| Turn On the Bright Lights | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Interpol | ||||
| Released | August 19, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | November 2001 Tarquin Studios, Bridgeport, Connecticut[1] |
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| Genre | Post-punk revival | |||
| Length | 49:02 | |||
| Label | Matador | |||
| Producer | Peter Katis, Gareth Jones | |||
| Interpol chronology | ||||
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Turn On the Bright Lights is the debut studio album by American post-punk revival band Interpol, released in August 2002. The album was recorded in November 2001 at Tarquin Studios in Connecticut, and was co-produced, mixed and engineered by Peter Katis and Gareth Jones. It was released on August 19, 2002 in the United Kingdom and August 20 in the United States, through independent record label Matador Records. Upon release, the record peaked at number 101 on the UK Albums Chart. It reached number 158 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, as well as spending 73 weeks in the Billboard Independent Albums, peaking at number five.
Many have pointed out the similarities between Turn On the Bright Lights and the music of The Chameleons.[2] "PDA," "NYC," "Obstacle 1" and "Say Hello to the Angels" were the singles from Turn On the Bright Lights, and a video was shot for each with the exception of "Say Hello to the Angels."
Contents |
The release of Turn On the Bright Lights was preceded by the marketing of the band's self-titled Interpol EP in June 2002, their first release for Matador. The EP contained three tracks: radio single "PDA", future single "NYC", and "Specialist". All three tracks later appeared on the album, with "Specialist" included as a bonus track in Australian and Japanese editions. Further promotion continued at the beginning of the following year, when the band played the 2003 NME Awards Tour alongside The Datsuns, The Polyphonic Spree and The Thrills.[3]
All tracks written by Interpol.
Two different versions exist. One version has the following bonus tracks:
The other version has the following bonus tracks:
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Drowned in Sound | (9/10)[4] |
| NME | (8/10)[5] |
| Pitchfork Media | (9.5/10)[6] |
| PopMatters | (9/10)[7] |
| Q | [8] |
| Robert Christgau | (C+)[9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
Interpol's debut album gained so much critical success that not only was it hailed as one of best debuts of 2002, but is considered by some to be one of the best records of the decade. Turn On the Bright Lights made several critics' Top 10 lists of 2002.
The rest of the list is located at The Village Voice.
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[11] | 101 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[12] | 158 |
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
| U.S. Billboard Independent Albums[12] | 5 |
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