Album Review: Paul Banks - Banks

Paul Banks' second solo album, Banks, while certainly not uplifting, is endlessly impressive in its complexity and almost harrowing in its depth and melancholic feel. Each song feels darker and more fascinating than the last, and the record as a whole falls together with remarkable ease.

The opening track, Base, establishes Banks' thick, heavy, mournful sound. It introduces his incredibly smooth, masterful vocals initially and then transforms them into an arrangement of soft, simple guitar melodies and melancholic vocal lines, immediately establishing the complexity and dexterity of the record as a whole. Arise Awake is faster and more upbeat, with complicated guitar lines and slow, steady vocals, again with a distinctly sombre tone. Young Again features multiple layers of technically impressive guitar and drum rhythms, but it's not as straightforwardly affective as many other songs on the record. I'll Sue You is distinctly reminiscent of Banks' Interpol sound, featuring perfectly constructed layers of guitar, drums and calm vocals combined with sophisticated, honest lyricism.

The standout track of the album, however, is undoubtedly Paid For That. This song truly showcases Banks' incredible vocal and lyrical talent, displaying flawless vocal phrasing and combining it with a simple, upbeat melody. Another of the album's highlights is the unexpected and enticing Another Chance, which features repetitious spoken vocals over a fast, urgent string melody, giving the track a dangerous, almost maddening feel. Banks' vocal prowess is firmly established once again in No Mistakes, whose honest, poignant lyricism and almost inconspicuous but effective vocal harmonies combine to make a truly impressive track. The album then closes, interestingly, with Summertime Is Coming, the only vaguely optimistic song on the record. The song is uplifting and catchy, making for an unexpected but effective finish. In short, Banks is a truly stunning record.