Editors - In This Light and on This Evening

Genre indie-rock Publisher Fader External Links

British indie rock band Editors (remember: it’s not THE Editors), are coming out with a new fangled album. It's a raw and brash concoction of dark electronic mixes instead of their traditional guitar-driven style which some have likened to American band, Interpol. They have previously released two platinum records and their widely-anticipated third, In This Light and On This Evening, is scheduled for mass distribution in January 2010. They worked with the talented producer Mark “Flood” Ellis, famously known for his collaboration with such artists as Depeche Mode, U2, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nine Inch Nails, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Sound, Erasure, Nitzer Ebb, The Killers, Sigur Ros, and PJ Harvey. With such a stellar resume, one would think that his skill behind the sound board would finely craft a masterpiece. Unfortunately, the album falls gravely short.

Editors used to be known as Pilot. When they realized that the name had already been taken, they changed to The Pride, and then changed their name again to Snowfield. Eventually, the group decided to stick with Editors. As with their name, the entire concept behind their musical style has also been deeply convoluted. Their earlier work was obviously appreciated, but because they sounded too much like the band Interpol (and a little like Franz Ferdinand), they wanted to change—change what made them, them. So, they hired a big name producer so that they could hopefully gain industry credibility and critical acclaim for evolving. They were just some Brits wanting to live the dream. They wanted glitz and glam and lots of girls, but the timing was all wrong. So, they decided to get a makeover. This tactic is thinly veiled and unsuccessful. They tried to fix what wasn’t broken and have, in the process, probably hindered whatever progress they could have made if they simply focused on being who they are and not giving a hoot about what Interpol or music critics think. Whatever happened to staying true to your vision? I’ll tell you what happened: ulterior motives. You can tell when certain bands aren’t around for the music. All the record sales are just a front for a tiny…car. It’s like the guy that has to spend his bonus on a porsche so he can impress people even though he still lives in his mother’s basement.

As for the music: I felt apathetic. Let me be clear here: this album isn’t bad, per se. But it’s also not good. It exits in limbo, in a sort of netherworld. It’s as if they’re crossing the river Styx without the listener having any inkling as to which shore they’re going to end up on. I didn’t get any impression that they knew what they wanted out of the album. Some of the music was wonderfully executed and stylistically solid but on the other hand, it was oddly disjointed and certain sounds seemed out of place and ruined the entire flow and vibe of the song. The lyrics were pithy and didn’t leave me with any lasting impression. I felt neither joy nor sorrow. They tried to be dark and mysterious but in the end, it was arbitrary.  If they are still people-pleasers at this point, then I will make one final request: go back to the good old days of 2005 and 2006 and start again. “All Sparks,” “Blood,” and especially “Munich” are freaking great.