August 23, 2009

28. "Untitled" and "Obstacle I" by Interpol (2002)


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There may not be cooler opening chords than those in "Untitled," the first track from Interpol's astounding debut album, Turn on the Bright Lights. And while the opening track established the dark, urban euro-spherics, second track "Obstacle I" propelled the album forward with its repetitive sci-fi guitar-line and Bowie-esque vocal delivery. Indeed, no one channeled Bowie or Joy Division with more aplomb this decade, all without sounding derivative (unlike the countless other bands Interpol's success spawned). The icy guitar-work and equally icy vocals sound like the music of some dark, sophisticated future where everyone is forced to live in SoHo, wear skinny ties, and wield post-punk guitars. Pretty awesome.




Why listen? By tapping into the potent realm of post-punk, a musical tradition almost religiously adhered to by followers of the gone-to-soon genius of Joy Division's Ian Curtis, Interpol's first two songs became vital participants of this sonic cult.

4 comments:

Gavin said...

Is listing 2 songs in one slot allowed?

The D Man said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The D Man said...

Yes, yes it is. The D Man explained his non-reasoning above. For certain songs and artists, it just feels right. Indeed, I do recall that you said you like the way sweaters feel, so you wear them.

Same principle.

Gavin said...

You're talking to Generalissimo here. I'm all in favor of random rules (and punishment).