So that is why with great trepidation and excitement I place my newly dried headphones on my head for the gothic romanticism of Interpol and their new piece of art. I’m so excited I’ve suspended all of my worldly duties to concentrate on this one project, yet as of late my duties only consist of waking and wanking, I had to at least grant myself the former. Well and most probably the latter. Titled ‘ANTICS’ as every slightly anaemic indie boy/girl should know by now, it brings Interpol into that sitting target entitled ‘It probably won’t be as good as the first album.’ The pressure surrounding Banksy and the lads on the follow up has probably been huge, I’m talking about pressure akin to that of Rik Waller’s heart after he’s had a heavy night Super Sizing his Maccy D’s. Nope, that’s fucking straining it. Considering ‘Turn On the Bright Lights’ was at large only two years ago (people forget that two years is nothing on the blank canvas most bands have had before to carve their sound out of that NY mess of those Twin Towers), and although an outstanding debut it wasn’t quite a masterpiece. So is this it? As those Stroke-y rich boys might say. Yet a bigger question in the back of the mind is, why is it called ‘ANTICS’? Is it the Kesslar’s perversion for really young Asian girls? Or Carlos D’s penchant for the ‘Donkey Slap’ (Ask your mum)? Or even poor Banksy’s chronic permanent erection problem? Who knows, but I have a feeling I’m about to find out.

The antic at the most I can find is that word again folks, love. And a whole lotta the stuff (Led Zep – Ed) (Don't impersonate me - Real Ed). Obviously someone’s been getting some of the good stuff, while a couple of the guys have been getting quite a few pieces of the rude stuff, by the track title ‘Length of Love.’ I don’t care what you think; to me a ‘length of love’ is a penis. Anyway, someone has been pulling at Banksy’s heartstrings and the results are pretty damn special. I’ve heard some ignorant claims that it isn’t dark enough for their liking, but to make it dark is to deny happiness of the artists, and I think it is agreeable that the lads should be granted some. It seems more uplifting and even more to the point than their debut and saying that doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s a growing thing and people don’t always have to be a miserable set of bastards to get their point across. I think the guys themselves have even been surprised by the poppy ness, titling their most poppy tracks ‘Evil’ and ‘Public Pervert’ is a bit of a sign that the darkness maybe is eluding them.

Yet my two biggest qualms about the album are the track ‘A Time To Be So Small’ and Banksy’s lyrics. To end on ‘A Time to be so Small’ to me, seems to be a bit of a cope out considering it was on their previous EP, and really it shouldn’t have approached anywhere near this album. Maybe they felt nine songs weren’t enough for an album but I’d have rather have seen it end on ‘Length of Love’ than a practical B-side. I mean the first version was better anyway. How queer. Also lyrically the album is a little hit and miss, exactly like ‘Turn On the Bright lights,’ where hits like ‘The Subway Is A Porno’ rained supreme until ruined by the lyric ‘Her stories are boring and stuff/She’s always calling my bluff.’ Phew, I mean that is just shit. Again time and love are constant points of reference on ‘ANTICS,’ and again lyrically some are piss poor. I mean ‘I make money like Fred Astaire’ on ‘Take You On A Cruise.’ What? What’s Freddy got to do with anything? Fuck knows. But the gorgeous line ‘I want it now,’ on ‘Not Even Jail,’ is worth the album price itself. For someone to want another that much they are prepared to break out of jail, you got to hand it to him on a heart shaped palate. I’d like to see Paul Banks get out of Guantanamo though. Those Iraqi’s certainly can’t and I’d be surprised if any of the dark angels could.

The album is like one long proposal of complete utter love and a complete emotional journey that even made me shed a small drop of tearage. But then again I have got twelve-foot tear ducts. A more to the point approach has prevailed with Paul Banks voice pushed to the front of proceedings, allowing the rhythm to simplify the parts that brought the first album so much recognition. Those Carlos bass lines are still chomping at the bit though, especially on ‘Not Even Jail’ (a corker, with its feedback at the beginning and all) and ‘NARC’ (with its lounge act type verse). ‘Slow Hands’ though is a strange choice for first single. It shows little that they have moved on with its ‘I’m such a single’ approach and its Blondie like electronica chorus. I’d have suggested no single and go all Radiohead, but they aren’t that rich yet I guess. So my verdict is that overall it is a winner, by a one hundredth of a second. This isn’t it but they have progressed and are marking out their sound completely whereas the first one had huge hints at The Smiths and Joy Division; this one is an etching in their own subtle language.