|  Friday, February 05, 2010
editors
in this light and on this evening
  
|
Editors are just in time for a cycle of throwback in vogue, filling the need of late eighties futuristic Brit-rock and John Hughes smoke-filled flashback montages. From the somber pastoral rock of the 60's, to acid-wash, to disco-infused, it seems time that one band should emerge to take the naughties spin on this specific slice of the twentieth century. Problem is, it's been done already many times... White Lies, for example. Good news is, Editors take the lessons of alternative rock between 1982 and now and tie them all together in a cohesive, compressed snapshot of the past thirty years. The trick is they do it like they are still in the eighties, subtle and undetected but ever-present, through the choices of synth to the arrangement of tracking.
The words vary: "Papillion" means butterfly in French, but to the untrained ear, it just sounds silly. Pounds and Pence also sounds silly to American audiences. The lyricism is occasionally foreign, but it makes for good fodder for the vintage part writing. The synths are consistently dramatic and dancy, glitzy and glowering. "You Don't Know Love" gets a good chorus effect going, with Tom Smith's distinct voice finding a great groove in its own quirkiness (a la Antony Hegarty, albeit less goofy). Remember, these aren't newbies... they've been at it since 2002. Editors know how to construct a chart topping song. They really remind me of White Lies, which doesn't make any sense; they were around first, and have arguably achieved more.
This being their third record, after topping charts and things in the UK, some might compare them to a Vampire Weekend level of stardom, but they'd be wrong. They should be bigger by comparison. In America they've failed to make such an impression, but that is most likely due to the barriers to entry that have since erupted; Brooklyn, LA, Baltimore and maybe Chicago are churning out art-pop and experimental electro, and no one in the "indie" society wants new "brit-pop", especially when it comes in the post Strokes age. If disco killed acid rock and replaced it with 80's hair bands, then The Strokes did the same to 80's indie music, replacing it with stale copycats (Jet) and leading to ferocious dissent (Animal Collective). But pop music demands relate-ability, and the Editors are that kind of band. This is all very speculative and generalized, so think of it this way: what interests you more? The thrill of hearing sounds you've never heard and won't always understand, or one more great 80's song? If the answer is the latter, go get this record.-joe
* * * * * * * * * * * *
MP3:"You Don't Know Love" - In This Light And On This Evening
Editors on Myspace
Share To:       |
|
Reviews:
By Band:
A B C D E F G H I J
K L M N O P Q R S T
U V W X Y Z
By Date:
March, 2010
February, 2010
January, 2010
December, 2009
November, 2009
October, 2009
September, 2009
August, 2009
July, 2009
June, 2009
May, 2009
April, 2009
March, 2009
February, 2009
January, 2009
December, 2008
November, 2008
October, 2008
September, 2008
August, 2008
July, 2008
June, 2008
May, 2008
April, 2008
March, 2008
February, 2008
January, 2008
December, 2007
November, 2007
October, 2007
September, 2007
August, 2007
July, 2007
June, 2007
May, 2007
April, 2007
March, 2007
February, 2007
January, 2007
Johnny and the Moon
Johnny and the Moon
the airborne toxic event
the airborne toxic event
metric
fantasies
|
