Turn On The Bright Lights

Performer: Interpol
Engineer: Peter Katis
Distributor: Alternative Dis. Alliance

Notes: Interpol: Carlos D., Daniel Kessler, Paul Banks, Samuel Fogarino. Audio Mixers: Gareth Jones ; Peter Katis. Recording information: Tarquin Studios. Photographers: Andrew Zaeh; Sean McCabe. Unknown Contributor Roles: Daniel Kessler; Paul Banks; Sam Fogarino. To make music marked distinctly of a specific period that's somehow so compelling as to be timeless is no mean feat. Interpol initially sounds as if they must have been roaming about Manchester as the 1970s screamed to a close, yet they emerged across the ocean in New York City some two decades-plus later. Combining the insistent drone of Joy Division with the dreamy melodies of the Chameleons, the fire of Mission of Burma, and an occasional jagged edge a la The Fall, the foursome inconceivably manage to defy anachronism on their debut full-length TURN ON THE BRIGHT LIGHTS. Just how they do it is indefinable, perhaps it's just a trick of the light, or the life that breathes gloomily, radiantly throughout, but it's undeniable. Vocals which fall somewhere between Ian Curtis's plaintive, edge-of-oblivion wail and the winking, laconic drawl of James's Tim Booth, ripping uncompromisingly through unpredictable, unforgettable lamentations from the reflective ("NYC") to the imploring ("PDA"). When the darkly etched, implosive, mournful lyrics poke out as they do on the unrelenting "Obstacle 1" ("she puts the weights into my little heart and she gets in my room and she tears it apart"), the hook is set for an important debut by a band that portends to be around a while.

Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.106) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2002" Rolling Stone (12/26/02, p.104) - Ranked #7 in Rolling Stone's list of 2002's "10 Best Debuts" Rolling Stone (9/5/02, p.72) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Their melancholy sound is a thing of glacial beauty....immpeccably tailored..." Spin (1/03, p.72) - Ranked #32 on Spin's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year" - "...Echoes of Bunnymen, a smidgen of Smiths, lots of Joy Division..." Entertainment Weekly (8/23/02, p.142) - "...One of the most exciting new sounds of the year..." - Rating: A- Q (9/02, p.107) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[Their] brooding melodies make for predictably claustrophobic listening....and they have the tunes to match all the mannered gloom." Uncut (1/03, p.95) - Ranked #26 in Uncut's "100 Best Albums of the Year" Uncut (9/02, p.111) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Exhilaration amid the despondency...powerful songs and a light, shoegazey sheen means they frequently soar...A compelling inaugural shot." Mojo (Publisher) (1/03, p.77) - Ranked #34 in Mojo's "Best Albums of 2002" Mojo (Publisher) (10/02, p.110) - "...Reverberant and ominous...flashes of steely-grey beauty..." NME (Magazine) (8/17/02, p.34) - 8 out of 10 - "...Forget the New York state of mind: Interpol have crossed county lines into new, distinctly Mancunian territory..."

In 2002, Interpol helped lead the charge of New York bands influenced by the post-punk and new wave sounds of the early 1980s. With Cure-like moody guitar and synth riffs and dour, Ian Curtis-style vocals, they conjured up a dark but infectious sound. Their debut full-length TURN ON THE BRIGHT LIGHTS quickly found a home in the hearts of those who'd been warmed up by the likes of the retro-loving Strokes and White Stripes (though the boys from Interpol are far artier and not even remotely garage-rock).

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