Antics

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]

Antics is ridiculously good. [Oct 2004, p.112]

Very straightforward Interpol-lite.

Though Interpol couldn't be expected to surpass their previous heights, it's difficult to imagine a savvier or more satisfying second step.

"Antics" is even better [than Bright Lights], possibly because the band isn't trying so hard to be weird.

In the end, unfortunately, "Antics" is fairly uneven. [19 Sep 2004]

If it doesn't exactly blaze off in bold new directions, it does offer an opportunity for Interpol to do some fine-tuning (not that they need much) and settle comfortably into their black, velvet-lined pocket.

Antics is a very strong record that is home to a number of truly incredible songs.

Less lugubrious and more melodic than [Bright Lights], but the improvement is marginal. [Oct 2004, p.119]

It may be predictable, but if predictable means rock-solid and mostly magnificent, why bother asking for more?

Annoyingly, [the] high marks are all too infrequent. [Oct 2004, p.116]

The band works too hard to seem mysterious. [10 Oct 2004]

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.

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.

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.

Antics is a grower. It’s not as grandiose as its predecessor, but it still packs a lasting punch.

They no longer rely on dense production and atmospherics, because they don’t need to: ‘Antics’ is bare-boned and beautiful.

While this is ultimately a more sophisticated record, it's probably a less obvious one, too. [#7]

Manages to dabble with tension and still emerge with something life-affirming.

[Banks] brings a surprisingly uplifting tunefulness to the band's spiky rhythms and swelling drones. [1 Oct 2004, p.73]

A far more refined and finessed record than its predecessor. [14 Oct 2004, p.96]

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.

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.

These songs feel heavy and significant enough--due to dynamic production and hooky choruses--even if we don’t know exactly what they mean.

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.

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.

On first listen [it's] profoundly unimpressive.... What each successive listen reveals, however, is a deftly understated and maturing pop craftsmanship.

Feels like Interpol-by-numbers.

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.

Antics is so much more fun than Turn On The Bright Lights. [Oct 2004, p.107]

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.