"THE LIGHTHOUSE" INTERPOL (2007)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

Our Love To Admire is an album that was a bit of an acquired taste for me. Lacking the instant likability of Turn On The Bright Lights and Antics, OLTA has gotten better over time for one reason. This is Interpol stretching and exploring, creating some of their most epic musical arrangements ever. “Rest My Chemistry” is the big one. “Pioneer To The Falls” is a killer opener. But the track that I only turned onto recently is the deep cut “The Lighthouse”.

I used to think that Interpol was at its best when it thrusted the rhythm section to the foreground, and paired Kessler’s angular guitar tirades with Banks singing with a catatonic gusto. But there’s another side to the band that’s under appreciated and exceptionally unique: the dark, expansive side. “The Lighthouse” might be the best example of this. Cinematic. Enveloping. Haunting. I could listen to it a hundred times in a row and still be caught off guard with the instrumental transition at the 4:25 mark. In some ways, it is the quintessential deep cut. Interpol giving the fans something more, something different, something truly ambitious.

“Here I've been loosened, unliving within. Inwardly urgent, I'm sinking again.”

"THIS FIRE" FRANZ FERDINAND (2004)

Each day in December, I’ll be reflecting back on a song from the 2000’s. The decade saw the return of post-punk and the popularization of folk music, all while some of music’s biggest acts gained their indie footing. Thankfully, it’s a period that I can look back at fondly without cringing. #31DaysOf2000sSongs

When Franz Ferdinand’s debut album came out, it seemed like the full force of post-punk revival was coming down hard. 2004, in particular, was a year of influential albums from that genre, including Interpol’s Antics, The Killers’ Hot Fuss, The Strokes’ Reptilia and, of course, the self-titled debut album from Franz Ferdinand. That’s some pretty impressive company, yet Franz Ferdinand not only stayed on par, some would say they were the ones with the post-punk revival album of the year. The album was stacked with plenty of strong tracks, including “This Fire”.

I think “Take Me Out” will forever be the magnum opus for the band. That song is hard to surpass in every way. But right there behind it is “This Fire”, a song that was overlooked on the charts, but revered by indie rock fans. The heart of the song is Nick McCarthy’s guitar chords frenetically creeping upward. The soul is the chorus rant where the entire band joins in. While their Glasgow counterparts Belle & Sebastian wrote songs that were perfect for lounging in bed, Franz Ferdinand shoved us out of bed and never failed to get a party started.

“Eyes burning the way through me. Overwhelm, destroying so sweetly. Now there is a fire within me.”

"SOMEBODY TOLD ME" THE KILLERS (2004)

Each day in December, I’ll be reflecting back on a song from the 2000’s. The decade saw the return of post-punk and the popularization of folk music, all while some of music’s biggest acts gained their indie footing. Thankfully, it’s a period that I can look back at fondly without cringing. #31DaysOf2000sSongs

When Hot Fuss first came out, it felt like a strange trip back to the 80’s. It didn’t simply borrow synth pop influences, it unabashedly took on the form of a new wave album. In doing so, it made the album irresistible to me. The songs rocked hard and took on giant slabs of synth jams without holding back. I have memories of riding shotgun in my friend’s car with Hot Fuss blasting out his speakers as we played air keys on his dashboard and did our very best Brandon Flowers when “Somebody Told Me” came on.

“Mr. Brightside” might be the track that everyone remembers and the one that has had the longer shelf life, due to the fact that it’s been covered by everyone, including indie bands and football marching bands alike. But “Somebody Told Me” rocked like it was on a mission to blow your mind. It’s hard to imagine songs that rocked harder with synthesizers as the main instrument. The lyrics were about a boy pining for a girl. But the hooks sounded like they came from outer space, like the soundtrack to an alien invasion. “Somebody Told Me” had this musical paradox built into it — one of worldly romance and otherworldly musicality.

“Breakin' my back just to know your name.”