The best metaphors to describe this album is a moire pattern. Moire occurs when two sets of parallel lines intersect, like when you cross two screen doors or videotape a CRT television. The result is a bulging curve that is drawn from the parallel lines. This is Interpol's music. The guitar parts taken individually are pretty simple and repetitive, but they intersect and play off of each other to create bounding moire patterns that are both grounded yet defying gravity. The drum and bass undercurrents are both stiff and lucid at the same time. The amazing thing is that none of it feels cold, clinical, or planned; even though the music itself is cool, it's never cold. There's still a lively messiness to the parts, like they're overflowing into each other, like they're the tightest and the most adventurous jam band in the world.

It is very easy to create a weightless South Park farce. Lesser bands really don't have any purpose or logic behind their guitar parts, it's like they spin a plastic wheel to decide which notes to play next. Or, the compositions are so stale that it feels like it was composed in a word processor first. Interpol stands out to me as better than the rest, even better than their "predecessors" such as Joy Division or the Chameleons, who bear superficial similarities but don't share any structural similarities. One of the best albums of the 2000's.

derivative...duh. terrific.. yes. the style of music is absorbed enough to where the players make it their own. pays respect to earlier artists like joy division, echo, cure, wire, etc. fans of this may also like acts such as the german shepherds, minimal man, rick kaley and the menacing mutants, friction, cat party, lost sounds, and new collapse.

After several listens, I just can't get rid of the soapy aftertaste of their second-hand Psy-Furs, Joy Division, Talking Heads/TearDrop Explodes/Echo and the Bunnymen (with a dash of U2). Considering all the hype about these guys, I was disappointed. How are they "new and refreshing"? And how are they any different than say the equally derivative Killers or worse, Good Charlotte?

These guys are no Joy Division.

Turn On the Bright Lights is one of my all-time favorite albums, period!
It's awesome! Catchy as hell.
Light and dark, happy and sad, brilliant, fun and textured.
A perfect blend of everything. Obstacle 1 is one of the best songs EVER, in my opinion. How could I not love this album?

While my first experience with Interpol was their second album "Antics", I actually prefer the slightly less calculated and ethereal sound of Turn on the Bright lights. It sounds layered and rich, and bass heavy, which I love. It's one of those albums that you don't have to skip tracks when listening to. There are no fillers, and every song has a hook of some kind that keeps it interesting. Obstacle 1 is my favorite track, thanks to it's tempo changes and overall experimental sound. I think they're a great representation of their genre and style, and this is coming from a person who listens to Tool and Rage against the Machine. It's a must buy, enjoy it.