Goodbye guitars, hello synthezisers
Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 01/19/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Editors' 2005 debut album "The Back Room" was one of the most accomplished debut albums of the past decade (I call it the UK's answer to Interpol's stellar debut album). The 2007 album "An End Has A Start" had some good songs on it but overall flet like a rehash of the debut album's musical ideas, and not nearly as good. THat left the band with a dilemma on what to do next. Having seen the fork in the road, the band apparently decided to take a decided left turn, and emerges with a new sound.
"In The Light and On The Evening" (14 tracks--including 5 bonus tracks; 67 min.) couldn't sound any different than the first two albums. The electric guitars have essentially been abandoned altogether, and instead a synthesizer sound (not unlike, say, Ultravox 25 years ago) is front and center. Check out the dark title track that opens the album. "Bricks and Mortar" (2nd UK single) and "Papillion" (1st UK single) follow in order. It's hard to see the commercial appeal of those songs, but as compared to the other songs on here, they are the 'catchiest' tracks on here. This is a mood album, pure and simple, and if you're in the proper mood, this will sound great. If you're looking for another serving of "The Back Room", you're going to be mightily disappointed, so, truly, buyer beware. The original album, released in the UK last October, ran 9 tracks. The US version comes with 5 bonus tracks (This House Is Full of Noice; I Want A Forest; A Life As a Ghost; Human; For the Money), all of which sound in the same vein as the regular albums tracks.
I've seen Editors in concert a number of times in support of their first two albums, and singer Tom Smith always gives his 110%, whether he's playing guitsr or piano, seemingly getting lost in a world of his own. It will be very interesting to find out how the new songs will be brought live (I guess guitar-player Chris Urbanowicz will switch to keyboards?). Can't wait to see those guys again. Finally, if you wonder where you can hear Editors, check out WOXY (BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll), the internet-only station that brings the best indie-music in the country, bar none, and where this album has been played regularly since its release."