Turn On The Bright Lights [CD]

In terms of sound, they're closest to the Furs - although the occasional moments of light that cascaded through the Bunnymen's work are present here too, and there are nods back to the grandaddy of them all, Television as well. Yet, for all their repeated chords, strangled vocals, cymbal crashes and sudden silences, Interpol are very much their own band. They manage to sound very much like you imagined your favourite 80s bands sounded before you go back and listen to them again - only to find out that they didn't sound as good as this band do now. Their music is dynamic, heavily layered, and has genuine intelligence and depth and, like many of the best Pavement and Television tracks, their's often have occasional sounds or chords that chime through the darkness and provide a clear focal point for the apparent confusion and fear that reigns elsewhere.

The standout tracks are the opener, Untitled, with it's occasional power chord chopping through the gloom, NYC, and Stella was a diver and she was always down - but the whole album is very strong and focussed and works much better as a whole than as individual tracks. It's just a shame the excellent Specialist doesn't appear here.

Interpol are as relevant and important to the return of rock as The Strokes and The White Stripes and will be huge in the next two years - buy this record and you'll see why.

This is powerful stuff. Occasionally, yes, I'll admit it, I find myself thinking that the ghosts of Martin Hannett and Ian Curtis must've been somewhere near the studio, but think of this as a beginning - a jumping-off point from whence Interpol will start producing music of unprecedented subtlety and power.

Low spots.... none.
High spots... "Obstacle 2" followed immediately by "Stella Was A Diver and She Was Always Down". If ever an album had a perceptible heart of darkness, these two tracks constitute one.

Remarkable, addictive, shiny, deadly, and unmissable.

As well as a definate 'new-wave' sound, Interpol recall the sound of early Suede records, and a style unarguably influenced by David Bowie. Often, especially in some of the guitar sounds, they do not sound unlike The Smiths, and with these fantastic influences, they couldn't fail to produce one of the most interesting and unique albums of the moment.