| Following the release of their new album, Interpol will perform in Columbus on July 25. |
When asked to explain the meaning behind the title of their latest single, Interpol bassist, Carlos Dengler said, “What is ‘Heinrich Maneuver?’ It’s classified information right now,” in an interview with MTV.com.
Perhaps this single, filled with insatiable guitar riffs and Jim Morrison-esque vocals, is referring to Nazi Germany’s Heinrich Himmler, creator of the SS bodyguards and modern evil. Maybe this single is simply a play on words, kept secret in an effort to create buzz around the album.
As ambiguous as the title, the lyrics are at times just as incomprehensible – “Well how are things on the West Coast?! You keep it movin’ to your soul’s delight.” Are these the lyrics to “Heinrich Manuever,” or a commercial for Sunny Delight? “I live my life in cocaine; just a rage and three kinds of yes.” An excerpt from “Rest My Chemistry,” it is a prime representation of a lyrical theme that is constant throughout “Our Love To Admire”: control – or lack thereof. Many of the songs’ lyrics are at times muddy and beyond anyone’s understanding.
Scheduled to release on July 10, “Our Love to Admire” is an improvement in many ways from the indie days of “Turn on the Bright Lights” and “Antics.” The band’s sound is much more developed and has evolved into an ambient-driven, epic-sounding composition.
However, a noticeable shortfall for this album is its lack of a catchy single. After listening to “Heinrich Maneuver” for a hundredth time, one will not be humming the melody in the shower – maybe that’s best – or even remembering all the lyrics.
Though, as the New York-based bandmates said themselves, the album is a collection of songs, a story meant to catch the listener’s attention, “not just one song to play on the radio.” In a time when music is becoming more of a business than an art, this should be applauded.
The album flows from song to song like an intriguing novel you can’t set down, eliciting a moving and often nostalgic reaction.
“Our Love to Admire” displays Interpol’s ability to not only remain loyal to their
European-sounding, minored chord-progressing songs, but also being able to grow as a band, and improve the quality of their songs as well. Songs such as “Heinrich Maneuver” and “Mammoth” are fast, bold and grandiose, complementing well the slower and more emotional “Pioneer to the Falls.”
What is “Heinrich Maneuver”? For now, that mystery is unanswerable. Though, if the album is listened to as a whole, there is a better sense of the meaning.
Dillon Beckwith can be reached at [email protected].
