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.”