Interpol – Interpol

For a band that sounds as though it’s been dredged from the murkiest depths of the Hudson River, the imperially dark Interpol have had surprising commercial success with their brand of introspective post-punk. Though, mixed amongst their mass of converts, lies a legion of detractors who deem the NYC-based band overly-indulgent, one-tone wonders. And whilst their heavyweight 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights set a surfeit foundation for the band, they've remained somewhat monochromic over the two ensuing albums.

There has been scant change for their eponymously titled fourth offering, remaining solidly set in the absoluteness of the Interpol sound; dominated by the merciless monotones of Paul Banks. That said, it’s a formula which can still thrill – here in the form of debut single Barricade and the raucous Lights. Elsewhere, there’s a nonchalant sense of old ideas being reworked, and of a band slowly suffocating in its own vacuum. [Paul Neeson]