Interpol frontman Paul Banks – or Mr. Helena Christensen – steps out on his own as Julian Plenti, his pre-Interpol alter-ego, and proves he’s worth his salt as a solo artist. There’s certainly a similarity to his band’s sound, but with less of that grand Joy Division-inspired doom and gloom, and more of a laid-back, fairly minimalist lo-fi vibe with acoustic guitars, and even strings, trumpets and spoken word samples. Vocally, Banks moves from haunting and affected to more earnest and singer-songwriter-y in the vein of Matthew Sweet, and lyrically he’s softer than usual as well.

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• Helena Christensen
• Interpol
• Joy Division
• Paul Banks