I first discovered Editors on the Myspaces of all places back in aught 5. Back in the dark ages when you could only post one song on your profile, a friend of mine who I'd never met in real life had a song posted labeled "Editors - Munich." I was intrigued, as Munich seemed like a cool name for a song, so I pressed play, and was a fan ever since.
In their third album, the band have gone in the opposite direction of their last, "And End Has A Start," and ditched the layered guitars in favor of synthesizers. As those familiar with my tastes in music will know, this development pleases me. They have embraced the instrument with an earnestness and lack of pretension that one rarely finds these days, and the result is that it both enhances and feels completely at home in every song, and never seems added in later for some sort of vintage flair.
Rather than try to summarize I'll just say a bit about each of the nine songs on the album:
In This Light and On This Evening: From the moment the first song begins the sound throws off those familiar with Editors. We would expect to hear a screeching guitar or thunderous drums, but instead the first sound is a throbbing, driving arpeggiator, followed soon by lead singer Tom Smith almost whispering "I swear to God/ I heard the earth inhale/ moments before/ it spat its rain down on me." At this moment it's clear the band is doing something different this go around, but even though the opening track is intriguing and drew me in, I wasn't sure whether this change would result in a success or an embarrassing failure. Luckily I soon discovered it's the former.
Bricks and Mortar: This song begins with a perky beat that soon is elevated by the sound of a celestial synth patch, which establishes that the dark tone set in the first song wont be carried over into the entire album. For some reason this track reminds me of the The Cure song "Push," perhaps because they are both oddly uplifting without resorting to lame, life-affirming lyrics. The phrase "This home is more than/ bricks and mortar" brings a smile to my face and requires no explanation.
Papillon: This is the first single off the album, and aside from the synthesizers, is more or less a normal Editors single in the vein of "Munich," "Blood," and "An End Has A Start" with charmingly hostile lyrics and a strong hook. Good song but nothing revelatory.
You Don't Know Love: This is a mellow and haunting song that requires a few listens to figure out. I love the opening lyric "You ran with the dead today/ with the moles from the C.I.A./ they say more than you ever say" and the synth patch underlying the verse is the type that is not used nearly enough today. It conveys a haunting mood a guitar or a piano just can't. At the chorus the guitar jumps in with the synthesizer, bass, and drums to create a sound that I can't really say I've heard on an album produced since the 1980s. I can't really describe it, but songs just don't sound like that anymore.
The Big Exit: This is a another calm, measured song. It's probably my least favorite on the album, but that's not too damning an assessment. It is well crafted and I enjoy the percussion especially, but musically, the songwriting isn't up to the level set by the rest of the album.
The Boxer: This song is masterful example of how to use a synthesizer. It begins with a slow drum beat accompanied by a sequencer, then a distorted bass line, and then the most emotive, simple synth part that invokes perfectly the canonical film noir "The Set-Up" about, what else, an aging boxer going in for one last fight. The band goes on to blur the lines between synth and guitar, tricking the listener by eventually producing that beautiful synth part with an electric guitar. The swell at the end, as Smith sings over and over "Dazed in the final count," is flawless.
Like Treasure: The band picks up the pace a little with this song, which has more of a playful mood. The layering of the synths in this song is so dense I can't discern everything that's going on, but it sounds lovely, and lyrically this song is the gem of the album:
You are what you eatYou'll become digestedWell love, it isn't feltLove is testedYou will keep foreverI'll bury you like treasure
A love song possibly about murdering your loved one, possibly burying or storing the body in a freezer, and then eating it, is always a winner in my book.
Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool: Musically this is the most playful song on the album and one of the few instances where use of the synth gets cute, but it's not necessarily a problem as the band doesn't overdo it. This is catchy and will probably be the second single from the album, but it's not one I want to listen to over and over, but it may grow on me.
Walk The Fleet Road: Haunting, subdued, and brilliantly restrained close for a brilliantly restrained album. Here the band employs a choir, but to completely different effect than on their last album's theatrical opening song "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors." "Hold your tongue/ swallow your venom/ you're too young/ hold your tongue." The End.
Anywho, I enjoyed this album more than any that's come out this year. I will admit that it is heavily tailored to my own niche tastes, but hopefully it can inspire you to stop worrying and love the synthesizer.
