Julian Plenti – Julian Plenti Is…Skyscraper (Matador)

Truth is, you could easily begin spinning Julian Plenti Is…Skyscraper, disregard the album cover ‘n liner notes, and easily think that it’s the new Interpol record. There’s very little in terms of real difference between the two and, using that eyes-closed Pepsi challenge, you’ll probably end up in my voting booth: it’s better than Our Love To Admire.

Oh, okay. The drums are bigger in the mix, the guitars less refined, and the rhythms a bit more skanky, so who am I to question why this direction wasn’t pursued by the band as a whole instead of solo Paul Banks as Julian Plenti?

Speaking of, the press release goes out of its way to create the Julian Plenti name as some kind of legitimate return from an overlooked artist; it mentions nothing about Banks’ true identity or day job. That bothers me, because in my opinion the band Interpol and Banks’ involvement requires a bit of honesty and explanation after their last fiasco, and I’m not up for shelling out more of my hard-earned money to fund the member’s after-hour investments and half-assed side-projects.

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