- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
To the band's credit, the weaker songs aren't necessarily eating space for no reason -- their B-material here is more affecting than the average indie band's A-material. The problem is that, during those lesser moments, the band shows signs of attempting to cannibalize Turn on the Bright Lights' magnetic sulking, and their hearts don't seem to be as in it.
-
"Antics" is even better [than Bright Lights], possibly because the band isn't trying so hard to be weird.
-
A nearly perfect follow-up... [it] keeps intact Interpol’s singular melodic prowess, while both tightening its songwriting and making unpredictable shifts in instrumental emphasis.
-
Antics is a very strong record that is home to a number of truly incredible songs.
-
Overall, it’s a suppler record than its older brother, largely avoiding the skittish tempos of "Turn On..." tracks like "Roland" in favour of elegant curves and harmonies... though the road-honed likes of "Slow Hands" and "Not Even Jail" still hit bruisingly hard.
-
Antics is a grower. It’s not as grandiose as its predecessor, but it still packs a lasting punch.
-
Interpol have produced a soaring, inventive album that, while incorporating the deliciously dark atmosphere of ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’, merely uses it as a base to create more ambitious, warmer soundscapes.
-
There's something totally irresistible about Antics: The air of mystery, the bleak but hopeful arrangements and the melodies so sharp and moving that they might inspire a night of heroic partying.
-
Entertainment Weekly[Banks] brings a surprisingly uplifting tunefulness to the band's spiky rhythms and swelling drones. [1 Oct 2004, p.73]
-
On Antics, Interpol is less indebted to its influences, creating a distinct sound from the distinguishing characteristics that drew those comparisons in the first place.
-
On first listen [it's] profoundly unimpressive.... What each successive listen reveals, however, is a deftly understated and maturing pop craftsmanship.
-
Los Angeles TimesThe band works too hard to seem mysterious. [10 Oct 2004]
-
New Musical Express (NME)An album scored through with a vehement beauty that, with each listen, becomes all the more acute for its unwillingness to shy away from life's bleaker, more painful moments. [25 Sep 2004, p.62]
-
It’s a lot less monotone than its predecessor.
-
Though Interpol couldn't be expected to surpass their previous heights, it's difficult to imagine a savvier or more satisfying second step.
-
They no longer rely on dense production and atmospherics, because they don’t need to: ‘Antics’ is bare-boned and beautiful.
-
Altogether the album's feel is much more lively, bouncy, and accessible, and in combination with the band's ubiquitous ambient underpinnings, the upbeat tone often makes this collection inspiring.
-
Q MagazineAntics is ridiculously good. [Oct 2004, p.112]
-
Rolling StoneA far more refined and finessed record than its predecessor. [14 Oct 2004, p.96]
-
Is Antics superior to Interpol's highly regarded debut, Turn On The Bright Lights? Well, yes, providing your criteria involve a tighter, less fussy sound and gimmick-free production.
-
SpinAntics is so much more fun than Turn On The Bright Lights. [Oct 2004, p.107]
-
You will love some or all of these ten tracks, but for reasons you don't quite understand, you may never love the album as a whole.
-
It may be predictable, but if predictable means rock-solid and mostly magnificent, why bother asking for more?
-
Manages to dabble with tension and still emerge with something life-affirming.
-
Under The RadarWhile this is ultimately a more sophisticated record, it's probably a less obvious one, too. [#7]
-
What makes Antics such an improvement over Bright Lights is how capable Interpol have become at complementing Banks's lovely ambiguity with an increasingly precise post-punk throb.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 230 out of 246
-
Mixed: 9 out of 246
-
Negative: 7 out of 246
-
Dec 29, 2013
-
Jul 9, 2020Man, what a great album. I've been listening to it for 16 years and I still haven't gotten tired of it.
-
Oct 23, 2017