Antics (album)

Antics is the second studio album by American rock band Interpol, released on September 27, 2004 by Matador Records. Upon its release, the album peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 and number 21 on the UK Albums Chart, and went on to sell over 488,000 copies in the United States.[2]

Antics
Studio album by
Interpol
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2004
RecordedMarch – May 2004
StudioTarquin (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
Genre
Length41:39
LabelMatador
Producer
Interpol chronology
The Black EP
(2003)		 Antics
(2004)		 Interpol Remix
(2005)
Singles from Antics
  1. "Slow Hands"
    Released: August 16, 2004[1]
  2. "Evil"
    Released: January 3, 2005[1]
  3. "C'mere"
    Released: April 11, 2005[1]
  4. "Narc"
    Released: June 1, 2005[1]

It received generally favorable reviews from critics, many of whom named it one of the best albums of 2004, and was later certified gold by the RIAA in 2009.[3] Four singles were released from the album: "Slow Hands", "Evil", "C'mere", and "Narc".

In a 2018 interview with Vice, lead singer Paul Banks listed Antics as his favorite of the band's albums, saying: "I really put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears onto this record" and that "it felt like a very righteous pursuit". Banks also claimed that their confidence in the album's quality acted as "the perfect antidote to that sophomore slump" and the group circumvented the pressure and was able to "dive straight back in".[4]

Packaging

Morse code is used in several places throughout the album's packaging, continuing the nautical themes found in a few of the tracks' lyrics ("Take You on a Cruise", "Public Pervert", "A Time to Be So Small"). Code for the word "antics" is used on the back panel of the slipcase, as well as in the booklet; other words included in code are "length", "narc", "cruise", and "exit". Photography of the band used in the interior of the album was produced by Ami Barwell.[5]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Blender[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[9]
The Guardian[10]
Los Angeles Times[11]
NME8/10[12]
Pitchfork8.5/10[13]
Q[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
SpinA−[16]

Upon its release, the album received very positive reviews, with a Metascore of 80 out of 100 ("generally favorable reviews") from Metacritic.[6] E! Online gave it an A and said, "There's something totally irresistible about Antics: The air of mystery, the bleak but hopeful arrangements and the melodies so sharp and moving that they might inspire a night of heroic partying."[6] Josh Modell of The A.V. Club gave it a favorable review and said that the album "may be predictable, but if predictable means rock-solid and mostly magnificent, why bother asking for more?"[17] Mikael Wood of The Village Voice also gave it a favorable review and said, "What makes Antics such an improvement over Bright Lights is how capable Interpol have become at complementing Banks's lovely ambiguity with an increasingly precise post-punk throb."[18] Dan Tallis of BBC Music likewise gave it a favorable review and said, "What's inescapable is that Antics does sound similar to Turn On the Bright Lights. This is despite the drummer's attempt to lift the gloom by introducing a poppy, even dance drum beat during two or three tracks. [...] However, this record has been widely praised. The difference is that Interpol have progressed. The band haven't repeated the formula, they've improved upon it."[19]

Dave Simpson of The Guardian gave it four stars out of five, and said it "manages to dabble with tension and still emerge with something life-affirming."[20] Uncut also gave it four stars out of five and called it "exhilarating, morbid, romantic, cool".[21] The NME gave it a score of eight out of ten, and called it "an album scored through with a vehement beauty that, with each listen, becomes all the more acute for its unwillingness to shy away from life's bleaker, more painful moments."[6] Jennifer Nine of Yahoo! Music UK gave it a score of eight stars out of ten and called it "a suppler record than its older brother, largely avoiding the skittish tempos of Turn On... tracks like "Roland" in favour of elegant curves and harmonies [...] though the road-honed likes of "Slow Hands" and "Not Even Jail" still hit bruisingly hard."[22] Similarly, Under the Radar gave it eight stars out of ten, and said that while it is "ultimately a more sophisticated record, it's probably a less obvious one, too."[6] Merek Cooper of Playlouder likewise gave it four stars out of five and said that Interpol "no longer rely on dense production and atmospherics, because they don’t need to: Antics is bare-boned and beautiful."[23] Billboard gave it a favorable review and called it "even better [than Bright Lights], possibly because the band isn't trying so hard to be weird."[24] Salvatore Ciolfi of PopMatters also gave it eight stars out of ten and said, "Altogether, the album's feel is much more lively, bouncy, and accessible, and in combination with the band's ubiquitous ambient underpinnings, the upbeat tone often makes this collection inspiring."[25] Bobby Mann of Flak Magazine also gave it a favorable review and said that "Interpol is less indebted to its influences, creating a distinct sound from the distinguishing characteristics that drew those comparisons in the first place."[26]

Other reviews were average or mixed: Blender gave the album a score of three stars out of five, and called it "Less lugubrious and more melodic than [Bright Lights], but the improvement is marginal."[6] Amneziak of Tiny Mix Tapes also gave it three stars out of five and called it "Very straightforward Interpol-lite."[27] Mark Richardson of Paste likewise gave the album three stars out of five and said that its songs "feel heavy and significant enough--due to dynamic production and hooky choruses--even if we don't know exactly what they mean."[28] The New York Times gave it an average review and called it "fairly uneven".[6] Andre Perry of Crawdaddy! gave the album a mixed review and said, "I'd be overstating myself to posit Antics as a wholly offensive listening experience. Yes, I get it: this record actually sounds okay when it's being played in the background at a house party or at the rock 'n' roll bar. But that's as good as it gets: background music."[29] Los Angeles Times gave the album two-and-a-half stars out of four and said, "The band works too hard to seem mysterious."[6] Christopher Gray of The Austin Chronicle gave it two-and-a-half stars out of five, and said that if the album "doesn't exactly blaze off in bold new directions, it does offer an opportunity for Interpol to do some fine-tuning (not that they need much) and settle comfortably into their black, velvet-lined pocket."[30] Robert Christgau of the Village Voice named "Next Exit" as the only good song on the album.[31]

Accolades
Publication Accolade Rank
Pitchfork 'Top 50 Albums of 2004' #27[32]
cokemachineglow 'Top 50 Albums of 2004' #12[33]
Junkmedia 'Top 10 Albums of 2004' #7[34]
Spin 'Top 40 Albums of 2004' #9[35]
Under the Radar 'Best Albums of 2004' #2[36]
Rolling Stone 'Best Albums of 2004' No order[37]
Tiny Mix Tapes 'Best Albums of 2004' #16[38]
No Ripcord 'Top 50 Albums of 2004' #3[39]
Q 'Top 50 Albums of 2004' #10[40]
Drowned in Sound 'Records of the Year' #1[41]
OneThirtyBPM 'Top 100 Albums of the 2000s' #87[42]
Treble 'Best Albums of the 00's' #87[43]
Delusions of Adequacy 'Top 100 Albums of the 2000s' #90[44]
NME '500 Greatest Albums of All Time' #410[45]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Interpol.

No.TitleLength
1."Next Exit"3:20
2."Evil"3:35
3."Narc"4:07
4."Take You on a Cruise"4:54
5."Slow Hands"3:04
6."Not Even Jail"5:46
7."Public Pervert"4:40
8."C'mere"3:11
9."Length of Love"4:06
10."A Time to Be So Small"4:50
Total length:41:39

Bonus tracks on Japanese release

Bonus disc on reissue
  1. "Song Seven" – 4:52
  2. "Narc [Paul Banks Remix]" – 2:39
  3. "Not Even Jail [Daniel Kessler Remix]" – 5:41
  4. "Fog Vs. Mould for the Length of Love" – 7:48
  5. "Public Pervert [Carlos D Remix]" – 8:08
  6. "Slow Hands [Video]" – 3:07
  7. "Evil [Video]" – 3:38
  8. "C'Mere [Video]" – 3:30

Bonus disc on Japanese 2005 reissue
  1. "Fog Vs. Mould for the Length of Love" – 7:50
  2. "Narc [Paul Banks Remix]" – 2:39
  3. "Not Even Jail [Daniel Kessler Remix]" – 5:41
  4. "Public Pervert [Carlos D Remix]" – 8:11
  5. "Slow Hands [Dan the Automator Remix]" – 4:06
  6. "Slow Hands [Britt Daniel Remix]" – 3:46
  7. "Narc [Eden Session]" – 4:08
  8. "Slow Hands" (Video) – 3:07
  9. "Evil" (Video) – 3:38
  10. "C'mere" (Video) – 3:30
  11. "PDA" (Live Footage) – 6:04
  12. "Slow Hands" (Live Footage) – 3:03

Release details
Country Date Label Format Catalog number
United Kingdom September 27, 2004 Matador LP OLE6161
CD OLE6162
United States September 28, 2004 Matador LP OLE6161
CD OLE6162
Japan October 6, 2004 Toshiba-EMI CD TOCP 66323
United States August 23, 2005 Matador Bonus CD OLE6792

Charts

Album
International Chart Positions[46]
Year Chart Position
2004 U.S. Billboard 200 15
2004 U.S. Top Independent Albums 1
2004 U.S. Top Internet Albums 15
2004 UK Albums Chart 21
2004 Australian ARIA Albums Chart 21
2004 Mexican Albums Chart 21
2004 Mexican International Albums Chart 10
2004 German Albums Chart 47
2004 Ireland Albums Chart 10
2004 France Albums Chart 11
2004 World Albums Chart 15
2004 New Zealand Albums Chart 16
2004 Norway Albums Chart 28
2004 Belgium Albums Chart 46
2004 Dutch Albums Chart 34
2004 Sweden Albums Chart 35
2004 Finland Albums Chart 36
2004 Swiss Albums Chart 99

Singles
Year Song Chart Position
2004 "Slow Hands" U.S. Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) 15
2005 "Evil" U.S. Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) 24
2005 "C'mere" European Hot 100 Singles 67

Personnel

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[47] Gold 35,000^
Belgium (BEA)[48] Gold 25,000*
Mexico (AMPROFON)[49] N/A 20,000[50]
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[52] Gold 501,000[53]

^shipments figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. "Interpol". Matador Records. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  2. Trust, Gary (16 January 2009). "Ask Billboard: Roxette, Whitney Houston, Interpol". billboard.com. Into Interpol. Archived from the original on 18 January 2009.
  3. "American album certifications – Interpol – Antics". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  4. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/a3q9mk/rank-your-records-interpol-paul-banks
  5. "Ami Barwell, Rock 'n' Roll Photographer > Albums". musicphotographer.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2011-08-27. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  6. "Reviews for Antics by Interpol". Metacritic. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  7. Kellman, Andy. "Antics – Interpol". AllMusic. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  8. Pareles, Jon (October 2004). "Interpol: Antics". Blender (30): 119. Archived from the original on October 19, 2004. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  9. Endelman, Michael (October 1, 2004). "Antics". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  10. Simpson, Dave (September 24, 2004). "Interpol: Antics". The Guardian. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  11. Hochman, Steve (October 10, 2004). "Not a total eclipse of the heart, but..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  12. "Interpol: Antics". NME: 62. September 25, 2004.
  13. Moore, David (September 26, 2004). "Interpol: Antics". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  14. "Interpol: Antics". Q (219): 112. October 2004.
  15. Walters, Barry (September 22, 2004). "Antics". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  16. Beaujon, Andrew (October 2004). "Black Celebration". Spin. 20 (10): 107–08. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  17. Modell, Josh (27 September 2004). "Interpol: Antics". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  18. Wood, Mikael (5 October 2004). "Part of the Heart of the City". The Village Voice. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  19. Tallis, Dan. "Review of Interpol - Antics". BBC Music. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  20. Simpson, Dave (23 September 2004). "Interpol, Antics". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  21. "Interpol - Antics". Uncut. 2004. p. 98. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  22. Nine, Jennifer (27 September 2004). "Interpol - 'Antics'". Yahoo! Music UK. Archived from the original on 2 November 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  23. Cooper, Merek (25 September 2004). "Antics". Playlouder. Archived from the original on September 25, 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  24. "Antics". Billboard. 16 October 2004. Archived from the original on 9 October 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  25. Ciolfi, Salvatore (27 September 2004). "Interpol: Antics". PopMatters. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  26. Mann, Bobby (8 October 2004). "Flak Magazine: Interpol's Antics". Flak Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 October 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  27. Amneziak (2004). "Interpol - Antics". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  28. Richardson, Mark (1 December 2004). "Interpol - Antics :: Music :: Reviews". Paste. Archived from the original on 17 December 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  29. Perry, Andre (19 December 2007). "Interpol's Antics". wolfgangsvault.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008.
  30. Gray, Christopher (15 October 2004). "Interpol: Antics (Matador)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  31. "Antics Review". Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  32. "Top 50 Albums of 2004". Pitchfork.
  33. "Top 50 Albums 2004". cokemachineglow.com. Retrieved 2015-05-14.
  34. "Top 10 Albums of 2004".
  35. "Top 40 Albums of 2004".
  36. "Best Albums of 2004". Archived from the original on 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  37. "Best Albums of 2004".
  38. "Best Albums of 2004".
  39. "Top 50 Albums of 2004".
  40. "Top 50 Albums of 2004".
  41. "Records of the Year".
  42. "Top 100 Albums of the 2000s".
  43. "The Best Albums of the 00's". Treblezine.
  44. "Top 100 Albums of 2004". Archived from the original on 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  45. "Top 500 Albums of All-Time".
  46. "Interpol - Antics". acharts.us. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  47. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  48. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2006". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  49. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Interpol in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Antics in the box under TÍTULO
  50. Furniss, Olaf (6 May 2006). "Noiselab Raises Indie Acts' Volume In Mexico". Billboard. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  51. "British album certifications – Interpol – Antics". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 July 2018. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Antics in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  52. "American album certifications – Interpol – Antics". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  53. Menze, Jill (13 August 2010). "Interpol Returns To Matador For Fourth Album". Billboard. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
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