Skip to main contentInterpol
Antics
(Matador)
NYC rockers kick Joy Division to the curb and still best their auspicious debut.
After their uniformly gloomy 2002 debut, Turn on the Bright Lights, few expected echo-rockers Interpol to cut loose with an emotionally dynamic and melodically sophisticated follow-up. But hey, nobody expected Meat Loaf to be a sought-after actor either, did they? On Antics, the New York City quartet ditches the old Joy Division, New Wave shtick, but doesn't forget to rock. Beginning with "Evil," the album's second track (and the one most likely to have its riffs pilfered for MTV reality shows), the band sets off a string of deftly crafted guitar anthems for the artsy and well-heeled that cascade seamlessly into one another without becoming repetitive. On expansive, haunting tracks like "Take You on a Cruise" and "Not Even Jail," the band manages to evoke the driving, resonating sound of Bright Lights without riding on its coattails; the individual parts that make up each track are tighter, crisper and more melodic than on the debut. If vocalist Paul Banks' lyrics are still a bit lame (it's tough to sing in all seriousness about making money "like Fred Astaire"), that's excused by his newly varied and infectious melodies and a better-honed set of vocal cords. (Bizarrely enough, Banks sounds exactly like Jethro Tull leadman Ian Anderson on "Length of Love.") One thing that hasn't changed at all, however, is the band's tailor; they're still sporting the same elaborately slicked coifs and dark suits. But as long as they're providing some light to counter the musical black hole 2004 has turned out to be so far, who can tease them for that? (Taylor Clark)
Tilly and the Wall
Wild Like Children
(Team Love Records)
Those kids from Omaha are up to it again. This time, they've got boy-girl harmonies, stompin', clappin' and, god bless 'em, tap dancing.
I just realized something amazing about Omaha rock troubadours Tilly and the Wall: They have a tap-dancer! Think about it: 45 minutes of tap-dance-driven rock. And that's not even the best part of the group's debut, Wild Like Children. The quintet's exuberant boy-girl harmonizing, quaint percussion overload and effortless mood and style switcheroos combine to make a totally infectious CD. The opening track, "Fell Down the Stairs," immediately flaunts the band's heart-on-sleeve style with images of dancing to Billie Holiday songs and lines like, "If I could reverse it I don't think that it'd be worth it/' cuz I know in my heart I would never let you tumble to the ground" shouted over foot stomps and hand claps. "Nights of the Living Dead" keeps the blood pumping over an electric strum and an ending refrain of "And I feel so alive and I feel so alive..." that could bring sweet chills to your spine. There's something ridiculous about this group's confidence. Even their lyrics read like the best kind of poetry, full of magical details and raw emotion. Whether it's Derek Pressnall's sad pop-boy vocals gliding underneath the countrified croons of Kianna Alarid and Neely Jenkins on "Let It Rain" or the whole dang group singing like a church choir on "The Ice Storm, Big Bust, and You," it's hard not to be swayed by their enthusiasm and talent. Simply put, Tilly and the Wall sound pretty excited about their music, and you should be, too. Who else could make tap dancing sound so refreshing? (Kevin Sampsell)
Tilly and the Wall open for Rilo Kiley and Now It's Overhead at Nocturnal, 1800 E Burnside St., 239-5900. 8 pm. $10. All ages.
WWeek 2015