In 2002, Interpol released their landmark debut album “Turn on the Bright Lights.” Regarded by Pitchfork as one of the top 50 albums of 2002 and by Rolling Stone as one of the top 100 best albums of the decade, the album helped shape the New York City sound of the 2000s alongside acts like The Strokes.

Formed in NYC in 1997, Interpol self-released several EPs before being signed to Matador records and releasing “Turn on the Bright Lights.” The group is notorious for its slick dark guitars, chilling melodies and captivating staccato rhythmic bass and drums. Former bassist Carlos Dengler deserves just as much praise as front man Paul Banks, producing the dark intricate bass lines that make Interpol what it is. Its members were all New York City natives, most New York University graduates and residents of the Village. Breaking through the early 2000s New York City music scene was no easy feat. Interpol created their own suave, sophisticated, menacing branch off of the garage-rock revival, in contrast to The Strokes’ party attitude. Banks wanted Interpol to be something much deeper and more meaningful, and was successful with “Turn on the Bright Lights.” In an interview with Belgian magazine HUMO, Banks commented on debuting a year after The Strokes’ initial release.

“A part of me was afraid of taking many risks at the time, and that part got a huge kick in the ass by their success,” Banks said. “I quit my shitty day job and I went for the music. You have to be careful with that though. It’s okay to admire a colleague and conclude from that: okay, I’m going to work even harder now — people are writing shit this good, I need to write shit this good. But you can never copy someone else. You’re not up to anything good then.”

Interpol is definitely a band whose fans hold its first album as the be-all and end-all. However, that doesn’t mean the following albums weren’t great. “Antics,” Interpol’s second record, featured three singles and some argue that it gave the band an even larger audience, as it went gold just like the debut album. That being said, “Turn on the Bright Lights” is the epitome of what Interpol is and will always be remembered as. The crisp, sleek black and red album cover and the Armani suits the band wears during performances embody Interpol’s brooding and stylish sound.

Every song is so full of emotion, with hauntingly sharp vocals, dissonant guitars and masterfully rhythmic and evil bass and drum lines — it never feels like a song is missing something. The “it” factor is always present, and that’s what has made “Turn on the Bright Lights” such an inspirational and memorable album. Interpol knew what it was doing and did it well. So if you’ve never listened to Interpol, get lost in “Turn on the Bright Lights.” And if you’re already a fan, pick up the recently released 10th anniversary reissue, full of demos, B-sides, bonus tracks, a live DVD and of course the beautifully remastered album tracks that caught NYC’s attention 10 years ago.