Interpol's Turn on the Bright Lights in 5 Minutes

New York City was in transition in 2002, with dozens of bands reanimating a faded glory that had come to define the Giuliani era. Arriving after several well-regarded EPs that honed Interpol’s sonic and sartorial sense, it’s possible no album captured this moment as vividly as their debut album Turn on the Bright Lights
------
SUBSCRIBE to Pitchfork.tv: bit.ly/yK2Fbp
------
FOLLOW Pitchfork.tv on Twitter: bit.ly/KJ2PhP
------
For more videos from Pitchfork TV: bit.ly/M1lvs8
Like Pitchfork on Facebook: / pitchforkmedia
Check out Pitchfork on Tumblr: / pitchfork
Interpol's Turn on the Bright Lights in 5 Minutes

[@MUSE1795]

This album's an absolute masterpiece

[@worstcoast]

right on

[@Wick3dKiwi2015]

So good

[@officeaddict33]

@MUSE1975 - I like your screen name. Muse is fantastic.

[@bullymaguire9677]

I miss the part where that's my problem

[@curly_wyn]

Why?

[@WhiskeyPieSometimes]

A lot of people wondered if this record and The Strokes' first would hold up over time. I'd argue you could release them today and they'd be on top 10 lists all over again.

[@officeaddict33]

Absolutely. No question. Timeless records.

[@thdgcfx]

Please dont compare the legendary interpol to that garbage strokes band, ever

[@xaza8uhitra4]

why would u ever compare strokes to interpol .

[@snehabansal8532]

I’m nineteen years old, and I first listened to this album last year. It absolutely blew me away, and is now my favourite album of all time- so I absolutely agree with what you’re saying. Turn on the Bright Lights is truly timeless.

[@earthtomiguel]

@@snehabansal8532 Same age, same time that I listened to it!! It’s consumed my ears.

[@mwstriker98]

IT'S UP TO ME NOW TURN ON THE BRIGHT LIGHTS

[@VaNSaNT85]

This is one of the few albums that really generates a magical atmosphere; you can really just not hear but feel all the sorrow and melancholy not only from Banks voice but from all the instruments. The album is a ride full of feelings from the begining to the end

[@officeaddict33]

Well said.

[@davetroll5027]

Bless you

[@officeaddict33]

That part in " NYC" - It's up to me now, turn on the bright lights - is so hauntingly beautiful.

[@matthewjames206]

Such a great album... such a great band. The last two minutes of "PDA" always get my juices flowing.

[@lenoychristy2243]

The New is still one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard

[@rz8648]

And one of the saddest too

[@officeaddict33]

@Lenoy Christie - I agree. It starts out so delicate and beautiful. The angst is so palpable. Then it just grinds all the the way down to the very end. Brilliant song.

[@asiintrospect6229]

That song is so lush and broods atmosphere. Something kinda rare in music.

[@terencecaron2922]

Fun fact : Pitchfork was one of the few medias shittin on interpol at the time

[@ameerhamid89]

They change their tune to suit them whenever they like. Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American got an insultingly low score when it first came out, then the reissue 20 years later was in the 8-10 range. Like wtf

[@red_dawn_wj4174]

heartbreaking album

[@Stookvogel]

Just like Nowhere. I love that album!

[@gabobo]

Nowhere is soooo good

[@Neel-ff4mn]

A great album to drive along a free flowing highway at night.

[@adamwolf2535]

Aphex twin.. nice

[@jesustorres-cv8jd]

Yes I've done this numerous times

[@thedreamsoldierful]

my very first indie album. I feel privileged to have have listened to them when I did. I still consider it to have the best bass lines in an indie record

[@SemiShweet]

xavier lopez Antics was actually my first, got that on CD around age 10 or 11, then got this one shortly after. This is honestly still one of my favorite albums of all time, and I definitely can't say that for a majority of the stuff I listened to back then.

[@DaCocoNutMan]

What do you mean? "El Pintor" was awesome! I think Paul did a good job on the basslines.

[@Riddle99-v7q]

Aziz Augusto Absolutely!

[@ketchup5728]

Tae yeah they only did one album without him and it got much better reviews than the previous album with Carlos D.

[@muzffrbabayev6268]

xavier lopez guķmrtnjigjdkhdnxghzhxxnmhJXHDNFHDHH HSFNCBSBFNFGDNRJHHRHBDNBVBFBGHCNDCJDNDNCUHRNJFJHFHHSDHXHFBXHSNNJJHFBDHDHFHDHFBHDJDHHHDHDHDDHHDHDHDHDHDHFHJAFISHHDHHDHHSHHDJSJJS BDBOA

[@chrisjbell]

One of the all time great debut albums.

[@Specialist_7]

It's tattooed on my back, that's how great it is. It's been 10 years and I'll never regret it. I mean who does stop loving Interpol?!

[@SebastianCervantesC]

No other album has made such a huge impact on me. For a long time it was my favorite and still is in my Top 5

[@SebastianCervantesC]

Veckatimest (Grizzly Bear), In Colour (Jamie XX), A Different Kind of Fix (Bombay Bicycle Club) and For Emma (Bon Iver)

[@ricardocarvalho6472]

Dude ... Nice Top 5!

[@TheWolfSaidPoofy]

Lol, Pitchfork really loves Turn on the Bright Lights (and so do i). Awesome masterpiece that Interpol never bettered. Great sound and aesthetic.

[@theonlyfloever]

Probably the best record of all time.

[@mcpuffy9032]

NYC is the best song ever written, i cant even describe what it makes me feel.

[@mcbill7352]

Lmao not quite

[@acttragic]

@@mcpuffy9032 definetly a great song

[@kid-ava]

@@mcbill7352 lmao yes very 🙃

[@SemiShweet]

Literally one of my favorite albums of all time. Believe it or not I first heard this album when I was 10, way back in 2007. I listened to mostly crap back then unsurprisingly, but this band (and Antics, Evil was the first Interpol song I heard) was my absolute favorite for the longest god damn time, and they'll always hold a special place in my heart. Without this band I probably would have never found NMH, or The Smiths, or Animal Collective, or any number of incredible indie bands that are now favorites of mine. If it hadn't been for this band I would probably have become a very different person. So, suffice to say, thank you so much Interpol.

[@Stookvogel]

Yo, we're a band called Stookvogel. If you like bands like Interpol and NMH, maybe you'll enjoy our music too.

[@TSNAnnotator]

This album changed my life so much when I first heard it, loved reading the interviews with band in "Meet Me in the Bathroom"

[@nickfromCO]

over the last 2 decades, this one stands alone.

[@valerielovesmusic24]

i don't think anything will ever top this album for me

[@mcpuffy9032]

album of the decade for me

[@softbatch1]

I had chills every time the music played. This album is a stunning work of art. Thank you Interpol. I remember listening to this album and "Original Pirate Material" incessantly. Do that album next please.

[@paulagarcia4053]

one of the best of all time

[@RayJovjov]

The beat change on “the new” gives me goosebumps

[@FasterToTheEnd]

this record shaped my future in music. little did i know that when my bassist/vocalist in my shitty high school band asked me to learn obstacle 1 that i'd be discovering the band that i would obsess over for years to come. i wanted everything i listened to to sound like turn on the bright lights.

[@dontmakelemonade]

My first introduction to Interpol was through their 2007 album 'Our Love to Admire' I was 17 at the time. Would love them to re-release this *(especially on vinyl, the original press is rare and expensive)* as it's about to have its 10th anniversary. Love this band.

[@ecg8510]

I cannot express how much I love this album

[@avasmith8276]

I had never heard of Interpol until probably about 6 years ago. I was in my local record store and I came across Turn On the Bright Lights. I had never listened to it, so I bought it on a whim. I'm so glad I did, because it's one of my favorite albums now.

[@handecelenk]

now i will listen to this amazing album all day.

[@pandaroc1]

Thank you Interpol for this amazing soundtrack to my life.

[@patrickgile320]

This is the first album I truly fell in love with, and one that I still very deeply admire. Can still quote every track at the age of 28 just as well as I could when I was 13.

[@ChibiChihiro]

Hearing Leif Erikson live in person was beautiful!.TOTBL will always be one of my all time favourite music releases ever.

[@Asapyo93]

Do Bloc Party's "Silent Alarm" next please!!

[@rochfordsnrubbs6855]

This and Antics - undeniably great albums.

[@ThatOneGuy7550]

I'm gonna get into these guys, preparing to listen to their debut and El Pintor. I hear so much Joy Division goodness in these guys.

[@kid-ava]

best album ever, no questions asked. took forever to grow on me, but good lord once it finally did, there was no going back

[@DATTTAWESOMEGUY]

You bastards. You didn't have to demote this (and RAM) in order to give Discovery a 10

[@eduardoflores1126]

best albums of the 2000: KID A IS THIS IT UP THE BRACKET TURN ON THE BRIGHT LIGHTS YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT HUMBUG THE AGE OF THE UNDRSTATEMENT IN RAINBOWS RATED R YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS

[@MitchOrangeHoarder]

Funeral

[@Rogbie]

Very diverse list 😔

[@jeremym4551]

Damn son you and me have the same taste, I respect that. Actually saw Queens of the Stone age a couple months back.

[@jeremym4551]

Ecléctico Iconoclasta Favourite Worst Nightmare is actually my favorite to be honest

[@heitorpurcino7971]

Dick Pachinko you forgot elephant

[@lonesometroll621]

This is the only album to make me cry. The heaviness of the New hit me all at once and just broke me down after I had gone through a rough break up.

[@daneeehhhh]

This album has been my Lullaby for years. It's like a Mantra that transports me. I must listen to it every single time from Untitled all the way to Leif Erikson. I'm a drummer and love, love, love playing it entirely on a single take.

[@super8mmo]

The best album of 21 century.

[@dewilew2137]

super8mmo nah

[@ControlDesigns]

Kid A would like a word

[@Ajlakritz]

Cazi this album destroys Kid A and everything Radiohead has ever done.

[@ControlDesigns]

Andrew Lakritz lol

[@jhyoon9174]

Not even close man

[@gravidadealarmante9899]

The new is easily one of the 10 best rock songs of the century.

[@TheDaddyO44]

Brilliant album, and a great 5 minute summation. Played it to death then and still love it now

[@gothamcat]

First indie band i listened to at the tender age of 12. I feel privileged to,I miss the NYC indie scene when it was like this 😩

[@bylbanos]

Liner notes is a gem! Thanks a lot for making these great videos!

[@DaCocoNutMan]

A life-changing masterpiece for me personally.

[@TVinmyEye]

16 Years later and i still find something new which each TOTBL listen. I also still have the fukd i.d. #3 in disc form. Wish i had the og tape they released in 1999

[@ExoShaman]

I got tickets to see them play this album in its entirety in LA this fall! I'm so stoked. I'm going to get wasted and belligerently yell all the lyrics while arm and arm with all my bros and brodettes in the crowd.

[@beatrizmirandaarcos8756]

Omg, I got tx for Mexico City before knowing the LA show, so I´m going to see them also there!

[@palbo4]

With Battles and Deerhunter? I'm extreeemely jealous

[@TVinmyEye]

I was there in LA sep 30 at the LA historic park

[@simonread8713]

This AND Antics are top tier all-time albums. As close to perfection as it gets.

[@ChibiChubbyRobo]

This album is good but I'm not sure if I could convince someone who didn't known interpol why it's good....

[@XxuplmxX]

Nick Garza WEEED

[@pollitorsiones]

@@XxuplmxX Best reply ever LOL

[@olac1804]

i recommended it to my friend and hes really into music too so he listened to it several times and later we talked about it for a few hours. hes a musician too so he appreciated the drum and bass lines which are amazing. and of course pauls voice and those amazing guitar layers. we are planning on playing stella at a small gig sometime soon. so its just gotta be the right person but the album is good you dont need to convince anyone

[@tonytonie]

My favorite album ever

[@Lg.sidequest]

Absolutely one of my favorite records. The New, always hits the spot.

[@Agostoic]

Best debut album of twenty-one century.

[@fuzzydunlop4513]

Julio Agosto better than is this it

[@TheBetterGamerz]

Funeral?

[@masonherrera6560]

IS THIS IT IS ONE OF THE GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME

[@spamsingles5948]

Is this it?

[@MrShahid0072]

They are both great. They are great enough that comparison is not necessary. Great in their own right!

[@jhelmuth87]

This album is one of those albums that immediately brings me back to a time and place that I remember so well. High School in the early 2000s. My first real relationships. Playing in bands with my friends and visiting NYC to go to shows. The city had just been through so much. It was a revolutionary time period for so many legendary bands to come out of NYC post 9/11.

[@proposalsmusic]

My favorite album ever, no doubts.

[@rkerr9754]

One of my favourite albums ever

[@sergioiglesias6717]

One of the best albums I heard in my life.

[@rfogo14]

CARLOS D IS A FUCKING GOD

[@indiesongaday]

If you haven't given The Chameleons a chance yet then play them a few times. Musically they were huge influences on Interpol, more so than Joy Division. Listen to "Don't Fall", "Up the Down Escalator", "A Person Isn't Safe Anywhere These Days", and of course "In Shreds." The Catherine Wheel was also influential ('Ferment' and 'Chrome').

[@fuzzydunlop4513]

indiesongaday yeah, I don't see where people draw joy division comparisons

[@JankaMouse]

This album was just the best. On constant replay.

[@DR.MF.DOOMSDAY]

Every time you listen to this album, you hear something different or hidden under the layers of each song. It could never be replicated or done again.

[@Dr.VonBraun]

Greatest album of ALL TIME! ❤️

[@thecitizenjoan]

These are Amazing. Keep it up Pitchfork!

[@briankalinoski7452]

This video and album is a masterpiece if it wasn’t for this I would have never of found one of my favorite bands and as a filmmaker and music lover this video and the series as well has had a big influence on who and what I want to do in the future , thanks pitchfork

[@marsimus13]

this album was an eye opener to the whole sound/genre for me. their guitars drilled into my brain until they couldn’t get out anymore

[@julieta2307]

Yess! Definitely one of my fave albums. Didn't realize the history behind it.

[@lortomcon]

Love this series

[@AndrewInCanada99]

Didn't know those little tid-bits about them all having a similar fashion sense, I really respect that. They have a very late 70's kind of joy division-esque look that I think makes them stand apart from other 2000's alt-rock bands that just kind of have the same look with t-shirt and jeans, it begins to get stale after awhile. If I ever had a band of my own I'd probably take some inspiration from their style.

[@timkdiamond]

Thank you for making this. So worth the watch...

[@recteen]

aye p4k, might as well delete this timing wasting video cos it's just merely a 7 rated record right?

[@Gengu]

Yeah this just sounds like a parody now

[@pedroantonio5565]

Certainly a mistake to give this much credit to such a mediocre album for sure

[@valty3727]

untitled is literally one of the greatest intros ever

[@oleosanxez]

Stella was a diver and she was always down rocks worlds. Epic album!

[@narudh]

loved this to bits takes me back to my uni years

[@nitetimerxdio2762]

I fucking love getting high to this album

[@929DEMPSEY]

First song I found of theirs was an 8-bit version of Obstacle 1, have loved this album ever since!

[@danieloduntan1983]

Great & beautiful sounding album, I live in London but was in New York for two summers in a row, around the time the band put this album out, a mate out there played me the album, it really sounded like New York to me. So much so when I go back to London had to go HMV and buy a copy for myself, it's like a NY souvenir. Note: baselines 10/10

[@spencermckay5662]

There's Nothing Wrong With Love by Built To Spill? Or Funeral or The Suburbs by Arcade Fire?

[@stevemuzak8526]

One of the best albums ever recorded.

[@untitled1464]

I really want interpol to do a 20th anniversary tour of TOTBL 😭

[@sacknymph10]

One of my favourite bands

[@Puppy_Puppington]

My fave bands ever. Interpol. The doors. Cake.

[@micahclawrence]

This and Antics. Chef's kiss

[@DanKale]

Lmao why did this 7.0/10 album get its own video?

[@johannarauschenbach4656]

I just remembered listening to them in a loop 2002...how could I ever...its so depressing. :D

[@Matlawk]

One of the best albums to grace my sad little ears

[@shashsrivas]

Finest rock album of this century. Ever better than Is This It and that album is a gem. So just imagine what's this?

[@solemorrison]

Sólo me gusta este álbum pero es uno de los discos de mi vida...fue el primero que se vendió en una tienda en mi región...y lo compré yo...introduje a mucha gente en la escucha de Interpol poniéndolo en el bar dónde pinchaba...Un disco que parecía hablar de mis emociones...Perfecto para mí.

[@TPM4594]

There are only two albums that I rate 10/10 and this is one of them

[@Ethan-yz6tj]

Do Siamese Dream next

[@therealsmalk]

seconded

[@haree8047]

Thirded

[@aplanetb]

My favorite album for Life

[@charizardmaster13]

this and silent alarm are the closest that humans have come to musical perfection

[@bluemcdaniel99]

Carlos D man. Carlos D.

[@esrevernititup]

A defining indie rock album. Great video!

[@vVincent.]

sure that little detail at the start of stella is funny af but then the song itself is one of the saddest pieces of music ever

[@guypurcell2060]

What a great video!

[@kalenbaker7901]

The Script of the Bridge and Unknown Pleasures of the 2000s

[@jaid2383]

First EP put out by a Glasgow label haha I feel well chuffed with that, as a Glasgow native.. good stuff!

[@aceinthehole1222]

The early 2000s were a good time. Glad my high school years happened during it. This, and many other, albums were the soundtrack to it.

[@eggydrums]

PDA is a really special song. Pure bliss.

[@pipeforero1251]

One of the greatest albums ever