With “This Mirror Weighs a Ton,” the New York outfit rekindles the flame of their dark rock.
When a band has more than two decades of career behind them, they can succumb to the wear of time and start releasing albums less inspired than at their heyday. This had been the case with Interpol, turbulent protagonists of the exciting New York scene at the dawn of the 21st century.
One must admit that we no longer expected a monument from them like This Mirror Weighs a Ton, the eighth chapter that once again propels them to the summit of shadowy rock by refining like never before their textures (strings, wind instruments, piano, percussion…).
A New Era and a Fresh Breeze
A new label, two additions, a new producer (Andrew Wyatt, darling of pop stars), a new era and a fresh vibe: we don’t know where this resurgence of creativity comes from, but we can only rejoice upon listening to these twelve unforeseen tracks that push their horizons far beyond their previous boundaries.
Paul Banks’s voice has never displayed such subtlety (as on the incantatory title track that opens the set). This balance between high tension (the venomous Bird and the Serpent, a future classic) and salvaging relaxation (Sudden, an airy closer) proves flawless. One of the tracks is titled Wings on Fire: discarding dogmas and solemnity, Interpol unfolds its wings and rekindles the flame.
This Mirror Weighs a Ton (Partisan Records/PIAS). Release on August 28. Live in concert at Rock en Seine, Saint-Cloud, on August 30.
