Interpol
“Interpol”
Matador
Release date: Today
7.9 out of 10

It’s been a relatively rocky three years for New York’s post-punk revisionists Interpol.

The group’s third album, “Our Love to Admire,” proved to be a mixed bag for critics and fans alike. The band left Capitol Records, albeit on amicable terms, and bassist Carlos D. — arguably the heart of the group — departed to pursue other projects.

Luckily, Interpol’s self-titled fourth disc proves to be a return of sorts, both back to the group’s early sound and old label (Matador). The restoration proves to be largely successful.

Interpol led a revolution in 2002 with the brilliant “Turn on the Bright Lights,” a brooding composition of sky-high soundscapes and ominous, haunting undertones. “Antics” carried the momentum onward, but 2007’s “Our Love to Admire” was the sound of a band losing its hunger.

“Interpol,” by comparison, feels starved and ambitious, and lets listeners know that the old Interpol doesn’t have to be a distant memory.

The band hasn’t soared this high since “Untitled,” and does so on several occasions (“Lights,” “Safe Without” and “All Of The Ways”).

Most promising, and startling, are “Barricade” and “Try It On,” a pair of tracks that act as little experiments in a disc full of throwbacks, and they prove to be bright spots.

“Barricade,” built on a base of choppy drums and ever-retiring base lines, sounds sparse in comparison to Interpol’s “wall of sound” technique, but works itself into a poppy but powerful ballad with a few tricks up its sleeve. The simple piano quaffs in “Try It On” are especially poignant.

The bass grooves are back and strong as ever as well, but as Carlos D. was still a part of the group as of recording, Interpol’s next effort will be the deciding factor on whether the band can continue on successfully in the post-Carlos era.

But with Paul Banks’ cherished vocals, and the supporting cast again crafting a space worthy of having them, Interpol seemingly has returned home — the empty, starlit streets in New York City — and is staring straight ahead at a world of endless possibilities.

The Thermals
“Personal Life”
Kill Rock Stars
Released date: Today
8.2 out of 10

“Personal Life” is the sound of the ship being righted.

The Thermals’ brand of pop-punk follows what should have been the genre’s natural trajectory before Fall Out Boy hijacked it.

But “Personal Life” is just as inspired by “Slanted & Enchanted” as it is by “Dookie,” a tactful blend of simple restraint, intelligence and crowd-pleasing melodies.

The Portland, Ore., trio has an ear for pop melodies with bite, as one can clearly hear in the chomping “Your Love is So Strong” and “Not Like Any Other Feeling.”

The angsty “Power Lies” is constructed with beaming, timeless riffs and fastened with ’90s guitar breaks, while “A Reflection” sounds only shades removed from prime Pixies.

“I Don’t Believe You” — brimming with oohs and aahs — is enchanting with its unfussy melody and breakneck pace, a sophisticated “Sugar, We’re Goin Down.”

There are a few clunkers (the sleepy “I’m Gonna Change Your Life” and cyclic “Never Listen to Me”) but the finished product is sleek, stylish and catchy.

Just like pop-punk should be.

Various Artists
“Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome! Volume 2”
Filter
Release date: Aug. 31
7.4 out of 10

“Yo Gabba Gabba!” — the go-to children’s program for parents who dress their children in Radiohead T-shirts — is most certainly the coolest television show around, for kids and grown-ups alike.

Kids like it because of the bright colors, fun characters and poppy kid songs.

Grown-ups like it because those poppy kid songs are sung by bands like The Shins and of Montreal.

It’s a win-win for hipster parents. They get new music to listen to from their favorite bands while setting their kids up to later realize nothing Wilco ever does will top “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.”

But beyond insuring a bright future for music snobbery, “Yo Gabba Gabba!” teaches kids values, life lessons and preschool basics. Adults can even learn a few things themselves from the show’s second soundtrack release.

Did you know Weezer’s lyrics are significantly better when they are writing a song about insects instead of anything off “Raditude” (Compare “He’s colorful and wonderful/His wings are strong and powerful/He’s a dragonfly” to “I’ll take you out to dinner at Palermo’s/We’ll split a cheese fondue”)?

Remember Hot Hot Heat? No? Anyway, they have a promising future as a children’s band, or maybe they could just stick to writing things as catchy as they do here with “Time to go Outdoors.”

Oh, and MGMT get even trippier when limited to kid-friendly subject matter.

The Yo Gabba Gabba! band interludes are a little alienating for the older crowd, but each original effort from the established artists are charming and delightful, even if those artists don’t always come off that way otherwise.

Hopefully they learned something too.