Interpol w/the Secret Machines, Hail Social
Fri Oct 22, Paramount, 8 pm, $20 adv./$22 DOS, all ages.
Fall is a fitting time of year for a new Interpol record. When there’s a slight chill to the sunshine and the weather inspires cuddling in worn sweaters under gray skies, what band to better soundtrack the mood swings that parallel the morphing season than New York’s most dapper post-punks?
On Antics, Interpol return to romance fans of their 2002 critical smash, Turn on the Bright Lights, with bouquets of melancholy balladry. On first listen, though, Antics sounds a lot like Lights, as if these new songs were interchangeable B-sides to Interpol’s existing repertoire. Further listens actually reveal the new record to be a deeper meditation on the band’s dark luster, and this time the four are more experienced suitors. Frontman Paul Banks purposefully warms the Ian Curtis monotone more often, as with the sweep-the-girl-off-her-feet lyrics in “Narc”: “You should be in my space/You should be in my life/You could be in my space” ringing loud and clear through the chorus. Other songs add touches of vocal harmony and string sections lift to the swelling emotions. Per usual, though, Carlos D’s instrumental work helps really anchor the ardent aesthetic, with his kohl-colored bass lines reverberating against walls of vivid guitar work and keyboards that could make the loneliest cynic swoon. Wherever you stand in the wooing spectrum, Interpol make a strong musical case for falling into the idea of love, and if it ends up breaking your heart, it could just make the songs that much sweeter.