El Pintor is as Interpol as they’ve ever been. Perhaps that’s why, given that they’d already done a self-titled, they went with an anagram of their band name for this record, their fifth. Banks is dry, sarcastic, vague and sometimes apathetic, while the band utilizes driving indie dance grooves, and a general sense of nocturnal unhappiness, possibly with a side of underlying panic or impatience. A few songs will appeal to the non-devout, and others take strange forks in the road until they’ve ended up lost – or at least it feels that way, as they just refuse to give you the satisfying chord or melody you want all song. It won’t offend, but it probably won’t invigorate without some added effort, either.
‘All the Rage Back Home‘
While the hook’s unclear message mixes concerns of “falling” with some hipster-ironic lyrical wit, this might be Interpol’s catchiest, most exciting track to date. Eschewing their typical indie-dance, post-punk formula for something more driving leaves Banks’ cryptic worries feeling quite earnest: [LISTEN]
‘My Desire‘
After the album opener’s quick clip, this downtempo follow-up builds slowly over the course of five minutes, never giving you the snare ubiquitous 2-and-4 backbeat, adding an uneasy drama to the track and letting Banks’ “frustrated” words hit harder:
‘Anywhere‘
Presumably showing appreciation for both vets and the freedom they provide, it’s delivered with characteristic vagueness and riffs that wander without a home or destination; others may hear yearning depth here, but I’m mostly getting melodic aimlessness to match Banks’ wanderlust self-description:
‘Same Town, New Story‘
Like the tracks before it, we open with a lone, reverbed guitar noodling into the distance, as the band builds around it. However, this one’s got a hook – it’s still eerie and negative, but groovy in its Atlas-ian pessimism:
‘My Blue Supreme‘
Banks’ anthem for wishful-thinking, joy-riding, striking hard while the iron’s hot, and working hard for what you get may cover a lot of ground, but it’s mostly filler on all fronts. A well-placed, droll bit of profanity helps distract from that, but only temporarily:
‘Everything is Wrong‘
It starts catchy and leans on a familiar, yet hard-to-pinpoint soaring pop guitar line. However, “everything is wrong” isn’t a particularly cinematic statement to center around. However, the verses are “truly” a “soulful” soundtrack to “starting over” and “coming down:”
‘Breaker 1‘
CB Radio is a creative way to express a deep, persistent “ache,” the very pain that seems to pervade all their material. Depending on your aural taste buds, these guys could come across dull or epic – speaking as someone on the fence on this subject, this track feels more like the latter:
‘Ancient Ways‘
A fuzzy, anti-“empire” sense of change threads this dance-rock jam – this ambiguity itself isn’t a sin by any means, but the track lacks a hook of any real ‘umph.’ Banks’ trademark, simultaneously melodramatic and apathetic delivery doesn’t do much to change this: [LISTEN]
‘Tidal Wave‘
If it weren’t for the slight verse/chorus/bridge incongruity, this would be a perfect single – as it is, it’s still a instantly more appealing “Ancient Ways.” The climax satisfies, the hook’s a simple yet interesting metaphor, resulting in a solid example of ‘new-wave-for-those-less-into-self-pity:’
‘Twice as Hard‘
Suckers for odd-time unite. And not just because it’s “twice as hard” to play. It takes this laid-back, Bernard Purdie shuffle beat come to life, as well as the rest of the track. It doesn’t quite keep the magic for the entire five minutes, though:
‘The Depths‘
The El Pintor bonus track is sweet – i.e. cute – Banks’ partner keeps him from “sinking to the depths,” and an extended guitar solo helps keep the song from doing the same. Like most of the album though, it’s not going to make new fans, but will still please the old ones:
