Muzz brings the talents of three musicians together to make a sophisticated album that stands apart from each of their main projects, as well as Banks’ past solo and side projects.
Muzz is an all-new band consisting of familiar faces. Paul Banks of Interpol takes singing and guitar duties, Matt Barrick of the Walkmen plays the drums, and Josh Kaufman of Bonny Light Horseman plays guitar and functions as a multi-instrumentalist.
But let’s be honest, you’re probably here for Paul Banks. His main project, Interpol, emerged as one of the titans of New York City’s 2000s indie rock scene (mandatory shoutout to the book Meet Me In The Bathroom), and they’ve continued to release surprisingly good albums since. However, his work outside Interpol has won less acclaim. His first solo album Julian Plenti is…Skyscraper was fine, if not too different from Interpol, while his second Banks took more chances, but was fairly forgettable. Then Banks took some unexpected turns, like releasing a collaboration with Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA called Anything But Words, which wasn’t as bad as you’d imagine. I’m not sure the same can be said for Banks’ hip-hop mixtape Everybody on My Dick Like They Supposed to Be. For all their ups and downs, these albums do hint at the origins of Muzz, with Barrick drumming on Anything But Words and Kaufman assisting with Julian Plenti is…Skyscraper.
Muzz brings the talents of these three musicians together to make a sophisticated album that stands apart from each of their main projects, as well as Banks’ past solo and side projects. On its own, it doesn’t have a groundbreaking or unique style for anyone who’s been into indie rock for the past two decades, and it’d be a “perfectly good” album if Muzz were an all new band by all new faces. Its real allure comes from getting to know a new dimension of some longstanding indie figures, who surprise you with their versatility.
While both Interpol and the Walkmen found success in the angular riffs and staccato rhythms that characterized mid-aughts New York rock, Muzz embraces lusher sounds. Oftentimes, this means expanding beyond the typical guitar, bass, and drums combination, and the album occasionally edges into baroque pop. The lead single “Red Western Sky” has piano, horns, and synthesizer which, coupled with the snare-heavy drumming, make comparisons to the National unavoidable.
Few other tracks on Muzz have the fullness and vigor of “Red Western Sky,” and only “Knuckleduster” exceeds it in intensity. This latter track has Barrick showing off the same frantic drumming heard on the Walkmen’s hit “The Rat,” while the guitar distortion with Banks’ voice bring Interpol to mind, but the flute and piano thrown in will remind you that it’s a work of neither band.
Outside of these two rock tracks, Muzz impresses with a more subtle finesse. “Evergreen” uses slide guitar in such a way that it functions as “vocals” harmonizing with Banks, a clever trick, and the soothing flute that appears in the track’s second half pairs well with bass and claps to make it an album highlight. “Everything Like it Used to Be” has a sweet, romantic feel, complete with fairytale strings, which contrast with Banks’ chorus of “Gonna make them fall to their knees, on this you can rely, we’ll make them bleed again.” Towards the end of the album, “All is Dead to Me” has a beautiful brass section over acoustic strumming, which combines with Banks’ sincere delivery to make a fantastic composition. Despite the rock bonafides of the trio (and folk too for Kaufman), arguably the best parts of Muzz come from its orchestral features.
Since Muzz is an altogether mellow album, it can sometimes feel like a few tracks pared back their production a little too far. All instruments are played with the lightest of touches on “Summer Love,” while Banks sings a bland chorus of “summer love, summer love ends, and I still can’t let you go.” It’s all too airy for the seasoned New York rocker. “Chubby Checker” sounds like it’s stuck in a loop, and it will decidedly not make you want to do the Twist. “Patchouli” isn’t particularly minimal, with a guitar and groaning synths that bring the Strokes’ The New Abnormal to mind, but only its horn outro stops it from being a total slog. Similarly, “Broken Tambourine” goes for a cinematic approach with a gradual build, but it sure takes its time to reach its destination.
It would be easy to argue that Muzz is Banks’ best non-Interpol project yet, and I don’t doubt there’s significant overlap between Interpol fans and those who’ve checked out Muzz, but that overlooks the collaborative nature of this new band. Banks, Barrick, and Kaufman laid the foundations of this album five years ago, and most of what you hear has been edited and workshopped multiple times. This shows throughout the album, and it’s the kind of experience that lets you discover new track features with each listen. Here’s hoping these three friends keep working together and impress us again.
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