Carlos D.

With the sharp looks of an international agent, Interpol's Carlos D. steers New York's indie-rock sensation with stylized but grounded bass lines. There is an intensity and aggression in his delivery, yet Carlos D. captures the more artful and introspective essence of post-punk on the band's new release, Antics [Matador]. "I often try to hit notes a 16th-note ahead of where listeners would normally expect to hear them," points out Carlos, who spices his driving, pickstyle lines with syncopated octave accents. "That creates the syncopated, funky feel of players like the Cure's Simon Gallup, Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order, and Duran Duran's John Taylor."

Carlos credits his childhood guitar teacher with providing the tools he uses when constructing bass lines. "He would teach me about chords and scales, and he'd force me to do things like name the notes in a scale or chord. I hated it at the time-I just wanted to learn Iron Maiden songs-but later on it opened a world of music appreciation for me.

"The chords Daniel [Kessler] plays on guitar are often sparse and ambiguous, so I can inject a new tonality into what he's playing. I think, What can I do inside this chord to give it that extra push? The guitars are providing melancholic, atmospheric tones, and [drummer] Sam Fogarino and I add a driving rhythmic feel that complements the lighter guitar textures." Frontman Paul Banks sums up Carlos's contributions: "His musicianship and art are a phenomenon. His parts, in all their depth and complexity, always seem to appear spontaneously."

Carlos D. is less meticulous when it comes to gear. "I don't have that sense of culture that a lot of gearheads have. I have a Sid Vicious attitude toward the bass itself-I'm going to bleed on the thing before the show is over, anyway." Carlos has used the same black Fender Standard Jazz Bass for both Antics and its predecessor, Turn On the Bright Lights [Matador]. Using medium-gauge GHS Boomers, he keeps his instrument tuned DADG. "It's the tuning I've used since I joined the band. It's tough because the low D string flaps a little, but since Daniel writes in D minor and B minor a lot, I want to reach those lower notes."

Carlos prefers to run without any effects, plugging direct into his Ampeg SVT Classic and SVT 8x10 cabinet. "Our music is almost symphonic in nature, because the harmonic structures are defined by the union of two guitars and a bass, and sometimes keyboard as well. If I were to start freaking out with effects, it would create too much of a bass presence, or it would distract from the band's most important aspect-the unity of all those musical elements together."