NYC’s Interpol has had a winning formula since their first album Turn On The Bright Lights. Driving bass lines, Paul Banks’ unique voice and guitars cutting through all of it. Though since their last record, Interpol, the band lost one of its most distinctive features, the bass playing of Carlos D. After Carlos left the band, they had a few fill-ins on bass and then went on a hiatus that at the time sounded like it may be a break-up. After a couple of years apart, Interpol announced El Pintor, an anagram of Interpol, which means “the painter”. Lead singer Paul Banks took bass duty on the record and they added Brandon Curtis of Secret Machines to the band.
As a whole, El Pintor is a bit of a slow burn. The opener “All The Rage Back Home” is a great indie rocker, but actually compared to the rest of the record, it may be one of my least favorite tracks. “My Desire” is the second track, and an epic build, with a huge feel to it, it also, somehow has that distinctive Interpol bass feel to it, Banks really nails it here, it’s a real Interpol track, it could fit in on Antics or Turn On The Bright Lights. The album goes through a little lull, which is why I consider it a slow burn, the middle few tracks are pretty good, but once the second half kicks in with “Everything Is Wrong”, the album really comes to life. The second half is brilliant, and “Tidal Wave” made me completely forget I was even listening to new Interpol until the keyboards come in at the end. They’ve got their groove back. Over the years I’ve considered Interpol a two-album band with a bunch of really good singles, El Pintor shows a band that’s resurging and still capable of recreating the magic that made indie rock fans and critics fall in love with those first two albums. El Pintor is out on Tuesday, September 9th.
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