By Will Sevy
Online Arts Editor
American rock band Interpol restores its pride after its last album’s tragic failures with a triumphant return in “El Pintor,” an album that demonstrates the band’s aptitude with emotionally charged writing and atmosphere.
“El Pintor” is a testament to Interpol’s ability to create dreary atmosphere with personal lyrics that demonstrate the band’s more emotional side, overcoming a couple weak tracks to create some of the band’s best work.
Interpol started its career in 2002 with an outstanding debut album, “Turn On the Bright Lights,” which remains it most successful to date. Following with another strong album, “Antics,” the band cemented itself as a critical player in the music industry with lead singer Paul Banks, guitarist Daniel Kessler, bassist Carlos Dengler and drummer Sam Fogarino.
Interpol released its self-titled album, “Interpol,” in 2010, which was deservedly marked with harsh criticism due to its unfocused tone and an overemphasis on lyrics that focused on Banks’ personal issues, coming off as whiny and emotionless. Thankfully, Interpol addresses these flaws in full with “El Pintor.”
In fact, the band’s previous struggle with its true identity is utilized as the foundation of the album. While a considerable deal of the lyrics seen throughout are still centered around Banks’ personal struggles with unhappiness, a considerable focus is directed toward Interpol’s realization of its past mistakes.
The album’s lyrics are inspired by the band’s failure with “Interpol” and the fear of such a thing happening again. The concept is relatable regardless of the context, and the subject provides the lyrical depth that was missing in “Interpol.” Furthermore, the more varied topics in the album’s writings allow Banks to still incorporate lyrics regarding depression, without his personal anecdotes dominating “El Pintor.”
The lyrical writing establishes a tone of depression that is then carried into Interpol’s instrumentals. Much of this is a result of Kessler’s guitar ability, as his riffs are drawn out and generally much slower than those seen in most rock songs. This deliberate timing gives the album constant a feeling of rising tension.
The atmosphere is solidified by Fogarino’s complimentary drumming to Kessler. Fogarino’s drumming very rarely overshadows the guitar, instead making the sound more substantive.
The prerecorded background vocals, in turn, accent Banks. The faint additions echo Banks’ singing, and their ever-present nature creates an eerie sense of ambiance that prevails throughout almost every song of the album.
“All the Rage Back Home” undoubtedly stands as the highlight of the album. Here, Kessler and Fogarino achieve their greatest parity, as the two perfectly compliment one another in the band’s tried-and-true talent of building tension through rhythm. Furthermore, the song’s simple lyrics allow emphasis to be centered on the mood of the song, defining the tone of “El Pintor.”
However, Interpol does deviate from this personality, as evident with the track “Anywhere.” It is here that Fogarino actually takes center stage with heavy, fast-pace drumming that is more akin to traditional rock. While it is not much, “Anywhere” provides enough variety to diversify “El Pintor.”
However, the album begins to lose its momentum with its final two tracks, “Tidal Wave” and “Twice As Hard.” Both lack the meaningful lyrics, and the sharp, cohesive rhythms that the rest of the tracks flawlessly combine. Instead, the two tracks seem most similar to those from “Interpol,” with an overemphasis on Banks’ personal issues and a lack of flow seen amongst the instruments.
However, these tracks are just barely worth noting when compared to the positive strides made by Interpol in “El Pintor.” Through successfully intertwining the mix of instruments and having impactful lyrics, Interpol succeeds in regaining its past glory.
“El Pintor” was released Sept. 8 and is available for $9.90 digitally and in retail.
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