Editors "EBM" (2022)

EBM

release date: Sep. 22, 2022

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC) (Deluxe)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,85]

producer: Blanck Mass, Justin Lockey, Elliott Williams

label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Heart Attack" (4 / 5) - 2. "Picturesque" - 3. "Karma Climb" - 4. "Kiss" - 6. "Strawberry Lemonade" - 7. "Vibe" - 8. "Educate"

7th studio album by Editors follows 4½ years after Violence (Mar. 2018), an album that lacked some of the coherency they showed on The Weight of Your Love from 2013. Since their sixth album Benjamin John Power has become a new member, and he is heard all over an album that fixates the band on an electronic path. Power is also known as Blank Mass and that's also how he's credited here. The album title thus refering to 'Editors Blanck Mass'. Powers played a vital part on the predecessor but the band didn't find the way to utilise Powers' contributions back then and instead ended up with tracks pointing here and there and with an album that seemed unfocused. One year after the release of Violence Editors released The Blanck Mass Sessions containing the initial recordings by Blanck Mass, which led to the album versions, and those early recordings contain some ideas that were ultimately lost on the final album. You could argue they were stronger electronically-founded, which only reflect how the band had to digest the input from Power before realising that he actually laid out a new musical direction for the band to follow.

With Banck Mass aboard Editors comes out as a revitalised band. They make the songs by Tom Smith work on top of an electronic base that gives room for bass and synths and the result is surprisingly good. Blanck Mass is noticeable all over the album, but together they are in positive synergy.

Undoubtedly, this new electronic style will challenge some of the old post-punk revivalists, and although I really enjoyed their initial albums, I like this new constellation!

[ allmusic.com, Record Collector 4 / 5 stars ]

Editors "The Blanck Mass Sessions" (2019)

The Blanck Mass Sessions

release date: Apr. 13, 2019

format: digital (8 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: Blanck Mass, Editors

label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Barricades" - 2. "Cold" - 3. "Hallelujah (So Low)" - 4. "Violence"

Editors album is bassically the first draft recordings by Blanck Mass, which led to the album Violence (Mar. 2018). The band had wanted a stronger electronic / industrial take on their music and invited Blanck Mass (aka Benjamin John Power) to add something to their new recordings. The result is heard here, but to the band, they were slightly rearranged with less electronic and industrial dominance, and those recordings were released as Violence. However, the initial recordings had their very own strengths, so one year following the actual album release the initial sessions by Blanck Mass were released. And frankly, they are just better and more originally sounding.

Editors "Violence" (2018)

Violence
release date: Mar. 9, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: Leo Abrahams, Editors
label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Hallelujah (So Low)" - 3. "Violence" (live in studio) - 6. "Magazine" - 10. "The Pulse" (Bonus Track) (live)

6th studio album by Editors follows 2½ years after In Dream from 2015 and it features British electronic act Blanck Mass [aka Benjamin John Power]. The title is stylised 'VI OLENCE' with subtle reference to it being the band's sixth album.
Editors used to be one of my favourite post-punk revival bands, but they have always been in a position of potential great bands with the ability to fall flat. And here they very much reflect that position in not being able to choose a stylistic path of their own. They stubble along with post-punk energy, darkwave gloominess, alt-rock attitudes and with both feet planted in a synthpop arena playing with electronics. Despite som fine reviews, this album eludes me as one of the their least successful albums - not quite decided if this or In This Light... from 2009 is the band's real low point.
The title track and "Magazine" are a few tracks to drag in a positive direction - perhaps with the aid of Benjamin Power? - on an album that simply contains too many songs built on familiar compositions and without [enough] new ideas, but that's just an opinion here and now. The album may one day open up as a much better release but as for now, I'm not impressed.
Not really recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Editors "In Dream" (2015)

In Dream
release date: Oct. 2, 2015
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5 ] [3,43]
producer: Editors
label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "No Harm" - 2. "Ocean Of Night" (4 / 5) (radio broadcast) - 5. "Life Is A Fear" (3 / 5) - 10. "Marching Orders" (3 / 5)

5th studio album by Editors is very much like a sequel to The Weight of Your Love from 2013 with synth elements from the lesser third album, In This Light and on This Evening from 2009. It contains one great track and then a few fine compositions, but I don't find that it's up there among the 3 best from the band - it's close, though - but... basically it's the second least interesting studio release from Editors without being anywhere near just a mediocre album. I think, what I miss on this is something 'new' - a sign of being in a process where the band is reaching for an artistic development of some sort... and that's hardly recognizable as it sounds so familiar - perhaps too familiar.
Music critics also seem divided on this.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo 4 / 5, Uncut 2,5 / 5, Q Magazine 2 / 5 stars ]

Editors "The Weight of Your Love" (2013)

The Weight of Your Love
release date: Jul. 1, 2013
format: cd (Deluxe Edition)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Jacquire King
label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "The Weight" (4 / 5) - 2. "Sugar" (4 / 5) - 3. "A Ton of Love" (live) - 4. "What Is This Thing Called Love" (4 / 5) (live) - 5. "Honesty" (4 / 5) - 6. "Nothing" (3 / 5) - 7. "Formaldehyde" - 8. "Hyena" (2,5 / 5) - 9. "Two Hearted Spider" (4 / 5) (live) - 10. "The Phone Book" (4,5 / 5) (acoustic live version) - 11. "Bird of Prey" (3,5 / 5) (live)

4th studio album released 4 years after the bands previous album is the first on Play It Again Sam, and now with an American producer. Most of the material for a new album was already announced ready in 2010 by vocalist Tom Smith, however, the band found itself in discussions about musical direction, and without finding proper solutions the album was delayed. It's the band's first album after guitarist and keyboardist Chris Urbanowicz left the band in 2012 after some time with conflicting interests concerning the band's style. He was replaced by two new members, Justin Lockey (guitar) and Elliott Williams (multi-instrumentalist). The album is quite different from its predecessor, and in my mind, it's also quite clearly a better release than the 2009 album. The sound and style is a return to guitar-driven music with use of a wide range of additional instrumentation, and it makes the 2009 release stand much alone as an experiment and something the band hasn't incorporated or developed from. Instead this turns out more of a natural progression from the 2007 studio release An End Has a Start, and by that it signals a move away from dark post-punk toward alt. rock and a more complex post-punk revival with room for synths and orchestration. It's a fine album, and not only one of the better in 2013, it's also one of the band's best albums ever.
[ allmusic.com, SputnikMusic 3,5 / 5, NME 2 / 5, Mojo 4 / 5 stars ]

Editors "In This Light and on This Evening" (2009)

In This Light and on This Evening
release date: Oct. 12, 2009
format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Flood
label: Kitchenware - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "In This Light and on This Evening" - 2. "Bricks and Mortar" - 3. "Papillon" - 4. "You Don't Know Love" - 5. "The Big Exit" - 9. "Walk the Fleet Road"

3rd studio album by Editors is 'as usual' released on Kitchenware, and also as usual the band makes use of a new producer - this time the acclaimed Flood (aka Mark Ellis). At first I was rather disappointed with this album. It's almost a new style and in a new blend of genres, which made it hard to accept as an Editors album but I it's better than that, only not really great. It's the band's involvement into synth-pop, or synth rock and almost without the blazing distorted guitars you'll find on the two previous album releases. Here the tracks are made of synthesizers and drum machines instead of original guitar and drums. Although, it contains a few really fine tracks it also has some fillers, which ultimately doesn't make it any near a favourite Editors album. This is the last studio album featuring founding member, guitarist and keyboardist of the band, Chris Urbanowicz.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, NME 2,5 / 5, The Independent 3 / 5 stars ]

Editors "An End Has a Start" (2007)

An End Has a Start
release date: Jun. 25, 2007
format: cd / vinyl (2018 repress)
[single rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Jacknife Lee
label: Kitchenware / Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors" (4 / 5) (live on Later) - 2. "An End Has a Start" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "The Weight of the World" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "Bones" (4,5 / 5) - 7. "Push Your Head Towards the Air" - 8. "Escape the Nest" - 9. "Spiders" (4 / 5)

2nd studio album by Editors this time with Irish producer Garret Lee (credited under his moniker Jacknife Lee) is a very strong follow-up album. It shows a fine development in style with more shoe-gaze distorted guitars and keyboards creating a more spacious production. The tracks are stronger compositions and the album has no real weak tracks. I think, this is my favourite release by the band.

EDIT as of 2018:
I recently purchased a 2018 vinyl repress on PIAS. This issue appears like a repress of the original with little variations from the original print.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 2,5 / 5, The Guardian, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]

Editors "The Back Room" (2005)

The Back Room [debut]
release date: Jul. 25, 2005
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Jim Abbiss
label: Kitchenware - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Lights" - 2. "Munich" (4 / 5) - 3. "Blood" - 4. "Fall" (2,5 / 5) - 5. " All Sparks" (3 / 5) - 6. "Camera" - 7. "Fingers in the Factories" - 8. "Bullets" (4 / 5) - 9. "Someone Says" (3 / 5) - 10. "Open Your Arms" - 11. "Distance" (3 / 5)

Studio album debut by Editors, and the first album I heard with the band. The cover is very much in family with the minimalist art direction by Peter Saville (who made covers for Joy Division and New Order) as well as Interpol's debut album, and the music is likewise a fine combo of the two prominent artists of post-punk. What is very different from the early contributors of the genre is clearly the production side. Also, Editors' musical universe is more symphonic but still simple and clear, and then of course: the music of the post-punk of the 1980s was not commercially intended... according to the artists themselves. I think, this first album is a fine and interesting release among many artists and releases that seek glory in the past.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, NME 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Editors "Munich" (2005) (single)

Munich, single
release date: Apr. 18, 2005
format: digital
[single rate: 4 / 5] [3,75]

Tracklist: 1. "Munich" (4 / 5) - 2. "Release" (3,5 / 5)

Single release by Editors from the band's forthcoming debut album. The second track only appears on a special bonus disc edition of the debut.

Editors

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Editors was formed in 2002 in Birmingham, England, UK. Members: Tom Smith (aka Thomas Michael Henry Smith [birth name], vocals, guitar, piano), Russell Leetch (bass & synths), Ed Lay (drums & percussion), Chris Urbanowicz (guitar & synths, 2002-12), Justin Lockey (lead guitar, 2012-present), Elliott Williams (keyboards, synths, guitar & backing vocals, 2012-present). Editors was one of many neo-post-punk or post-punk revival bands to emerge in the late 1990s and in the new millennium on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US the dominating artists were Interpol, The Killers, The National, The Rapture and from the UK: Bloc Party, Art Brut, Franz Ferdinand and Editors, the latter being the most recent contributors of the new revival, and as such they have understood to combine the sound of the American style as well as the original British post-punk artists. The band play a distinct post-punk on their first two albums on which you'll find inspiration in the musical universe of the original post-punk bands as well as the earliest revivalists - both in content and form. Later on, the band has progressed into synth pop indie pop as well as alt. rock territory, and the band underwent a major change in line-up in 2012. Tom Smith is the band's lead vocalist, songwriter and dominating front figure, and I first heard of the band when the song "Munich" was played in a national radio program.

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