Of all the New York bands to emerge in 2001, Interpol have been quietly proving their prominence with a succession of stunning albums and thrilling live performances. With the release of Our Love To Admire, Interpol stand on the brink of a new phase of success. They performed an intimate session of songs for AOL while guitarist and ringleader Daniel Kessler chatted with us in an exclusive interview.

- Watch the interview

Interpol was born in the late 90s after New York guitarist Daniel Kessler brought together three acquaintances, Paul Banks (vocals/guitar), Carlos Dengler (bass) and Sam Fogarino (drums) to make music in a kind of democratic music collective. 2002's Turn On The Bright Lights was an hypnotically melancholic debut with the dark, neon-lit atmosphere of NYC, but whose prominent bassline and clipped vocal delivery meant the Joy Division comparisons flowed thick and fast.

Interpol's second album, Antics was released in 2004 and saw the band prove they were no one-trick pony with another collection of explosively passionate moments and refined lyricism. This time around, after a year spent on the road touring Antics, the band made the decision to write and record their third album in their home city, at the legendary Electric Lady studios, to employ a producer for the first time, esteemed mixer/producer Rich Costey (Muse, Franz Ferdinand) and to sign to a major label.

Deciding to work with Rich Costey was significant in demonstrating that Interpol are all about moving forward and challenging musical boundaries while retaining their inherent sound. Carlos told us: "I think once the complexity of the material became apparent to us, that's when we kind of made that decision. The songs started to take on this new level that our songs never had for us before, and we felt confident that bringing in the extra producer credit for this time around was the appropriate thing to do....even our own sound was probably too much for us to handle."

With Our Love To Admire, Interpol have again laid down a piece packed with gems. First single, The Heinrich Maneuver, has the jerky insistence, abstract lyrics (how does one wear shoes like a dove exactly?) and rapturous guitars of yore. The appropriately titled new fan favourite, Mammoth is full of ferocious energy. Rest My Chemistry is a hauntingly jaded ode to excess: "I haven't slept for two days, I've bathed in nothing but sweat."

Changing moods and pace at every corner, Our Love To Admire ends with The Lighthouse, a cinematic, symphonic beast which proves that this is indeed not a band prepared to rest on their laurels and churn out Antics part 2. As Daniel says in our interview: "For Our Love To Admire it was just natural to be more open to new sounds and new possibilities...we knew it would happen at its own pace, and who knows what we'll do next too?"

See Interpol live in session playing two new songs from Our Love To Admire, The Heinrich Maneuver and Mammoth, as well as old favourites Evil and Obstacle no. 1. Plus, see Interpol's new mascot (Carlos's dog, Gaius) and the band behind the scenes of the session.

- Download Interpol with iTunes
- Buy Interpol on CD from Amazon
- Visit their official website
- Search: Interpol

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