Pick four songs from any band and you can tell a lot about their sound. This summer, I’m featuring #RockBlocks, four picks from bands across various genres. They might be wildly different from each other, but what binds them together is the fact that they’re all a part of my life soundtrack.
As a band, Interpol peaked way too early. Antics is arguably their best recording, maybe only bested by the debut album Turn on the Bright Lights. Everything was clicking on Antics, which portrayed a band with an unbelievable confidence in their sound and aesthetic while others fell into their sophomore slump. There is no weak track on the album, but I think “Evil” had more ingenuity than all of them combined.
“Evil” is a masterpiece in music dynamics. It goes against the grain in just about every way. First, it begins with a killer bass line before anything else, a harsh reminder that this band is no longer the same without Carlos D. It speeds up, it slows down, it speeds back up. The pace catches you off guard. From the verses to the chorus, the guitar riffs come in before you expect them to slot in. The sound goes full, then goes stark, then flourishes once again. These dynamics give “Evil” intrigue and personality, making it extremely hard to grow old even after a hundred listens.
“It took a life span with no cellmate to find the long way back.”