitar that provides the insistent urgency sustained in Admire.
The band does some amazing things musically on each song; all short, sweet and to the point. Some note that Our Love to Admire is a departure for the band, being both the first record they have recorded in New York City and the first time they have included keyboards in the arrangements from the start of the songwriting process. As a result, the album is more atmospheric and diverse than its predecessors.
This album is broad and far reaching. Feeling epically orchestral in some instances, richly moody and unobtrusive in others. No matter what these guys do, it always sounds beautiful. There is never a mess to clean up. Never any confusionthey don't stumble or stop short of leaving the listener with the distinct impression that they are one of the most sure-footed ensembles around.
For some, the album's first single, "Heinrich Maneuver", turned heads towards indifference at a seemingly cyclic offering from the band called new'. Maybe so, but perhaps listeners should consider the old saying if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Interpol might have taken that into consideration, and instead of drastically changing up what they do, they expanded on it and perfected it. Take tracks like "All Fired Up" and "Rest My Chemistry", which make the album edgy and tense. The former is a bitter challenge, the latter a rueful complaint.
The ethereal "Wrecking Ball" (a sprawling landscape inside of a ballad) excises any doubt in the band's ability to inspire. "Wrecking Ball" is followed by the most hauntingly effective weapon in Admire's arsenal: "The Lighthouse". This song creeps in with cold fingers and steals your insides. And, wonderfully enough, makes you want to hit the repeat button and play the album all over again.
With Admire, Interpol builds a labyrinth that fearlessly invites the listener to get lost inside the textured emotions waiting to swallow them whole. There is great feeling in this. Everything works herenothing stale or stagnant about it. They are clearly comfortable in their own identity as musicians and intent upon perfecting what works for them. Our Love To Admire is worthy of its praise.
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