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Interview conducted
in July 2004
LATEST RELEASE:
"Antics" |
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| |  | |  | | By Renaud Martin | | Photo all rights reserved |
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Surely this is the rock event of this Autumn: almost two years after the release of "Turn on the Bright Lights", Interpol comes back with a brilliant second album, "Antics", which definitively establish theInterpol's sound. We could only but inform you more, so here's what the charismatic Carlos Dengler, the bass player of the band told us about this new album.
What did happen during the two years following the release of "Turn on the Bright Lights"?
You mean what didn't happen (laughs)! Well mainly, we played a lot of concerts, in several festivals and tours, non less than two in Europe and three in the United States.
So, when did you find the time to write this new album?
At the end of it! Except for three tracks that we wrote and played during this period, C'mere, Narc and Length of Love, we really started to compose in October 2003, once we finished all tours. We spent about six months on it, either together, or each in his home.
How does you writing process go?
Well, Daniel starts to compose alone on guitar at home. Then, he plays to us what he wrote, and we start from there. Generally, the final result is quite different! When the tracks are finished, Paul takes the recordings at home and write the lyrics.
Why do you cover A Time to Be So Small, one of your old title?
I'm glad you know this track! It's indeed one of our old EP. We used to play it live a lot in New York at that time, but we put it aside when we released our first album. So, we updated it for "Antics". I don't know if you noticed, but, in my opinion, the new version is very different and much better than the original, there's a whole passage we don't do anymore.
Did you feel any pressure for this album? Did you expect such a success for "Turn on the Bright Lights"?
Not at all, we didn't expected it, it exceeded all we could have imagined then. So, yes, we felt some pressure, it's often the case for a second album. But, frankly, I think we did a good job, I'm very confident and very pleased with the result.
You have kept a very dark and tense sound. Have you tried to soften or to format your music for success?
No, never, even if I think that some songs of this album have a radio potential. But, it wasn't deliberate, we really wrote this record as it came, with feeling.
"Antics" is a short album with short tracks. Is it done on purpose?
That's a good question. Even if we didn't officially decided anything about that, at the time we wrote "Antics", we had just finished touring and we were fed up with the kind of track of our first album, which lasted five or six minutes for most of them. We really wanted to do something else, do short straight tracks. That's why most of "Antics" tracks are three or four minutes long.
Why this title, "Antics"?
I would say, it's a way of taking the drama out of things, to show we don't take ourselves seriously, or to get away from the pressure of this second album.
Interpol was often likened to 80's bands, like Joy Division or The Chameleons. Does it annoy you?
Absolutely. And we really didn't expect that at all, I mean, hearing these people evoking such or such group while listening to us, that's really strange. Fortunately, it happens less and less now that people and the press know us and that they take our first album as a reference. But we had to endure all these comparisons. The only one I found was acceptable was Joy Division's, because of Paul's voice, even if music-wise we do something really different. As for The Chameleons, I used to be a fan of this group, but I don't think we do similar things.
Interpol made several remixes for other bands, like the one for Ladytron's track Blue Jeans. Do you like doing this?
Paul did this remix, so it naturally became an Interpol's remix. But yes, it's something we're interested in, and we'll probably release a remixes' EP after this album, where each of us will choose a track and remix it.
Could you tell us more about the competition on your website?
Actually, it's our label's idea, our fans had to create a short video film about the Interpol's universe. It worked well and we had very interesting results. The winners come from everywhere, from L.A., New York or Chicago, and the best films will probably be broadcast on our website.
What do you think now of your first EPs? I especially remember of the four tracks "FuckID#3", which had a very tough sound.
Wow, you really know our file (laughs). I remember this EP very well and I especially like the original version of the track PDA. The one that was released after on our first album was richer and better produced, but this first version was so punk... I wonder if it's not the one I prefer...
Do you like playing in France?
Yes, we have a special relation with France that began with our performance at the Route du Rock in 2002, something that wasn't planned and was decided at the last moment. I don't know why, but something happened that day, maybe it's because we were announced in the main titles on the festival's official website at the last moment. Anyway, people seemed to expect us although we were almost unknown. Two months later, we played at the Boule Noire in Paris, for the Off festival of the Inrockuptibles, we still didn't have any album to our name, just two EPs. Despite that, once again, we were very welcomed, almost better than in New York at that time! That's why France is a place where we really like playing.
What about New York? Do you really think there's a New York scene?
There's one in a way because there are a lot of bands coming from there. But there's a kind of romantism on behalf of people who are not from New York, who think there's something very important going on there. In fact, we're just several groups who know each other and regularly play together. But I wouldn't call it a scene...
You took part this summer, in Curiosa, The Cure's American tour, beside bands like Mogwai or The Rapture. How come you were part of this prestigious billboard?
Well, Robert Smith called me one morning and asked me what I was doing this summer (laughs). No, seriously, it was decided by our respective managements, but it would seem that Robert Smith really chose the bands. Obviously, it was a great honour for us, I'm The Cure's greatest fans from Interpol, and personally, it's the band that inspired me the most until now.
What's awaiting you after these festivals?
We'll come back to Europe for some concerts, and like two years ago, we'll do a Black Session here in Paris. Then, in October, we'll start a new American tour. | | | | | | | |
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