Ethan Thompson
It’s no secret that Turn on the Bright Lights holds a special place in the indie rock pantheon. An album heralded by critics then and now, it's only grown in stature and praise since its August 2002 release. It is a piece of time, something that documents a period of decadence and rock’n’roll and chaos in New York City, that we will never be able to return to.
2002 was a weird year. The world was still reeling from the tragic events of 9/11, the IPod had just been released a year before, and P!nk was the biggest artist around. The NYC Garage-rock-revival scene was already in full swing, and with The Strokes releasing their classic debut album Is This It a year before Bright Lights, New York had become a hotbed of creativity. With acts like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokes, The National, The Walkmen and TV on the Radio all performing at the same time, in the same city and in the same clubs, it was all happening - and the scene was waiting with bated breath for the release of Interpol’s debut.
Interpol had achieved somewhat of a cult following in New York. They filled indie Mecca’s like Brownies, The Mercury Lounge and CBGBs. They released EP after EP and even found a new drummer in Sam Fogarino (who replaced founding member and original drummer Greg Drudy), and then finally they stumbled into producer Peter Katis’ home studio in Bridgeport Connecticut, and created one of the darkest sounding indie albums ever. Away from the hedonistic distractions of NYC - and instead surrounded by dilapidated houses - Interpol cracked down on their limited budget (a meagre $900) and attempted to record the record as quickly as possible. The problems wouldn’t stop there for the band however, as arguments over the directions of songs (bassist Carlos Dengler’s keyboards caused much friction with Sam Fogarino who ran out of the control room shouting something about his 80s synth) and tensions over time constraints plagued them.
However, with a miracle, the band managed to finish the album in time, and it garnered much critical acclaim. NME gave it an 8/10, Pitchfork a 9.5/10 and Entertainment Weekly gave it an A-. Songs like ‘Obstacle 1’, ‘Stella Was A Diver And She’s Always Down’ and ‘PDA’ are huge in their musical scope, painting a beautiful portrait with their music and lyrics. After listening to the album, you come out of its atmosphere as a transformed person.
Listening to this album while writing this made me gain a deeper appreciation of how good it is, both musically and lyrically. Paul Banks’ cryptic words and the key of D minor go together like bread and butter, and the maturity of the music makes it so enjoyable to listen to. If you’re reading this and you somehow haven’t stumbled across this album before, give it a listen, it is most definitely worth the 48 minutes and 59 seconds you’ll give to it.
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