Of all the albums which will be released this summer, one of, if not the most anticipated records I was looking forward to was Interpol's Our Love To Admire. And looking back on the track record of the New York City based alternative rock band's track record, well it shouldn't be much of a shocker. For the band has had an impressive run thus far, releasing the excellent Turn On the Bright Lights in 2002 and the less-than-excellent-but-still-decent Antics in 2004. So, yeah, I was really interested in hearing the band's third full length offering. And how does Interpol respond, you ask? Well to be honest, aside from the artwork, which is authentically bad-ass (come on, lions eating antelopes, what else could you ask for?), Our Love to Admire is a somewhat disappointing endeavour. But with that in mind, is it bad? Hell no.
Just as was promised in the weeks leading up to its release, Our Love to Admire once again takes the band through an expressive, 40 some minute journey through that of post-punk influenced rock, similar to what was heard on the likes of Turn on the Bright Lights and Antics. The songs are still constructed similarly to previous efforts. The instrumentation still bears resemblance to past efforts. But musically, there are a few changes. With Our Love to Admire, Interpol places a far greater emphasis on synths and keys. As result, said effects enjoy a much more prominent influence in the album's music. This formula works out quite well throughout the album, but is definitely at its most effective in the album's opener Pioneer to the Falls. Interpol has always been a little on the strange side and with the 5:47 long track, such antics don't change. The aforementioned electronic effects give the song a mysterious edge which is very captivating, as per the Interpol norm. Adding to the strong atmospheric attitudes which the song stresses is both the simple, minimalist tendencies of the musicians and the low ranged, monotonous, yet somehow enjoyable vocal drawl of lead singer Paul Banks.
In addition to Pioneer of the Falls, another track which is heavily driven by electronics and guitars is Lighthouse. The song is an extremely ambient offering, relying on the peaceful instrumentals and soothing vocals of Mr. Banks. As the music wavers in and out it creates a very relaxing feel, and while it doesn't reach music-Nirvana in terms of quality, its one of the act's more, again, relaxing numbers. Of course, Our Love to Admire has some lighter, more accessible moments. Enter the Heinrich Meneuver. Through its poppy, fast paced guitar work and song structure, which bares resemblance to mainstream acts such as The Killers, the track is among the band's most radio friendly and displays the band's penchant for writing catchy, fast paced songs.
Unfortunately there are a few different aspects of Our Love to Admire which are rather disappointing and they drag the score down. The a major downer surrounding the album is that, though the album includes fun songs such as Pioneer to the Falls, Lighthouse and Pace is the Trick, none of the songs suburb offerings, a feat which past tracks such as The New, PDA or Leif Eriksson accomplished. In addition, other than Lighthouse, Rest My Chemistry and perhaps The Heinrich Meneuver, many of the songs make use of similar structure, musical patterns, and at times can be quite difficult to distinguish not only from one another, but also past Interpol songs. For the listener, the repeated formula could pose as a boring, dreary touch, and could have been improved on.
All in all, Our Love to Admire is a solid piece of work from the New York City based quartet. Those who enjoyed the group's past efforts should enjoy the 40 some minutes of post-punk influenced rock which the record promises, as Interpol does not really change up their formula. This however, does drag down the album a few points, as some may complain that the band is just playing the same song over and over. The lack of a major standout track also hurts the album a little bit, but songs such as Lighthouse, Pace is the Trick, and Mammoth make up for it. Overall, Our Love to Admire is definitely a decent album and I would recommend it, especially to fans of older material. However, if this would be your first experience with Interpol I would suggest looking at another album. Particularly Turn On the Bright Lights.
Recommended Tracks:
Pioneer to the Falls
Lighthouse
Pace is the Trick
Mammoth
