Thrown straight into that bag of 'Ian Curtis Baritone vocals Post-Punk' with Interpol, Editors have a bigger, brighter picture than anything Interpol have managed to release. Originating from Birmingham and eventually meeting each other at university, playing small gigs under various names, Editors eventually signed a deal with the independent label Kitchenware, unaware of the notoriety they would be hit with.
This was released in summer 2005, just as that whole 'revival' was taking place. They received more recognition in 2006 after a Mercury Prize nomination which hinted for re-released singles for a bigger, commercial step forward. Before this they were fairly cult and known for there energetic live performances and the song 'Bullets'. This album is a collection of sad, desperate songs written by lead singer, pianist and rhythm guitarist Tom Smith. It opens with 'Lights', which has plain drumming, but the guitar work is very good and the bass is relaxing. Nothing is in your face, but the fast paced Punk sound is very noticeable and works with the dynamics. The track suits the broad term Indie Rock, which was well used in the mid naughties.
'Munich' has a faster, inclined guitar riff which really opens up the track on the chorus. The verse features the typical one note distorted guitar alike Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes and Interpol, the fab four. This is one of the lead singles, it's got a nice breakdown with strong drumming and noticeable piano, but it's very basic and it doesn't sound full, the vocals are separate to the instrumentation, it's recognisable, I think it's a little bit out of time and messy, but in general it's a good song and one of the best on the album.
The track which everybody wants to hear is always 'Bullets', it's a fast paced, bright track with great sounding guitar work and distorted bass. The chorus is very catchy and the lyrics are repeated, but they stand out. It creates a great atmosphere and the left/right audio comes into play perfectly on this track. It's by far the best track on the album, with the best lyrics, It's the single.
You can use the word filler for this album, after 'Bullets' it goes downhill fast, with a slow, boring 'Open Your Arms' and an Electronic filled closer 'Distance'. We also have tracks like 'All Sparks', which is more noticeable and memorable than the pre-mentioned. it's more of a catchy song with a respectable riff, but falls short because everything sounds so similar to every other track on the album.
I am a fan of Editors, I actually purchased this album on CD in 2006, one of the first albums I ever bought, but I bought it based on the strong singles. The 'album tracks' just don't cut it for me, so this album cant receive a great critical score by myself, the filler shines through. It should be clear that I'm calling this a bad album, it's below average and gives much room for improvement, which they take on the 2007 follow up An End Has a Start.
4.7
