albums of the decade- 8. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights

8. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights (2002)

Interpol are a democracy, meaning that they are not friends, but they are in the band for the music and everyone has an equal say. I only found this out recently, but it puts 2002 in perspective when I saw them play live and at the afterparty, each member was on his own getting drunk. Well 'on their own,' as in surrounded by indie girls. Their peculiar personalities are all shadowed together in a debut that sounds like it could be a band five albums in, never mind just starting out. The conviction here is unparalleled. The atmosphere created is brooding and confiding. Discovering Interpol is like hearing a dark secret and the longer time goes on, the stronger the widsom it departs, not that the record makes that much sense, as the lyrics are often very abstract like in 'Obstacle 1':

"We can cap the old times, make playing only logical harm
We can cap the old lines, make playing that nothing else will change"

Often compared to Joy Division and The Cure,Interpol are sat somewhere between the two. Not as dark as the former and not as poppy as the latter. They have their own angular, choppy standards that is so New York, no wonder they're so unique. Will make the top-spot with many.