Interpol - Interpol

Taylor's Choice:

Interpol - Interpol

Hipster Review:

After looking back at some of my previous reviews, I realize that I have a really weird way of rating my albums; there were a lot of times where I'd read a review, then look at the score to realize that it didn't exactly match my commentary, or even true feelings, on the album (prime example: M.I.A.'s Maya - by the way, that shit's a 6.3). I apologize. I promise to deliver more representative scores from now on, starting with this little number: Interpol's fourth, eponymous album.

Over the past year, Interpol has, for me, grown from a band who initially I didn't really dig into a band whose music I really love. The group's first two albums (the near classic debut Turn On The Bright Lights and their fantastic follow-up Antics) have really grabbed me after repeated listens, and the thing I love about them most is how well-balanced they are as listening experiences; both are carefully crafted and strike the perfect balance of abstraction and tunefulness (though Antics is a smidgen less of the former).
So when I heard about the group's plans to release a fourth album later this year, I became pretty excited. The first song release "Lights" gathered somewhat mixed reception as far as I saw, though personally I kinda liked it. I mean, it's not a fantastic song, but it's miles above "The Heinrich Maneuver." Then when "Barricade" was released as the first single, I got a bit more excited. I was digging both song's atmospheric tones, and expected the album to be more akin to Bright Light's moodiness. It is, but I should've known better (and maybe I did all along and just didn't feel like admitting it) than to expect something brilliant. It's even shown in the singles: "Lights" is no "Hands Away," and "Barricade" is no "Evil," for damn sure. So here it is: it's an alright album. It's definitely not up to par with their best material, but it also isn't the unadventurous bore that Our Love To Admire was. It is, above all else, disappointing, although those not exactly enamored by the first singles probably won't be too shaken. There's a couple of nice songs on here, but overall the moodiness just feels a bit... empty; it doesn't really serve much of a purpose other than to be moody. There's also no real artistic cohesion on the album that makes it anything truly special or noteworthy. It's an average album by a band that has done plenty better, and is more than capable of doing so again.

Hipster Rating:

7.3

Friend Review:

Howdy! So funny story about this new music… Interpol’s one of my girlfriend Sarah’s favorite bands so when I first heard a song on the radio I asked her, “Hey, what do you think of the new Interpol song? I think it’s pretty cool.” And then she said, “I hate it, it’s soooo boring,” or at least something along those lines. And then, I’m not sure why, but Taylor was there and he said something like, “Really? I think it’s pretty good too!” Anyways, as it turns out, Taylor and I were referring to the song “Barricade” and Sarah was talking about “Lights”. I didn’t even know they had more than one song out on the radio. Anyways, miscommunication is bad, so always clarify your conversations, kids.
Interpol is one of those bands that are kinda in the middle for me. They have a few songs that are nothing short of amazing (“Evil”, “The New”, “PDA”) but overall they don’t have enough variety in their sound to interest me 100% of the time. I still fully respect them, and if someone were to come up to me and say, “Interpol is my favorite band.” I’d say, “That’s cool, man.” I’m pretty sure this review has more dialogue than anything else I’ve ever written; pretty soon it’ll just turn into a screenplay:

Paul and Taylor Delve into Interpol: The Attack of the Hipster; part IV

Man, that’d be the coolest thing ever. Also I’m pretty sure this is the most I’ve ever written while hardly touching on the album at all. So for those of you who come here to actually read about music, I apologize. And to those of you who like to read this blog while laughing quietly to yourself, you’re welcome.
Anyways, as for the actual album, Interpol returns with the same sound they’ve shown for their past album. As sad as it is to say, there’s nothing really to write home about. If you love their past work, then I’m sure you’ll be very happy with their latest, however if you were never one of their biggest fans I highly doubt this album will change your mind. Oh, but for the record, “Lights” doesn’t suck, I rather like it. This isn’t a bad album; it just wasn’t great or noteworthy in my opinion at least. I sincerely hope that you feel differently about it. Toodles.

Friend Rating:

6.8

Coming up next, Fields by Junip!

The National - High Violet

Taylor's Choice:

The National - High Violet

Hipster Review:

Ever since I discovered their album Boxer back in 2008, The National have been one of my favorite bands. The cryptic lyrics and Post-punk/Baroque pop hybrid was unlike anything I'd ever heard at the time, and even now, after the many bands I've discovered since, it's hard to find a group as unique and distinct as them. And since then I have listened to the album countless times; even to this day it remains a gorgeous monument of indie rock at it's most genuine and gripping. So naturally when i heard that The National would be releasing a new album this year, I got pretty freaking excited. I bought a copy of the record on vinyl three days before it's official release, and excitedly I placed the LP on my record player and sat back, listening with great anticipation...
While only time will tell whether or not it's better than Boxer, High Violet is undeniably brilliant and stunning in it's execution. While a few of the songs (particularly the moody "Anyone's Ghost") show the band moving toward a more pop focus, none of these songs drift too far away from the The National's perfected sound; everything here is familiar and comforting, and I'd be hard-pressed to find a fan of the group finding fault with this record. It's flawlessly simple in it's scope; instead of making a record that completely flipped the band around, they instead lightly tweaked what needed tightening, not moving anything around too much; it's a safe approach, and in any other case it would bother me, but with High Violet the band finds a way to make the familiar feel fresh. It's just the album they should have made, and if anything has changed the songs now carry more deep emotional undercurrents. The lyrics are less cryptic and orient around various characters, each seemingly troubled, akward reflections of singer Matt Berninger's subconscious. All around, High Violet is a record that is practically perfect in every way, a fresh tweaking of an already uniquely established band.

Hipster Rating:

8.9

Friend Review:

Sorry for the delay guys.

My sophomore English teacher once told the class, “If you don’t have a love for a renowned piece of literature , there is a problem with you, not the literature.” I believe at the time he was talking about “Othello”. But anyways, this is how I feel about High Violet, that is, there is more flawed with my taste than the actual album. The only other piece I’ve heard by The National is Boxer, and there is so much I loved about Boxer than I can’t find on High Violet, notably the frantic drumming as seen in “Brainy”. So, it is typical of me to prefer music that is usually poppier and faster than average. But, just because I have preferences doesn’t mean something’s not good. I hope this makes sense to anyone reading because I’m starting to confuse myself. Anyways, there is plenty of content in High Violet that everyone can appreciate. Matt Berninger has one of the greatest voices out there right now in my opinion, and lyrically is a genius. To, High Violet is an album that has a place and a time. For example, I listened to it while working on my homework and thought it was just about perfect. It sets that kind of mood if you know what I mean. However, I don’t think I would appreciate nearly as much if I listened to it just while driving around town.
This might be one of the most contradictory and confusing reviews I’ve ever written so I’m just gonna end it with this. It’s not one my favorites, but you might love it!

Friend Rating:

6.9

Coming up on Wednesday, Say It by Born Ruffians!