Interpol's "Turn on the Bright Lights" (a review)

"I feel like love is in the kitchen with a culinary eye. . ."

In anticipation of Interpol’s 20th Anniversary Antics Tour coming to the city, 

I want to discuss some tracks from one of my favorite albums, “Turn on the Bright Lights” by Interpol. You can get a glimpse of Interpol who are featured in the recent music documentary “Meet Me in the Bathroom” [2022] about the New York music scene where the band was formed.

I did not grow up listening to this alternative rock band. The first song I heard from them was “Stella was a Diver” on a drive home from the suburbs on a rainy afternoon. That memory will be forever planted in my mind as I felt almost a chemical shift occur. 

I feel strongly moved by the message and story behind “Obstacle 1” in which the narrator is feeling heartbroken by the antagonist of the story. At the first listen the lyrics did not make sense but in the chorus when Paul sings “you’ll go stabbing yourself in the neck” brings an awareness to the listener about what the song emotionally entails. In today’s times when hearing the words “She’s bad” one might perceive the meaning as “She’s fine/beautiful/attractive” but in this case it has a literal negative connotation. This song is so poetically magnetic in relation to heartbreak as well as instrumentally so powerful. 

Just like its title, the song “Stella was a diver and she was always down” is a lengthy track. I love the dynamics of Paul Banks’ voice as it's softer in the majority of it. It would be interesting to see a ballad version of this song as I think it would be fitting. 

“Obstacle 2” is the most upbeat out of all the tracks and I love the post-punk melodies. It’s very angsty and “eerie.” This would be my go-to to introduce someone to Interpol as the band is both dark and upbeat. It encaptures the essence of the band and the kind of playful rhythms they put out in their music. 

Hoping to see the band play some of the tracks from this enticing work of art of an album on tour. Stay tuned for more poetry and some reviews!