Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (Staff Pick!)

Title: Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Year/Genre/Sub-Genre/City: 2002, Rock, Post-Punk Revival Indie Rock, New York City, New York 8/26
Condition: New (BC) | Members: Paul B (78' - ), Daniel K (74' - ), Carlos D (74' - ), Sam F (68' - )
Cultural Facts:

1. Band Lore: Daniel Kessler met Carlos Dengler in a philosophy class at NYU and asked him to join even though Carlos had largely given up playing music. Kessler had met Paul Banks earlier in France and later ran into him again in New York's East Village, eventually pulling together people who had not necessarily been looking to form a band. (Wikipedia)

2. Career Turning: Original drummer Greg Drudy left in 2000, and Kessler recruited Sam Fogarino, who was working at a vintage clothing store and was considering giving up on music. Banks later remembered that when Sam joined, the group suddenly felt like a real band rather than an experiment. (Pitchfork)

3. Working Life: Interpol had existed for years without knowing whether music would ever pay their bills. During the mixing of Turn on the Bright Lights, producer Peter Katis remembered Carlos Dengler sitting behind him and essentially saying he desperately hoped the record became successful because he was tired of being poor. The album's eventual success changed four working musicians' lives far beyond what they had expected. (Pitchfork)