Julian Plenti: Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper

Not long ago, indie rockers seemed more intent on redrawing the dark shadows of Mancunian post-punk than seeking Vitamin D highs from African music, but things move fast in the ’00s. Julian Plenti is Interpol singer-guitarist Paul Banks, a well-dressed dude who spearheaded an armada of other well-dressed dudes with Ian Curtis’ ghost on the brain. Interpol did it best up to a point, and Banks’ first full-length as Plenti—a pseudonym he put aside as Interpol began to make moves in 2001—is a collection of songs that might’ve been born in his main band’s margins. It’s a frustrating outing that wavers quietly between uninspired and surprisingly vibrant, middling and fantastic.