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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Turn On The Bright Lights
Universal acclaim
Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 152 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Matador
Release Date: 20 August 2002
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
You won't read very many reviews of this New York band without seeing the words Joy Division pop up, and although there are some similarities, Interpol has something new to offer as well. This debut LP includes the tracks "PDA" and "NYC" from the group's well-received first single for Matador.
Also By This Artist: Antics Our Love To Admire
Also On The Web: Interpol @ Matador Official Interpol Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
E! Online
For such a dark and brooding record, Turn on the Bright Lights is also unexpectedly thrilling, coasting on jagged minor-chord guitar melodies and huge emotional swells with a ton of high points along the way.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Loss, regret, and a minor key brilliantly permeate jangling guitars and rhythmic and tonal shifts-- and although it's no Closer or OK Computer, it's not unthinkable that this band might aspire to such heights.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
Interpol mix the propulsive sonic backgrounds and emotional swells of early-'80s post-punk with unexpected bursts of melody and their own brand of wit to create one of themost exciting new sounds of the year. [23 Aug 2002, p.142]
All Music Guide
This record is no fun at all, the tension is rarely resolved, and -- oh no! -- it isn't exactly revolutionary, though some new shades of gray have been discovered. But you shouldn't allow your perception to be fogged by such considerations when someone has just done it for you and, most importantly, when all this brilliance is waiting to overwhelm you.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Plainly stated, Turn on the Bright Lights is the album modern followers of post-punk have been waiting for.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
Their robe is cut from cloth that matters: melodic Peter Hook-like basslines; the divine shoegazer textures of My Bloody Valentine and Ride; a peppy, Strokes-like bounce; and a singer who's a dead ringer for Ian Curtis.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
Interpol temper this album with real atmospheric sadness: the guitar sunspots that flare through 'Untitled'; the echo and ache of 'Leif Erikson'; the way the magnificent 'NYC' brings on the dancing horses for a slow sad waltz through the city's sickness; the snap-shut metal box clang of 'Obstacle 1'.
Read Full Review >Delusions of Adequacy
It sounds like the Ramones covering OK Computer. It's also one of the best debuts of the year.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
Interpol's virtue lies in the way its music unfurls from pinched openings to wide-open codas.
Read Full Review >Almost Cool
As a debut full-length, the group is definitely doing some excellent stuff, but like any band that gets swept up by the hype machine, you may be disappointed if you expect too much.
Read Full Review >Drawer B
Don't be fooled by the constant references to other bands. While the foundation upon which Interpol is building, certainly is borrowed, its music is not a miming act.
Read Full Review >Billboard
Employing layered guitars, probing bass lines, and the occasional synthesizer swoon, Interpol creates an homage to their particular vision of the '80s that stands proudly alongside the best of its idols.
Read Full Review >Village Voice
If I like them because they remind me of eating bad bathtub mescaline in the woods and listening to Cure singles, well, that'll do. You might like them for completely different reasons.
Read Full Review >Splendid
Buy Turn On the Bright Lights. It's great. You'll enjoy it. But don't mistake the next best thing for the Next Big Thing. Interpol still have a lot of proving to do.
Read Full Review >Launch.com
There's also a heady melodicism that suggests the theatrical firepower of Roxy Music, a droning tonality where big ambiance sets up.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
When it works, like on “NYC” or “Roland” it’s a dizzying and beautiful thing that leaves you starving for more. And even when it doesn’t work, it doesn’t fail – it’s just that at times the band seems unable to live up to their own standards and expectations.
Read Full Review >Uncut
There's exhilaration amid the despondency, as powerful songs and a light, shoegazey sheen means they frequently soar. [Sep 2002, p.111]
Playlouder
Interpol prove themselves to be men on a mission to take us back to a time when long faces and even longer overcoats were de rigeur for alpha males the musical world over.
Read Full Review >Blender
Bright Lights isn't a trudging soundtrack to depression; it's laced with upbeat, albeit bittersweet, songwriting. [#9, p.148]
Q Magazine
Predictably claustrophobic listening.... When they come up for air, Interpol have the tunes to match all the mannered gloom. [Sep 2002, p.107]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 152 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Hugo M gave it a10:
This album does deserve a 10 . .completely underrated these reviews.
d.w.m gave it a10:
Takes time to grow on you, but once it sinks in it never lets go. One of the best albums I've had the pleasure of experiencing, and its gloom and melancholy aches with a romanticism to equal the greats such as 'The Smiths', although Interpol have their roots firmly sunk into New York in this debut.
nas h gave it a10:
One of the few albums that does DERSERVE a 10. A great album and the darkest of the collection. Not one weak track in the whole album.
james a. gave it a9:
This band has been growing on me lately in a great way, and this album amongst their others is also tremendouse ! It's a shame people are to narrow minded to discover brilliant music and Vocals like what's on offer here with "Bright Lights". beutifully epic!
X Y gave it a10:
Album of the decade.
za ja gave it a10:
Just wanted to contribute another 10 score. one of the very, very few true 10.0 records.
Dru gave it a10:
One of the finest albums of the millenium.
