Turn On The Bright Lights - Interpol
Turn On The Bright Lights Image
Metascore
81 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critics What's this?

User Score
9.5 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 211 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • 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.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. E! Online
    100
    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.
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    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'.
  3. Almost Cool
    80
    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.
  4. Playlouder
    60
    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.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 127 out of 130
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 130
  3. Negative: 2 out of 130
  1. michael417
    10
    possibly one of the greatest albums ever recorded. everyone stop comparing them to joy division. just because paul banks sings in a baritone voice, it does not mean he is ripping off ian curtis. it just means he sings in a baritone voice. last time i checked joy division didnt use a ton of reverb, interpol does. interpol is way more melodic than joy division. and i do not see the similarities with ok computer. yeah its a sad dark album, but i wouldnt say that sad dark albums are exclusive to radiohead. lucky, paranoid android, karma police, climbing up the walls, exit music (for a film), and no surprises sound nothing like this album. stop comparing them. even if they are "ripping them off", they ripped them off in a brilliant way. kurt cobain admitted to ripping off the pixies on nevermind, no one will argue that that album is bad. turn on the bright lights is an amazing album. end of argument… Expand
  2. d_nasty
    8
    A bit overrated but still somewhat of a modern post punk classic. The lyrics are a bit silly or nonsensical and that's usually a problem with me but for some reason it works with this album. Tracks like "Obstacle 1" "NYC" and "Leif Ericson" are just beautiful and make you wonder why this band couldn't go on forever.… Expand
  3. ZACHB
    7
    I bought this record right away upon hearing it at a record store. After listening to it for a couple of weeks, I found that I had completely lost interest. It's a perfect album for the times: a totally derivative offering that makes a great first impression but really doesn't hold water. I would much rather listen to Kitchens of Distinction or the Chameleons. Have our standards sunk so low that this band is taken so seriously?… Expand
  4. JP
    2
    They rip off Joy Division and OK Computer throughout and do a poor job of it. Every song on this album sounds nearly identical and the singers tone throughout never gets beyond depressed. I purchased this after having a friend claim it was great, he was sadly mistaken. The key to going for a retro sound is to take what the previous bands did and change it so it becomes your own, at this Interpol failed.… Expand

See all 130 User Reviews

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