Category Archives: interpol

Don’t Fee Fo De Way You Arrr, De Way You Be

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This is me.  Wwww-HUH?

You know that feeling you get when you are watching a non-English speaking person completely emulate the voice and mannerisms of a famous American? You don’t know what to do with your response. If you closed your eyes, you wouldn’t know the difference. But you already know that when speaking, this person has a thick, thick accent. That means you pick up subtle hints of Engrish between some of his words.

Now you know what I am experiencing at this very moment as I listen to the Portuguese band, Uni_Form. I am utterly confused. You see, Mookie and I have been discussing buying tickets to an upcoming Interpol show. Since there is music playing 24/7 at Mookie’s house, even when we sleep, I assumed what I had been hearing was the new Interpol album. If they have a new album. I just assumed. Sometimes I just go with it. I rarely go check his computer to see what we’re listening to.

But today, I decided to sit myself down at Mook’s workstation and try to eat the scraps of some leftover Thai food while I check out what he has that’s new, and write my post for this week. Based on a quick click of a random track, I thought this Mirrors album sounded like a winner.
It took me until Track 2 to drop my mouth and say… What??!! I swear, I checked from screen to screen to verify this band I was researching was the same as the band playing in iTunes and NOT Interpol. Wow. THAT’S what I thought was Interpol? They are from PORTUGAL! They are singing in English! They sound EXACTLY like Interpol!

I had to take another moment.
I don’t like bands that sound exactly like other bands.
I do like discovering new, international bands.
I don’t know what to do.

But Interpol… I couldn’t even name you a band member. I like Interpol because they have that dark, dramatic sound that you can play while doing… well, anything dark and dramatic. So… Does it matter who is playing it? Am I offending Interpol? Shit. Look, what do I know?
I found some of their videos and I am telling you, if you watch them perform you will totally hear and see that accent.

I’m left once again having no idea what to do with myself. I hope Mookie gets home soon.
In the meantime I can’t believe we thought this was Interpol. Now do with it what you will.


Download Uni_Form – Shadows

the sound of one band clapping

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Most of us find it hard to hear new music without comparing it to something we’re already familiar with. “This really reminds me of [insert awesome band whose obscurity makes you ultra-hip here].” I’d like to avoid this syndrome but I can’t seem to, so why don’t I just list some artists that came to mind while listening through If a Band Plays in the Woods… by Philistines Jr.: They Might Be Giants, The Flaming Lips, Eels, The Cure, Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, Failure, Sigur Ros, Polyphonic Spree, New Order, Dntel, and more that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. In case it didn’t come across clearly, I’m saying this album has a ton of moods and shifts. The trick is putting it all together into something coherent and listenable. For the most part, that’s what Philistines Jr. accomplish here.
One of the driving forces behind this band is Peter Katis, who has been building a solid reputation as a producer for acts like The National, Interpol, and Tokyo Police Club. Katis’ ear for production is really what pulls this album’s complex, multilayered tracks together. That’s quite a feat when you’re moving from a creepy string arrangement to a dramatic waltz (“Set List Title Cableguy”) or an island groove to a driving dark rock anthem (“If I Did Nothing But Train for Two Years…”). These songs have more moods than Sybil but it all makes sense somehow. Take track 8, “Twenty Miles to NH,” for example.

I have to draw one more comparison that I couldn’t shake: somehow I was constantly reminded of Mull Historical Society. Remember them? Did anyone else actually listen to them? Here’s a reminder or, perhaps more likely, an introduction:


Download Mull Historical Society – I Tried

Those guys were a little bit of alright. It might be a Scottish thing, but we can talk about that some other time.