Julian Plenti

Julian Plenti functions as the alter ego of Interpol frontman Paul Banks, whose solo work under that name actually stretches back further than the band itself. Banks first imagined the Plenti persona in 1996 and launched it two years later as an acoustic solo act, appearing at spots such as the Knitting Factory and Tobacco Road. He kept developing and presenting material under the Plenti moniker even as Interpol rose in prominence, yet the project went on hiatus near the end of 2003. Banks returned to it in 2006 after acquiring Logic Pro and using the software to sketch both fresh and earlier compositions. Two years later he captured definitive takes of those pieces, augmenting them with string and brass ensembles plus contributions from several associates including Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino, Ratatat’s Mike Stroud, Stiff Jesus’ Striker Manley, and the Occasion’s Charles Burst. The resulting album, Julian Plenti Is Skyscraper, appeared in summer 2009.