The pitchfork review kinda sucked. Felt like they just spent the whole thing debating the history and legacy of Interpol and then threw in a paragraph about the album.
Regarding critics, I think this will be a fan favorite in the long run. It is strange though, because I don't find this album to be their catchiest, it's rather it just has this kind of swagger to it that's really cool and self-assured. I get the sense, from the music itself, that even if it gets bad reviews they won't really care. It sounds like they had a lot of fun making this one.
Swagger is the perfect word for this and yeah from the couple articles I've read with Paul talking about the album, he sounds proud of it. Normally their tours do really well too, so I don't think they'll be having any problems.
The band have been really good in speaking for this cycle. A lot of emphasis on general life health and happiness that translated into a fun and easy record to write and record. I was listening to it on the weekend and I forget the song now, but there's this one vocal track where it echos a lot in the mix and then transforms into this kind of digital mess (it's intentional) and it sounded really cool but I only heard it on my 20th listen of the song. Love when layers reveal themselves. I'll post what part it is once I catch it again
It’s a very average Interpol album I think. I enjoy every song, but they just seem to be missing something. Songs like surveillance and it probably matters could have been so much more - should have explored and expanded the chorus on the closer a bit more to give it more of a ‘closer’ feel. Instead it could have been mixed in somewhere in the middle and wouldn’t have felt like a closing track at all.
Whereas "Cuban Bill Gates" appears in Stay In Touch. No proof, but I think it's the guitar riff that starts right at 2:14-2:15
It appears again around the 3:40 mark.. I think that's the riff! He mentions it starts at the third verse, which I think is the part you pointed out.
Oh yeah this hasn't left the rotation. I can't decide if I'll put it above Twice As Hard, but it's fantastic.
I have listened to this a lot, and it's only gotten better and better for me. This album is fantastic. My only complaint is that for me the two interludes are pretty pointless and don't really fit with the rest of the album. This coupled with the knowledge thay they pulled at least one real song (The Weekend) at the last minute and also possibly recorded Real Life as well just leads me to thinking that ultimately down the road my version of this is gonna have a few more songs. Also, the instrumental Japan-only bonus track Number 11 kicks ass and is crunchy AF.
Not that I can find, and I'm not sure they even will be, I'm just hoping. It sounds like "The Weekend" was on the album and then cut at the last minute, so that one exists. I am not sure they actually recorded "Real Life" during these sessions it's just kinds likely that they did given when they were performing it.
Dang that's unfortunately. Such a strange decision excluding those two, but having the interludes instead. They really added nothing to the record as you mentioned.
Especially for a band with a history of cool instrumental tracks, the two interludes are pretty disappointing. Interpol are one of the only bands where an instrumental interlude is actually kind of exciting and these two are just basically nothings. The Japan only bonus track is nothing earth-shattering but at least it's them all playing and it fits with the rest of the album.