Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 09/07/07
Label: Capitol

The art work for Interpol's third album "Our Love To Admire" is a series of photographs taken from New York City's Natural History museum, depicting a number of scenes of mammals in their natural environs. A lion and lioness bring down a glassy-eyed and disinterested looking buck on the front cover. Inside a taxidermied hyena lifelessly chews carrion to pulp and buffalo wander aimlessly across the snowy tundra. Presumably the art-rock quartet didn't intend this to be any kind of comment on how airless and dead this album mainly sounds.

The group (quite rightly) made massive ripples across this side of the pond with their impressive and enigmatic debut album "Turn On The Bright Lights", spinning the age old British trick on its head by taking something of ours, giving it a spin and a polish and selling it back to us. The something in this case was the little known Mancunian group The Chameleons, part of the post punk/proto gothic scene of the early '80s. (Also, as would be pointed out ad nauseum, they sounded a little like Joy Division as well, but with none of Ian Curtis' barely contained hysteria and horror at modern life.)

Unfortunately, and with everything to build on, momentum stalled on the band's sophomore effort, "Antics", with only "Evil" really matching-up to their original material. Well, anyone hoping that this album would be their masterpiece, or even a dashing return to form, will probably be disappointed. It's not that "Our Love To Admire" is a bad album. Because Interpol on a bad day are worth a van full of Editors, JJ72s or The Departures.

Crucially, it seems their ability to write a magisterially moving song such as "NYC" or "Obstacle No 1", both from their debut, seems to have abandoned them. In fairness, sonically speaking, this is their best effort yet. Rich Costey has teased a sublime elegance out of Interpol, as if the record was recorded in an echoing and haunted ballroom. Closing track "The Light House", in particular, does indeed deliver crystalline waves of guitar noise, splashing out of your speakers.

There are other highlights, including the single "The Heinrich Maneuver", which again harks back to the group's debut with its jaunty Clash-like backline and (relatively) catchy refrain. "No 1 In Threesome" strays into prime Arcade Fire territory, with its chiming piano refrain and epic chorus. But it's only the cocaine addicted comedown of "Rest My Chemistry" that really hit the bullseye, as too much of this brings an atmosphere of a rather vague void. Perhaps those waiting for Interpol's masterpiece should think about investing in The Chameleons' "Script Of The Bridge" instead.