Interpol’s self-titled and self-produced fourth album sees the New York post-punk revival act once again embracing dark minimalist music washed over with reverb. Interpol is back under the independent label Matador after a less-than-satisfying contract with Capitol Records for 2007’s Our Love To Admire. Intentionally or not, 2010 saw Interpol breaking out of their mold after the amicable split of longtime bassist Carlos D. and his replacement with Slint guitarist Dave Pajo. Drummer Sam Fogarino took some time before Interpol’s show in Toronto to discuss the all-too-familiar topic of repetition and the form Interpol might take in the future.
The Varsity: According to Wikipedia, it was your birthday yesterday. Happy belated Birthday!
Sam Fogarino: Thank you.
TV: How do you usually celebrate birthdays on the road?
SF: Pretty much with a bottle of champagne or some other spirits and a birthday cake. Sometimes confetti and strippers. Male and female — you have to keep it balanced. We’re all equal here. But that didn’t happen last night.
TV: No? Just kind of subdued?
SF: There was a little champagne, some maple syrup.
TV: Because you’re in Canada and we have a lot of that here.
SF: Indeed.
TV: More seriously, the album, Interpol by Interpol. Did anyone say that yet? I hope I’m the first.
SF: [laughs] No yeah, that’s awesome.
TV: Did you have a goal or objective in mind while working on this one?
SF: I think there was definitely an underlying desire to not repeat ourselves, but to keep a certain level of integrity intact. That’s kind of a challenge — to change but not change too much.
TV: I read in an interview that you talked about not fighting that sonic sound.
SF: Yeah, I personally view a sonic touchstone to be Daniel’s guitar. You know, aside from Paul’s voice. Paul can implement different techniques, but his voice is his voice. I think at a certain early point in the writing process, there was something to the purity of Daniel’s guitar tone that I personally thought, like, Wow, we’re getting back to something. And I think that, as opposed to the last record, we kept that mainstay intact and then let everything else be an experimental aspect. I think on this record, with the blending of different textures, the right mix was found in terms of how the very lush instrumental keyboards fit with these very simple guitar tones. That made me very happy.
TV: Did anything influence your song-writing this time around?
SF: I really think the main thing that influenced it was our own experience. Every place we’ve been, literally and metaphorically. We don’t discuss other new music while we’re writing. I really don’t listen to much new music during the process, it seems a little distracting. There might be individual influences from other forms of art like literature or film but for most of us that’s a daily occurrence. It’s not something we really harp on during the writing process. We try to keep it pure.
TV: How has the band adjusted with the removal of Carlos D?
SF: [laughs] The removal was successful. There wasn’t too much contamination. There hasn’t been much of a hiccup. We have two great musicians supporting us on stage. For this mode of operation, they are integral to Interpol.
TV: Are the new members going to help write songs in the future?
SF: Without the record being released yet, it’s kind of hard to look into. Anything could happen. Personally speaking, I definitely wouldn’t reject that but we have a long way to go. We’ll be touring into next year and then there’s that obligatory break. We’ll see. They have their own projects too so at this point it would be presumptuous of me on all parts to say ‘Yeah sure, that would be great!’
TV: You seem like a flexible band.
SF: But we’re not! We haven’t been a flexible band.
TV: Really? Even with all the changes?
SF: We’re kind of tight-fisted. When you’re not given a choice with change then you do have to be flexible but when you do have a choice it’s hard to make decisions and get out of your comfort zone. So to bring in two new members to replace one is an adjustment. That’s something that will have to reveal itself, no matter how good it looks on paper.
TV: Another big change was that you went back to Matador as your label. What was the driving factor behind going from a major label to an independent label?
SF: It’s where we come from. We did two records with Matador and we only did one with Capitol and it wasn’t a great experience. It was great that Capitol let us go on a handshake. There was no litigation filed, and nothing ugly about it. It was a good lesson learned at the end of the day. We were also fortunate to be able to go back to Matador. It’s a great label and a great place to be. To compare the two operations, Matador’s office is open. I can walk in anytime, and talk to anybody about anything. I only went to Capitol twice and had to make an appointment, wait in a waiting room and be called upon with a limited amount of time.
TV: You and Paul had your own solo projects as well. You were in Magnetic Morning and Paul had Julian Plenti. Was it hard to go back into the studio and work on Interpol after Magnetic Morning or was it completely natural?
SF: With Magnetic Morning there was less pressure and more freedom involved. In comparison, it was playtime. I kind of stepped out of my norm.
TV: And you got to play the Horseshoe in Toronto as Magnetic Morning, so it must be cool to go from huge venues to touring as a small solo project.
SF: The funny thing is, when I first played with Magnetic Morning, the first show we ever did was at the Mercury Lounge in 2007. The last show I played in New York was at Madison Square Garden with Interpol. So I went from MSG back to the Mercury Lounge. That was a trip. Interpol does that to a degree. We still have the ability to go from The Kool Haus to the Greek Theatre in L.A. I think it would get boring otherwise to play the same type of venue.
TV: Yeah, you don’t want to be Kings of Leon.
SF: Yeah, in more ways than one.
TV: Final question: if you were the real Interpol, who would you arrest first?
SF: George Bush.
TV: I didn’t see that coming. He’s not relevant anymore, but I suppose he should still be arrested.
SF: He did a lot of damage. He’s off skating free, man. Eight years of damage and no ramifications whatsoever.
TV: People still love him.
SF: They’re crazy.
TV: He’s the new Ronald Reagan, except he wasn’t as charismatic.
SF: And he makes Ronald Reagan look like a good president. At least Reagan was smart.
TV: Was he?
SF: At the beginning, then he kind of lost his cookies.
TV: Most of them do.
SF: Ronald Reagan kind of screwed my sister, who’s older than me, out of financial aid. The year that he became president, there was a very liberal financial aid system in place. We were a lower-middle class family and my sister was going to go to university and be fully funded. Then he cut the budget, so he took a great education away from her. But Bush makes him seem like a fucking god.
Interpol’s fourth studio album will be released September 7, 2010.
