Turn on the Bright Lights

I. Love. This. Album. I don't consider myself a music expert, but I think I have decent taste in music. Sure, I've liked Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, Radiohead, the Strokes, and blah blah blah every other band Interpol is compared to. Forget all that for a second. This is an essential recording for music lovers. It instantly gained a place on my shelf next to OK Computer, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Doolittle, Slanted and Enchanted...in short, the ones I hold in highest regard and listen to with devout frequency.

I probably heard this CD 6 or 7 times in my ex boyfriend's car, completely ignoring it. (It usually came on after Linkin Park, so my expectations were set at low.) To me they sounded like Coldplay wannabes or something. Forget all the fancy name dropping these indie snobs like to do, I wasn't even hearing that. All that dense noise. I wasn't paying attention.

Fast-forward half a year. I listen to my impulsively acquired illegal download of "PDA" 3 or 4 times, admiring the cool full stop in the middle of the song. Then I listen some more. All of a sudden, the song opens up. Becomes penetrable. And there is so much there. So I downloaded "Obstacle 1." The next morning, I immediately purchased Turn on the Bright Lights. This album is worth every penny. Trust me. You just have to give it a chance.

The only thing I could possibly object to is that sometimes, just sometimes, the songs have really silly lyrics. "My best friend's from Poland and um he has a beard." No thanks. "Love is in the kitchen with a culinary eye/ Think he's making something special and I'm smart enough to try." Right. But they more than make up for it. For every "Her stories are boring and stuff/She's always calling my bluff," there's a line like "Homespun desperation's knowing/inside, your cover's always blown." Say that out loud.

Musically, this record is tight. Yes, it shows influences, but it is much more reminiscent of these influences than out and out derivative. Lead singer has beautiful, distinctive, and yes, original vocals and delivery (insert Ian Curtis reference here, although the comparison is not entirely fair.)The songs are complex, lush, melodic...just plain beautiful. Breathtakingly emotional without cloying. Melodramatic without being trite. I won't pretend to know the music theory that explains why this record works. No talk about "amorphous drums," tonal shifts, or chord progressions here (although I know enough to say that the production here is fantastic.) All I know is, it works. I've listened to it probably about 20 or 30 times now. And it's still amazing.

BOTTOM LINE: Don't listen to these overblown negative reviews (really, I would be suspicious of any reviewer who gives 1 star to a record that got plenty of acclaim. Two stars, ok. But one? I'm not saying critics know it all, but can so many of them be THAT wrong?)

This record is an outstanding aesthetic experience, emotionally and intellectually engaging to the point of being addictive. Don't hesitate to buy it.

joy division comparisons aside, interpol still manages to take unoriginality to a new level. as other negative reviewers have said before; if you paid attention to early 80s post punk at all, you might as well skip this one. for those who missed it the first time, and dont mind a lesser facimile, then this might be a decent introduction.

one of my biggest complaints here is that often parts of songs are lifted straight from the very bands whos influence they wear on their sleeves. "say hello to the angels" their newest single, has an uncanny resemblance to 1984's "this charming man" by a manchester band whos name im sure you all already know. the quirky yet strong rhythm and guitar riffs could come from no other place but the smiths' classic single. I found this happen on more than this occasion on the actual disc, but i find that playing a musical guessing game with "turn on the bright lights" is an enlightening experience that all should have the pleasure of.