This is enticing, it draws you in, clamps your brain and settles you in heaven. The best thing since Great Eastern by The Delgados

Album of the year and destined to be an all-time classic. One of those few records that grabs you instantly but still rewards repeat listens.

This is one of the finest CDs I've ever heard. I don't keep up with the "indie rock scene", whatever that means, so I don't believe I'm swayed by what anybody else is saying about this, but it's a fantastic album. Is it reminiscent (in places) of Joy Division? Sure. But it's not oblivious to the influence of many other fine bands -- to name just one, Sonic Youth -- and that's not a bad thing. But the beauty of Interpol is that they're capable of taking the best parts of such bands and creating something entirely new and wonderful, neither shying from the influence of the great bands who've come before them nor indulging in the self-indulgent wankery associated with "art" musicians today. On the whole it comes off as a beautiful if melancholy work of art -- right up my alley, and I'm not afraid to say so. It's barely left my car CD player in three weeks, and that was only to play Ugly Casanova's "Sharpen Your Teeth". "Turn On The Bright Lights" is highly, highly recommended -- buy it as soon as you can.… Expand

People who compare Interpol to Joy Division haven't listened to enough music. Just because Paul Banks sings in a baritone doesn't mean he's ripping off Ian Curtis. This is a great, pretty original record, and it is *not* "a history lesson" as some have claimed. Buy it and listen with open ears -- one of the best of 2002.

This album is excellent. Personal favorites are PDA, NYC, and Roland. Everyone seems to be comparing them to Joy Divison, so I'll offer a different take on it. They sound like a less harsh, more structured Sonic Youth.

Fairly OK for a band that rips flesh off Joy Division and Radiohead, mixes it up and serves it to the masses. This works wonders in the current musical climate, where (in my opinion) bands either go for old styles (White Stripes) or newer old styles (The Strokes), so this is a bit newer still. with some good results. I say: get the Joy Division box "Heart and Soul", it's worth the money and it will blow Interpol away.… Expand

Genius.

Joy Division is the main influence, no doubt. But that doesn't change the fact that each song on this album is worthy in its own right. Do yourself a favor and at least have a listen. Also check out Satisfact's 'The Unwanted Sounds of Satisfact' if you like this one.

Rich dark sound. Yes.. there are definitely heavy Joy Division influences, but all music is built upon the past.

This is terrific, dark and sort of quirky lyrics, the best rhythm section I've heard in a while, and bass parts... unbelievable.

If Ian Curtis loved life, I think this would be the result... Bombastic, melodic as hell, and Obstacle 1 kicks all sorts of a** and is one of the greatest songs in recent memory... get it

AWWWWWWWW such a great cd.

Excellent disc. Tense, dark, and beautiful.

interpol and the strokes are the best new bands out there.

This album is delightfully dark and tense and yet it has a heartbeat. It's like a big fat beautiful post-punk orgy. It's a first album so there are a couple of weak tracks, overall it's a keeper.

This is probably one of my favorite albums. The songs are great and the beats are awesome. Obstacle 1 is now my favorite song.

A very complete album

simply flawless.

i love this album. i guess it spinned for at least the 100th time today. not that the album is perfect but the atmosphere at times is pure genius like in the 11th track leif ericson.

Interpol is the one of the few bands out today that can have a record that you can listen to front to back. They have accomplished something not many bands have with their own unique sound. Paul Banks is a genius writer.GO Interpol!

Quite simply the best album I've ever heard. This can be confirmed by friends, who are tired of me talking about the greatness that is Interpol.

Put simply, this is the most audacious and stunning debut album of the last 20 years. From the frantic punk of 'Obstacle 1' to the gothic beauty of Stella...' at no point does the quality drop any lower than sublimely immense.

Since I don't own a Joy Division album (though 'Closer' is atop my want list at the moment), I'm not burdened with comparing Interpol to them. Looked at on its own, this album stands tall. Brooding and morose... perfect for an overcast fall morning. Or better yet... at sunset.

Interpol is, as one can tell from the album, a group with a lot of potential, but seems also to be somewhat distant from actually reaching that potential. Don't get me wrong though. This is a very good album, it has those songs that make you say "THIS IS BRILLIANT" rather than just, "eh, it's cool." Aside from being called post punk, Joy Division-ish, and dark, interpol should be called awesome. They have a great deal of talent, but haven't quite shown all of it to us. No worries: they have plenty of time.… Expand

it just came out here in France and je l'adore

An incredible album - less and less like Joy Division with each listen. An album that hasn't left my player in a year - a rare album that can be listened to over and over!

The most beautiful and thrilling sound and the most sophisticated and moving lyrics. A classic.

The cd is just amazing. The seemingly gloomy guitar rifs in some songs like nyc change to more upbeat in songs like obstacle 1. This is the best cd i have ever heard.

At first it appears all grey and retro, but when you look and listen more intently, the brighter shades and individuality shine through.

Great and complex songs which grows and becomes more sensitive and sparkling with every listening A beautiful release

Great album, it has a poetic melancholy that is very endearing

There's too many misguided lyrics and one-dimensional songforms to call this any sort of "masterpiece," but when it hits, as on "NYC," "PDA" and "Obstace 1," it hits hard and beautiful. Interpol are an inspired band and "Antics" is a more assured album than this one, but there's some lovely little treasures strewn about "Turn On The Bright Lights" that shouldn't be missed.

this is a great album i was very impressed, and for all the people that think that this a Joy Division ripoff give the music a chance you wont be let down. P.S they are even better live

There is much to be said for Interpol.. much like the highly-lauded Strokes and various other 'neo-garage' bands they are very derivative, but that's part of the charm in the band; whereas the formentioned Strokes owe much to Television and would not be out of place in the late seventies, the lads in Interpol copy from a different fakebook, borrowing from Joy Division, among others. And while the influence is apparent, they put a different spin on things sonically, and the result is a wonderful, varied album that sounds fresh today, if only as a respite from the other things out there. … Expand

the best album in a long time. l listen to it every day!

amazing lyrics, subtle shifts in melodies and riffs make this a bloody awesome record, Interpol to use a cliche...ROCK

Yeah. Despite being an intense Joy Division fan who was at first horrified by the reports of Joy Division ripoff, when I heard this album I loved it. At times, they reach the immense heights (or is it depths?) of Joy Division's music. At other times, they achieve their very own brand of dark perfection. Impeccable guitar work, understated and hypnotic, tight arrangements, spinetingling vocals, and lyrics that include such gems as "the subway is a porno" and "I can't pretend I don't need to defend some part of me from you". A stunning debut. I look forward to great things from this group. (and those of you who don't already own it, need to buy Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division and hear what all the fuss is about).… Expand

Quite simply the best album I've ever heard. This can be confirmed by friends, who are tired of me talking about the greatness that is Interpol.

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

Absolutely brilliant, enough said.

I just don't get how people are saying Antics is as good as this. This album is one of the most incredibly solid collections of songs I own. Antics was a mess that didn't work. Anyhow basically if you don't like Bright Lights, I probably don't like you. So shut yr maw about derivative and Joy Division or I'll shiv you in the gullet :(

Great rhythm throughout the whole Cd. I noticed alot of nice changes at the ends of a couple of the songs. good bass player...

the best indie album of 2000s. period.

Interpols cd Turn on the Bright Lights is a beautiful album.Most of the songs are very mournful and express a lot of emotion. It deserves a 10 for having such great quality and meticulously lyrics.

Album of the century so far.

Electrifying. Passionate. Awesome.

What more is there to say about this album? From the opening virtually instrumental Untitled to the brooding closer Leif Erikson, Banks and Co. hit every emotional and phonic level possible. And regarding the Joy Divison debate, yes the voice is similar, but the overall aesthetic is not. Interpol's sound is much more full, and prominently features the duelling guitars of Kessler and Banks. A classic album the height of which will be very difficult to reach again.… Expand

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

Best album of the decade...the only nu new wave band that matters...period!!

I seriously did not expect this album to be this good. I read a lot of great things about it but I was still skeptical. After buying it and listening to it I realized that no one can possibly judge this album from just hearing a couple songs off of it. This is because there really aren't any songs on this album that really stand out from the others. Instead, Turn on the Bright Lights is the type of album that you must listen to all the way through to realize how great it is. So, what makes this album this album so great? I honestly can't tell you. There is definately something subliminal about the sound that you can't consciously pick up on that makes this album so addicting and exciting. So, my advice to you is to believe the hype and buy the album.… Expand

I guess this album isn't for mainstreamers and porridge eaters but for anybody that has music intelligence won't get too wrapped up in comparisons and influences. Like a lot of bands this good and original they are held back by shitmongers. Shitmongers love mainstream repeats but as soon as a band like Interpol or the Unicorns come along and embarass and reveal how horribly stupid this people are for liking Nickelback, Creed and many many other shit shovelers, they are they have to defend against their own destruction by writing as much bullshit they can in whatever mediocre intelligence they can summon. Interpol is Brilliant… Expand

The best new album that I've listened to since I can remember listening to albums.

Awesome Band....They are what I wish U2 had evoled into in the early 90's.

One of the greatest albums i've ever purchased. I am writing this more than a year after i initially bought the album and i think the album is better now than i ever did.

One of, if not the best album ever.

Amazing album. Ive had it for a couple of years now and still listen to it as often as possible. The most atmostpheric music. Slow hands manages to make me teary almost every time. Takes longer to get into than Antics, but in the long run so much better.

a brilliant debut from a brilliant band. pda is the best song on the album.

WOW. After more than 3 years, this album keeps on delivering. One of my faves. And there are probably at most 3 songs which would remind you slightly of Ian Curtis' Joy Division (after someone primes you to look for the influence), but the rest is an original time warp into the post punk era.

Aching melancholy intertwined with searing guitars make this required listening for lost souls everywhere.

Brilliant

This has slowly become my favorite cd of all time. I got into Interpol through Antics and I really liked it so i decided to give their previous album a listen but couldnt quite get into it. Eventually... as he mentions in Stella was a diver and shes always down ... this album began to "grow on me" and now whenever I start to listen to some other band or album on my ipod I always go back to this cd. At first the songs in the start of the album were what a listened to -- probably because theyre easier to get into. However more recenetly the last 4 songs (Stella was Diver, Roland, The New, Leif Erikison) that I had intitially considered a weak part of the album have been getting more listens. Every song on this cd is brilliant and I cant really pick a favorite and I dont think theyll ever be able to top this ... even though Antics is a great cd too ... itll just be way hard to exceed their debut album b/c to me it is simply perfect.… Expand

Best album of 2002

greeeat CD

My favourite rock album since the Stone Roses debut, a long, long time ago - it's that good.

A fantastic album from start to finish, clearly destined for classic status. Without a doubt, the best album I've heard in years & also one of the best I've ever heard in my entire life. Yeah, is that good. This band is here to stay. "Turn On The Bright Lights", is a modern masterpiece. Also check out there 2nd LP, "Antics" which is just as good.

Hands down, my favorite cd of all time. Every song will at one point or another grab hold of you and not let you go (PDA, Untitled, Leif Erickson, and NYC especially). This is not a cd to be taken lightly, for it will forever change the way you view music

The best album of this generation. Yeah, Is that good.

utterly brilliant. best album in a long, long time (and i mean "album" in the truest sense). if your love of music gets shaken often, as mine does, this will reconfirm it. and don't buy that joy division/chameleons/echo and the bunnymen comparison crap; interpol is far and away more powerful and driving, thanks in large part to the genius rythym section. do yourself a favor and buy this.

A Bonafide classic

The more I listen to this album, the more I realize how brilliant Interpol is and how there the best band in the world. Period. They do everything right and sound amazing doing it. How can you not love this band? These guys are so passionate about what they do. And you can't say that about that many bands out there right now. "Turn On The Bright Lights" is a masterpiece, the best album I've heard in a long, long time and PDA has to be one of the best songs ever written. I also recommend "Antics" which is another masterpiece by them.There third album has alot to live up to but... I know I won't be dissapointed.… Expand

My favorite album of all-time, which is saying alot, considering there are so many albums that I truly love but this is 1# for me. I love this band with a passion! These guys are musical genuises. Buy this and there 2nd LP, before there highly anticipated follow-up comes out in June.

Probably the best debut by anyone since Radiohead's Pablo Honey. This is a monumental work of great music.

A Masterpiece, nuff said.

I'm going to admit something very shocking... I hated this album at first. I don't know I just couldn't get into it for some reason. I think it was the fact that it was so dark and depressing and I'm a very happy person, so basically there was alot clashing there. But now I can't live without...it's a beautiful record. It took me about 6, 7 listens to fully realize how brilliant this was and also see how talented each member on the band truly was. Since then, I think I've listened to this about 163 times (I've keeped count) and this came out 5 years ago and try to listen to it as often as I can. This is by far one of the finest albums in the history of music. TOTBL is a Landmark title.… Expand

Groundbreaking in every possible way. Truly a marvelous achievement in music.

A remarkable debut from these four talented new yorkers. To me rock hasn't been this good in ages. This album is bound to be a classic in 10 to 20 years, I'm sure of it.

My favorite album of all-time! This is why I love music.

There's nothing I can say to justify how great this album is. All I'm going to say is this... best album. EVER!!

Dark and poetic. Great, great album.

Dark, brooding and emotional. Just the way I like it! A thrilling debut! The best post-punk album I've ever heard.

Brillaint!

Interpol has a fresh perspective on what seemed like a tired (and over saturated) sub genre of rock.

Incredible! A definite contender for best album of all-time.

The sonic textures and dark, brooding stuff are what they do best. As good as Antics was, it was probably a bit too poppy and hook-oriented for its own good. I hope the new album is a return to the depth of TOTBL

TOTBL is just so endearing. It's impossible not to love.

Turn on the Bright Lights is undoubtedly a great achievement in music, and I think in a few years, it will become one of those classic albums that more and more people will love.

A little dark and dreary but oh so awesome throughout! A killer album from a killer band.

One of the best albums I have ever heard. Simply brilliant. I have listened to it probably 100 times and it never gets old.

still my favorite album

Simply one of the finest debut albums in a long time. Who cares if they sound like Joy Division? A slow burner but by the time this album is done, you'll be convinced that this is a great band worthy of all the hype.

I truly hope they're able to reach the heights of this majestic debut (or even surpass them) ...on day.

epic.

This is true Alternative Rock! Fantastic album.

Honestly, this is one of the best debuts by a rock band ever. Seriously...it's that good. It's only been out for like 5 years or so and it is already considered a classic album. What does that tell you? Essentially if you like good music, you will most likely enjoy this album.

I don't listen to a whole lot of new music, but I find these guys very compelling. Like most really good albums, it has grown on me over time. They really don't sound all that much like Joy Division, so don't be turned off by all the comparisons. They share some of the same self-seriousness and intensity (and lack of "too cool for school" irony), but they're really doing their own thing, albeit by building on the past. They actually remind me much more of early PiL in places, but their groove and atmospherics are all their own. Highly recommended.… Expand

Absolutely incredible album, right from the stunning untitled opener to the final note of leif erikson. Amazing album, in today's music it's hard to find albums with a solid set of excellent songs all the way through.

One word: Perfection.

Amazing debut.