After a Summer that never wanted to end, the rain is finally ushering in Winter with a few days before December. It’s wet all over California and rain is beating window panes to a quiet and steady melody of the holiday season. For those of us not sitting in our rooms waiting patiently for our love song dedication on KOST-FM, the tunes of winter don’t have to be predictable rehashes of Christmas classics. We have something different for you today, something that will fit harmoniously with the gloomy weather but also adds it’s own touches of color to the bleakness. Paul Bank’s latest LP, Banks, is the perfect tunes for stormy weather daydreamers. Stream it here.
Paul Banks is the frontman of Interpol. He’s been releasing solo material since 2009 under the moniker Julian Plenti. He’s freed himself of that name now and simply goes by the given Paul Banks. Banks was released via Matador on the 22nd of October. It was way too bright out in California then for an album like this.
The familiar baritone of Paul Banks is even more encompassing as a solo artist. Less guitars and less drums than Interpol, the material on Banks floats effortlessly between synth-folk and dreamy experimentalism. It’s not all gloom though, as the tempo never falls too deep into it’s own on tracks like Young Again and Over My Shoulder. Things get interesting on the instrumental Another Chance that steps into Radiohead territory without Paul’s vocals. The music here is complex and engaging enough to conjure up a multitude of emotions, but it never ventures out its own skin for too long to break the overarching mood. Turn this on, enjoy the rain, and imagine you are in London, not California. It’ll be easier than you think.
Paul Banks plays the Fonda next Wednesday with Electric Flower. How about we move the show outside.
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