T IN THE PARK
ClassAct
Three albums in, Interpol remain at odds with much of rock music today and appear completely unfazed by it. And Mark Robertson reckons that’s just what makes them special
14 THE LIST I” .J F, .; x,
n a murky ocean of overambitious. underachieving guitar bands. swinging their fringes. thumping their plimsolled feet and bellowing for attention in the wide world of today. Interpol stand out. Okay. so the razor sharp attire. suits with creases that could cut glass. the lack of pogo-ing. cheesy grins or Day-(Ho colour scheme in their photo shoots. and of course their disturbing unwillingness to have I.in Allen chip in some chipmunk vocal stylings on their albums. have also set them apart from the hordes. What actually makes them special. however. is the songs. There aren‘t many of them — too few bands ever leave us wanting more these days. They‘ve made only three albums in nine years together but each record from their breathtaking debut 'liirn on I/I(' Brig/II Lights and 2004‘s AnIit‘s to their third. this summer‘s '1}; Low and Admire. has been a strident. distinct declaration ol‘ intent that has bewitched as many as it has disturbed. About 90 seconds into ‘Pioneer to the Falls'. the lead song from Our Love to Admire. singer Paul Banks breaks from his regular sonorous baritone to lift his voice and cry: ‘you lily/straight into my heart/girl I know you try/but here comes the fall . . f It‘s one of the