“Interpol” an improvement over “Our Love to Admire,” but still disappoints

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3/5 stars

Gloomy indie rock, post-punk revivalists Interpol return with a self-entitled compilation that finds the band returning to form and ditching the bombastic sound of the disappointing “Our Love To Admire.”

In late 2002, Interpol released their stellar debut album, “Turn On The Bright Lights,” which sent the band careening into the public eye and deep into the hearts of critics. In 2004, the band released “Antics,” which received favorable reviews and notable sales. The year 2007 saw the release of their last album, “Our Love To Admire,” which found the band adding epic keyboard and orchestral arrangements that sounded overblown and out of place.

The band’s newest record, “Interpol,” sounds a bit like a step backward, falling somewhere in between the sounds of “Antics” and “Our Love To Admire.” Though not as bombastic as “…Admire,” the expressive and textural nature of that album is still intact, married with the driving rock of “Antics.”

The result is monochromatic, a solid and rather uninteresting shade of grey without much depth.

The albums opens with the a wonderful three track run, from opener “Success” to “Memory Serves” to “Summer Well.” Fourth track “Lights” breaks up the momentum the opening tracks work so hard to maintain and the album never quite succeeds in getting back up to speed.

One thing Interpol has never quite had going for them is lyrical ability. Every one of their records contains a notable amount of cringe-worthy lines sticking out like sore thumbs.

It doesn’t help that the lines are delivered in such a dead serious and self-centered tone. When the line, “I always thought you had great style / And style is worthwhile,” crops up in closing track, “The Undoing,” it’s hard not to giggle, breaking the dense and melancholy atmosphere the track creates.

“Interpol” is not entirely without merit, though. “Summer Well” and the beautiful, groovy “Memory Serves” stack up nicely against some of the band’s best material. However, despite the strength of a handful of tracks, “Interpol” doesn’t offer much in the way of a lasting impression.

Established fans of the band may find enough to enjoy here to warrant repeated listens, but “Interpol” is not likely to earn them many new fans and some of their faithful might even begin to question Interpol’s strength after two missteps in a row.