First Listen: Julian Plenti is… Skyscraper

It’s hard for lead singers to leave bands behind for solo albums without endless comparisons made to their work at their day job. A few try to subvert that by creating an entirely new persona. Interpol’s Paul Banks tries just such a tactic, dubbing himself Julian Plenti for his first solo outing. The name, the jokey backstory the hipster attire and the mustache-eyeglasses combo might divert attention for a few seconds, but once his voice slithers out of the speakers, it’s all over.

But listening to his forthcoming album, Julian Plenti is… Skyscraper (due Aug. 4 on Matador Records), it’s clear that he doesn’t need such subterfuge. Yes, there are many elements beyond his voice that indicate that this is an Interpol-related product, but Banks takes some risks here, proving without question that he was right to strike out on his own with these songs. Fans of Interpol will fall in love, but those who find that band’s icy angularity to be off-putting might be surprised by the depth of Banks’ songs and the reach of his arrangements.

What follows is my first reaction to a first listen of the album, streaming now on Rhapsody.

1. Only If you Run -A heavier beat and groove than one usually expects from Interpol, with the emphasis on bass and keyboards rather than the angular guitars of Banks’ day job. Still, this has that dark, sleek feel of Interpol, as if all frivolity and fun was sucked out of the room before the track was laid down. This is more a detour than a reinvention.

2. Fun That We Have – This one starts with a guitar and Banks’ vocal. It’s perhaps not fair to compare things to Interpol at every turn, but there’s little to distinguish this track from something his band might play. Some off-kilter rhythms and keyboards offer a bit more adventurousness than the more regimented Interpol, but thus far, if this had been issued under his band’s name, I can’t imagine anyone would bat an eye.

3. Skyscraper – Now this is a departure. Strings and acoustic guitar lay down a pretty base through which Banks’ vocal tries to cut, like another radio signal bursting forth through static as you drive out of range of another. When it emerges fully formed, it floats atop that swelling bed of music perfectly. Here’s proof Banks has more to offer. I hope the rest of the disc offers more of this and less of the Interpol-esque sounds of the opening two tracks.

4. Games For Days – The electric guitars are back, but this is more frenetic and anxious than the usually cool Interpol, giving Banks the chance to add some nuance to his usual disaffected vocals. When the chorus kicks in, things turn a bit pedestrian. It’s perfectly catchy, but everything leading up to it seems to promise more than is delivered. Once that goes away, the song gets interesting again. Go figure.

5. Madrid Song – Piano and double-tracked vocals: “Come have at us we are strong,” Banks sings over and over before strings come in, followed by some distorted spoken word. This is just two minutes long, but it’s a nice, atmospheric track that emphasizes the music of Banks’ vocal.

6. No Chance Survival – A sweet vocal from Banks? Yes, one might go so far as to call this tender, even warm, as he croons over strings and light guitar and some minimalist bass. “Only If You Run” has more of a groove, but this is the first time I could imagine using the term “jazzy” within the same sentence as Interpol, and only then with the caveat that this is only the band’s singer, not its sound.

7. Unwind – Some big beats and a dominant keyboard line set the tone before the… horns come in? Yes, the stops are being pulled out (literally and figuratively, it would seem), as a trumpet fanfare drives this song toward the first verse. Banks’ vocal has an off effect on it in the verses, but that gives way to a full bright chorus where he sings, “I see your face and I let you own me.” Keeping the love song vibe, the bridge finds Banks’ singing variations of “I’ll make time for you” before uttering, “Patience, it’s safer for you now.” No idea if patience is a woman or a suggestion.

8. Girl on the Sporting News – Another quiet track, starting with light drums, guitar and a bit of bass, followed by strings. This sounds like the Banks of Interpol trying to sing a ballad, and for some reason it doesn’t work as well as some of the other downtempo tracks. The guitar figure meshes well with the strings, giving the song its strongest hook. Some nice fingerpicked acoustic guitar undergirds the bridge. Lyrically, the song fits well within Banks’ oeuvre, its slinky, slightly stalkerish vibe right in his wheelhouse.

9. On the Esplanade – More pretty acoustic guitars and a quiet Banks vocal. It seems obvious the singer wanted to actually sing for a change, rather than simply exude attitude as he does so well with Interpol. More sampled spoken sounds here, injecting some incongruous moments that keep interest through what is a typical ballad. Strings swell to bring the track to a classy close.

10. Fly As You Might – Ah, more guitars. This is Banks’ most successful attempt to use the instrumentation of his band in new ways. A few disjointed pieces move together as the song approaches the chorus, and then suddenly fit. While the quieter tracks here fall well outside his band’s usual reach, this one shows a direction Banks might nudge things on future releases.

11. H - Essentially an instrumental, the song begins with piano and strings before adding other elements and it progresses. There’s another odd sampled voice (the album’s third) that threatens to turn into an actual vocal before fading. Just when the song seems to be building toward something, it ends, bringing the album to an unresolved, but strangely satisfying conclusion.

Speaking of conclusions, the album feels like a Frankenstein’s monster of sorts. Half of the album — “Only If You Run,” “Fun That We Have,” “Games For Days,” “Girl on the Sporting News” and “Fly As You Might” — would fit fairly snugly on an Interpol album, while the other half feels more like what one expects from someone clearly working hard to distance himself from his band. Actually, “Unwind” seems to straddle those two sounds, but push comes to shove, would land in that latter group. Had those six tracks been issued as an EP, the reaction would be interesting. As it is, there is enough here to keep Interpol fans in the fold while perhaps broadening their horizons.

Given the somewhat tepid third Interpol album, it’s refreshing to see Banks offer such a creative, catchy batch of songs. A band that had seemed to exhaust its rather narrow sound may have quite a bit of life left in it if Banks is allowed to keep the mustache and specs and steer things a bit more in this direction.