Interpol Is… Julian Plenti
Posted by: Digby Woods
Having recently listened to Interpol’s latest album, creatively titled, Interpol, I felt somewhat confused. I couldn’t figure out what it was, what I was missing. I listened to the album over and over, and then, suddenly, it struck me. The answer had to do with Julian Plenti, Paul Banks’ solo nom de plume.
For those who haven’t listened to Bank’s solo debut, Julian Plenti is… Skyscraper, here’s what you missed. Basically, it’s Interpol but with a noticeably clearer and more refined voice from Banks and a slightly bolder direction is in regards to instrumentation and melody (basically a further extension of Our Love To Admire). Now, if you haven’t listened to Interpol’s new album yet, then I suggest simply listening to “Julian Plenti is… Skyscraper” filtered through beige speakers. While that may seem harsh, it is harsher still that such an accomplished band could think to put out such a, well, boring record. I understand that Interpol are an acquired taste, with some tracks taking a few listens before they take hold, yet no matter how many times I listened to this album, I could not shake the feeling that I was watching paint dry.
Interpol’s guitarist, Daniel Kessler, recently commented that, “We always take each record as an evolution, and this is definitely our most progressive yet.” This comment, more than anything, is absolute proof that it is virtually impossible for artists to see themselves, or their work, as they truly are. In the same interview, Kessler remarked, in response to a question regarding whether the new album would be a return in sound to the first (Turn On The Bright Lights), that, “It doesn’t sound like our first record, it just sounds like us, Interpol, moving forward and going to new places.” This is definitely a literal comment, applying solely to their touring schedule and not their latest album, which doesn’t go anywhere.
While it may seem I am grabbing for the jugular, understand that I have been an Interpol fan for many years. They are arguably one of the most critically and commercially successful bands of the post-punk/post-rock movement, an indeed, of the past decade.
Is it right then that they should be held to such high standards? No, of course not. A band can’t produce a hit record every time (MGMT anyone?). After all, they are just musicians, and every art form has its difficulties in trying to sustain even a modicum of success, especially with music.
And yet, the fact that Interpol have produced such a tumbling effort as this, after three consecutive seminal records, perhaps gives validity to the notion of self-awareness being a rare virtue, one that is even rarer for the uncommonly gifted.
