Turn On The Bright Lights

08/16/2002 10:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Rob O'Connor

There's always the question of whether the world will end with a whimper or a bang. In either case, the end will be accompanied by plenty of reverb. Why else would bands that use so much of this wondrous and blurry effect always sound as if they were teetering on the brink of the abyss? NYC's Interpol have been compared to the U.K.'s Joy Division, the poster children for existential hell, and the comparison is an obvious one. No one listening to Interpol's "Obstacle 1" or the churning thrust of "PDA" could miss the cold-steely connection.

However, Interpol are building their own brilliant cathedral in hell. Their robotic rhythms provide the same sense of disaffectation, the vocals rest underneath the dour tones. But there's also a heady melodicism that suggests the theatrical firepower of Roxy Music, a droning tonality where big ambiance sets up. Sit back in the dark and let the headphone work like Calgon to take you away. Just don't fall off the edge.