Having built a substantial audience with their first two albums, Editors burst back with promises of new directions and a rawer sound. “I swear to God I heard the Earth inhale” is Tom Smiths portentous opening gambit and as the synths swirl and snake around the doom laden vocal, it really does sound like Editors are set to deliver on their promise. As an opener, ‘In This Light and On This Evening’ builds from its simplistic beginnings to a fantastic calamitous post rock beast. Immediately reminiscent of Pink Floyd, Mogwai and of course Joy Division, could this be the moment Editors traverse back from chart botherers to darlings of the navel gazing critics?
‘Bricks and Mortar’ retains the Synth heavy sound pinched straight from the Terminator soundtrack, but is more akin to the Editors found churning out An End Has a Start. As the album progresses, so Editors regress further and further back to their comfort zone. Lead single ‘Papillon’ still relies on an electronic sound but lyrically things haven’t moved on from their first two efforts with themes of lost love, Godliness and feeding dogs abounding.
Just as the familiarity borders on contempt, ‘Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool’ is thrown down as a late curve ball to challenge the Editors audience, to once more sit up and take notice. Its something of a bizzare stomp-athon that reverbs around a central vocal hook that is interlaced with a more bitter and spiteful vocal delivery.
There is a sense of grand ambition in this offering from Editors and a feeling that they wanted to make a career defining album. Ultimately they have fallen just short, partly because Smiths vocal delivery is by now too familiar, and the lyrical songwriting hasn’t progressed sufficiently to differentiate this from either of their first two albums. Having said that, the opening track is an epic statement, ending as a wall of noise that would sit comfortably on any 2009 best bits compilation.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
More reviews should be like this, as it actually makes me want to go and give the album an opened minded listen. And it takes a lot for me to want to go and listen to an Editors album, because as a whole I can’t really stomach this band.
October 15th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Yeah, great review this Shawn. The opening track really is a stonker, but it quickly descends into unadventurous territory – the lyrics really are woeful!
October 15th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
I really love this band and album, I guess in the UK editors are highly criticized? Living in Canada nobody really cares/knows about them, I like that because I can just listen with an open mind. This was a solid review, I dont agree with you on everything but it wasn’t just bashing so I respect that.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
i love this band, i love this album. this is a lucid review like it a lot
October 16th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
their not really criticised, Connor – maybe by the hipster elements of the music world, because SHOCK HORROR, they’re on the radio and have actually sold some records, which as we all know means a band must be shit.
but actually they’re pretty good. that is my review.
October 16th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
I guess its all the fat keyboard sounds but I have gone from someone who never really liked Editors to absolutely loving this album, Bricks and Mortar is just a wonderful song, as are many others.
October 19th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
So I listened to it. I didn’t enjoy it. I just cannot stand Tom Smith’s voice, and it seems to have got more annoying. There were a few musical elements that I liked, but not many, and the moments that I did enjoy there always seemed to be something juxtaposed to it that didn’t work for me. I was pretty bored after the 5th track, but I think it’s fair to say that Editor’s are just not for me. I’m not going to bash on them for the sake of it. If you like them, fair enough. I don’t, and that’s the last chance I’ll give them to convince me otherwise. Still, review did the job, and made me take the time out to listen, so kudos again for that.