GENRE | SERIOUSLY SOLO
VERDICT | IN REVERIE
RELEASE | 10.22.12
LABEL | MATADOR
BANKSPAULBANKS.COM
Any track featuring Paul Banks minus the machinations of Interpol will always make for an interesting listen for one vital reason: The man knows how to deliver songs with terrifying dissonance.
On Banks, alabaster vocals are outlined by understated and oddly-accented beats, resulting in a subtler kind of sensuality.
The chiming opening notes of “The Base” serve as a delicate precursor for Banks’ inherent straightforward and sturdy song-craft.
“Young Again” displays his appreciation of rhythmic simplicity and even though “No Mistakes” lyrically serves up cheesy chalice (‘…be great/ and know your strength’), it possesses a sonic extravagance that is somehow irresistible. And only he could make a song titled “Summertime is Coming” that actually makes you want to politely decline the arrival of the season.
Whether he is backed by a band or strictly on his own, Banks will always be a musical visionary of his time.
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