Review:

on 2011-07-02 CharlesMartel Said:

Hey, bring on the British post punk revival!

When I first heard this album, I was seriously impressed. However, coming back to it again after some years without having heard it all the way through, I now begin to see that I was, to a certain degree, taken in. To be fair, I have to say that I wanted to be. I was yearning for something familiar, something which I could fit into my anchored musical history and a return to the great post-punk era of the early- to mid-eighties was something which seemed right up my street.

So when I heard "The Back Room" I thought, OK, this is more like it, good minimalist, distant British post punk, right? It never got the recognition it deserved first time round so why not restart it. I know. Let's get a group of pasty-faced young men with unruly haircuts and sour expressions. Let's dress them in black and get them to write sombre songs with miserable themes. Who knows, this time round they might actually succeed where their predecessors failed. At this point I had never heard of Interpol and was somewhat unaware that the post-punk revival scene was beginning to take off. As a result, I saw this as a unique re-statement of something cherished and loved from my past; a re-boot of an old favourite given a new makeover but still retaining the qualities and characteristics which drew me to the original years ago.

Sadly, I was taken in alright. I failed to spot it then, but now it is as clear as day.
I may be a little cynical, but I smell a record company marketing ploy. Now, it may be twenty years on but this is the sort of music which appealed to me then and, by rights, ought to appeal to me now. "All Sparks" stands out for me, but "Immigration" and "Bullets" are not far behind. This is tight, sparse and haunting in its own way but the melodies are somewhat lacking and occasionally it tries to be too damn clever for its own good. In all aspects of things, I should like this immensely. So, what if anything is wrong with it?

For a start it just sounds wrong. I feel that there is a lack of emotional input into the music. Some of the tracks convey the same sort of impression you get when you look at artwork created by painting-by-numbers. It looks OK, but really it has not captured the true essence of the subject. It is an almost mechanical reproduction which does not stand up to scrutiny though, on the face of it, passes the test. The more I listen to it the more I get the impression that these guys are going through the motions because they have been told to do it: this is what sells so go out there and make some money. This is perhaps why, when the band tries lyrics that are deep and meaningful, it almost inevitably comes across and crass and banal.

However, the main thing I find which puts me off it is the fact that I find it intrinsically sad. Here we are, over 20 years after the heyday of post punk, and we have people enthusing about a post punk retro outfit. They are just that, retro. The vocals sound like Ian Curtis and the guitars sound like Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding. So, go listen to Joy Division and the Chameleons. While you are there, go check out Fischer-Z, The Sound, B-Movie and Modern Eon as well! I don't have the heart to mark it down all that heavily, but I just wish that this was more than it turned out to be.
Rating: 6/10

on 2008-03-05 roborotic Said:

Wonder if its a coincidence the album cover so closely resembles Joy Division's Closer. Probably not, eh?
Not Rated