Mongo Nation

For some reason, Interpol has long been associated with bands like the Strokes and the White Stripes, as part of the “Garage Revival” of the early 2000’s. I’ve always thought this to be rather odd, as their sound is as far removed from the stripped-down arrangements of garage as they can be. The obvious comparisons to Joy Division have always been terribly much more accurate. I think that now that they have incorporated keyboards and synthesizers into the songwriting process, the potential is there for Interpol to reach the bar set by Radiohead for moody, fully arranged (but not overproduced) experimental rock music.

I’m just going to come right out and say it: Bassist Carlos D. looks an awful lot like Corey Feldman.

“Our Love To Admire” isn’t as radio-friendly as Interpol’s last album, “Antics”, but it isn’t a step backward either. Interpol proves early in the album with songs like “No I In Threesome” and “The Heinrich Maneuver” that they can write catchy hooks if they want to. And then they stop wanting to. What follows is maybe not the kind of album that you play at the beginning of a party, but one that you play after the party is over, when the guests have gone, you’ve finished cleaning up, and you can close your eyes and listen carefully. “Our Love To Admire” is nighttime music.

On first listen, “Our Love To Admire” may sound simple, with the slow build-ups of simple guitar and expressionless, baritone vocals. The pacing usually takes a bit of time to get going, especially on songs like “The Lighthouse”, that have an oscillating rhythm very unlike most pop songs one might hear. Upon further listening, you will most likely begin to appreciate stylistic choices that have been made, and will find yourself nodding your head instead of gazing at your shoes like you did the first time. This lack of immediacy is probably less the fault of Interpol, and more the result of the fact that there is so little else out there that is similar and good enough to be referenced against in popular music today.

“Our Love To Admire”: A little difficult, a bit too smugly hip for it’s own good, and ultimately well worth the listen anyway.

Right from the start, “Hey Hey My My Yo Yo” is a toe-tapper of a disco-rock album, and almost seems specifically engineered to accompany peppy scenes in TV shows (like Ugly Betty, which has featured the song “Can I Get Get Get” from this album) and movies. If there is any such thing as the “Danny Elfman Book of Marketable Jingles”, then these guys definitely took a page from it. You will almost certainly hear one or more of these songs in a car commercial for Mini Cooper or Toyota Prius.

Senior no! You’re just going to be hungry half an hour later anyway!

Now I’m not nor have I ever been a big fan of house and electronic music, but I know a danceable tune when I hear one, and the first disc in this double album has no short supply of them. “Itch You Can’t Scratch” in particular seems tailor-made for hipster dance clubs and indie-rock radio. The unfortunate thing is that halfway through the album, the buzz is already wearing off and the comedown sets in.

The second half of the album makes me wonder why “Hey Hey My My Yo Yo” comes with two discs. I would have had no problem whatsoever paring this track list down to 10 good, upbeat songs, rather than the grand total of 18 that are included. While I appreciate the attempt at experimentation, I feel as I always have that if it isn’t broken musically, don’t fix it. If you can name a band that isn’t a world class A-lister that is able to change styles on a dime, I’d love to hear it. Junior Senior is neither world class nor A-list, and as such, their dalliances into garage rock, rap and punk are laughable at best.

Fans of disco and house who want a little more human interaction and a few catchy guitar riffs reminiscent of Television’s “Marquee Moon” will love this album. It isn’t very edgy, and it’s a little too bubblegum for even the most eclectic indie-rock fan, but it does come with a swell poster! I wouldn’t bump it in my car on the way to work, but I wouldn’t be at all ashamed to shake my ass to one or two songs at a house party.