JULIAN PLENTI, Julian Plenti Is . . . Skyscraper Matador ****

Not content with leading Interpol, arguably one of the best bands of the past decade, Paul Banks has gone solo under an old pseudonym. Some of the songs on Julian Plenti Is . . . Skyscraperhave been sitting around for more than a decade, unsuitable for Interpol albums, but there is still a coherence to the album. Interpol fans who were disappointed by the slightly erratic 2007's Our Love to Admireprobably won't find their love of dark, nihilistic pop sated here.

Most of these songs are slightly more melodic and spacious than the brooding endeavours of Interpol, but Banks’s trademark clinical vocals remain intact on his solo material, although his impassiveness is occasionally tempered by a welcomed fragility.

What's more, you wouldn't expect to hear a sultry, slinky, string-based song such as Girl on the Sporting Newson an Interpol album, nor would you expect a wistful acoustic number such as On the Esplanade. The latter is a tad too pastoral to work here, and the oddly patched-together Fun That We Havesounds equally out of place, but Banks proves his capability with Spartan numbers on the mournful piano ballad Madrid Song, which incorporates an unknown spoken word sample into its austere frame.

The moody, minimalist Skyscraperis another surprising triumph, its acoustic guitar and piano skeleton fleshed out with hints of elegant violin. The snap- click beat and sinister urgency of Games for Daysis a highlight, as is the natty trumpet blasts on the almost poppy Unwind. The off- kilter tone of No Chance Survivalbubbles and simmers but never quite explodes.

A few patient listens reveals songs that intrigue rather than astonish, and those apathetic to Interpol probably won’t have their perspectives adjusted. Still, despite never consistently scaling the rooftops, this is a stylish effort. www.julianplenti.com

Download tracks: Skyscraper, No Chance Survival, Games for Days