Our Love to Admire
by Interpol

As everyone knows, a band's third album is supposed to be your most brilliantly crafted album that fans wait for and expect to be blown away by. Interpol are definitely one of my favourite bands and I was scared I wouldn't like it. Our Love to Admire is their first album with new label Capital and a new Producer Rich Costey and a new studio Electric Lady in Greenwich Village and The Magic Shop in New York City. I have read mixed reviews and a few bagging the first track, Pioneer to the Falls, but in my opinion this is one of the stand out tracks on the album. Setting the tone for the epic journey that is Our Love to Admire, six minute Pioneer evokes a feeling and atmosphere that draws you into the album with a dark, romantic, chilling feeling. The piano, the use of the haunting minor Melodica, strings, Paul Banks' haunting, echoing darlekseque vocal-style singing of loves lost, places to go, regrets and dreams.

No.1 in a Threesome continues the story, is this a concept album? I'm left wondering ...again drama, love?, Banks' crones of being in a threesome, 'baby, it's time we give something new a try' sung along to classic marching Interpol drums. Track 3 Scale is gothic in structure and again, romantic. Radio-friendly Heinrich Maneuver is poppy, chirpy and fast-paced 'my heart swings' sings Banks', this track is definitely this album's Slow Hands. Mammoth, my definite favourite. Layered, complex, angry, brilliant drums and guitar and when Bank's voice comes in singing falsetto at the start, it feels different from any other Interpol track I have heard. His voice sounds amazingly versatile on this track, nice to hear him playing with other vocal styles.

Pace is the Trick is again a love song, dark, melodic with epic, sonic guitar from Daniel Kessler. The next three songs I feel are the weakest on the album, All Fired Up, Rest my Chemistry and Who do youThink? Rest my Chemistry is saved by Daniel Kessler's sonic, wall of sound-style guitar. Thank god the album picks up again with Wreaking Ball and The Lighthouse. Wreaking Ball could have easily been on Interpol's first album Turn on the Bright Lights. It's orchestral, interesting, complex and layered. The final track, The Lighthouse is beautiful with it's trilling mandolin, echoey lyrics, pure epicness and the change towards the end when it blossoms into something bigger and deeper.

This album has depth and maturity and shows Interpol have grown up and are experimenting with new sounds, just a shame about the middle of the album, the start and finish are outstanding.