You might be thinking to yourself, “What? Interpol? But, they’ve had only, like, three albums, dude.” And you’d be right. But, use this as a gauge to their importance since Turn On The Bright Lights was released in 2002: Some bands generate buzz when they might be releasing a new album or just thinking about releasing a new album. Interpol is arguably one those bands. They may not be White Strips huge or Cold Play huge. But, huge huge or not, they loom large among the musirati. These three tracks demonstrate why.

aDawgg:

I’m an Antics man. Interpol’s second album is incredible, especially played LOUD. So, how can I be expected to pick one song? If this album were a baseball lineup it’d be a pennant-winner. “Next Exit” singles to left and steals second. “Evil” doubles to right; “Next Exit” scores. “Narc” walks on five pitches. “Take You On A Cruise”, fussy with contained power, draws another walk. Bases loaded. Finally, “Slow Hands” comes to bat, hunkers down, and launches an astonishing grand slam into deep center. The best song in one of the most impressive first-half-of-an-albums ever.

Bean:

This was harder than expected but I have to go with my first love. I’ve gushed about “NYC” before and, no, I still don’t know what it means. I don’t even know what it means to me, but it gives me goosebumps every time. Those guitars have a magical quality that makes them seem to float in mid-air and stick around long after the song is over. It’s what Paul Banks’ very odd but captivating voice was made for. And those layers near the end make me want to just sit perfectly still and soak it all in. It’s stunning.

Tamboosh:

It’s rare that a band with such a distinctive sound holds my attention this long. Antics is my favorite, but I still listen to all three albums regularly. They’re dark but danceable, immediately recognizable but never same-y, lyrically puzzling but catchy … I think. Are these songs truly catchy? Or have I merely listened to them so much that I can now sing along like they’re ABBA’s greatest hits? My list came down to: “Untitled”, “Next Exit” & “Evil”. It was close, but I can’t deny that little extra jolt of excitement I feel whenever the “Evil” bass kicks in: