The debut album from Editors, The Back Room confirms this young Birmingham quartet as torch-bearers for a British rock legacy that harks back, via short sojourns through the back catalogues of The Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen, to Joy Division's peerless Unknown Pleasures. Combining the self-consciously grand, melodramatic vocals of frontman Tom Smith with swirling, minor-key guitar dynamics and claustrophobic, propulsive percussion, this could just be the British riposte to Interpol's majestic Turn On The Bright Lights. Mostly, this is down to Smith's skill for twinning a superficially catchy chorus with enigmatic, dark sentiments: "People are fragile things, you should know by now/Be careful what you put them though", he warns on the tense "Munich". Perhaps in an understanding that you need more than mystique to power a debut album, however, the rather more mellow "Camera" sees Editors spread their wings a little, inviting cascading synths and the distant trill of sustained, effects-drenched guitar into the desolate rock design. Later albums will hopefully see Editors further build on their coldly ambitious sound, but for now, The Back Room should satisfy those in search of a bit of the dark stuff. --Louis Pattison
Editors
The Back Room
[Kitchenware; 2005]
Rating: 6.0
The Editors debut is influenced by the same fashionable 1980s English bands heard in scores of recent indie groups, but they've gained measurable success in their native country of England with singles like "Bullets" and "Munich". In modern terms, Editors aren't the conspicuous nostalgia of the Stills, but they don't quite have the jittery bluster of bands like Maximo Park, lying somewhere in between the two.
The Back Room puts its best foot forward with the first three tracks, played with more than enough verve to compensate for their limited borrowed palette. Vocalist/guitarist Tom Smith sings in a forceful but wavering voice, like Paul Banks on the edge of distraction. On opener "Lights", the guitars move from standard jangle and reverb-heavy single notes into punctuating, echo-laden scrapes, recalling the work of U2's the Edge.
Editors occasionally match a catchy vocal line with an energetic performance, like the speedy picking and memorable vocals in the chorus of "Munich" or the insistent rhythm of "Blood". More often, it's the performance that overshadows the minimal melody. When the tempos slow, the album gets ponderous, and The Back Room puts three melodramatic slow songs smack dab in its center. "Fall" features listless strumming over stark bass and drums, while Smith's drawn out-phrasing leads the band to slow-burning catharsis-- truth be told, Editors sounds more like Interpol than anyone else, and their mockingbird act betrays a lack of confidence needed to pull off their tortured posturing.
Quick tempos return on "Fingers in the Factory", one of the disc's strongest performances, but momentum has been lost and the remaining songs are aimless. "Fingers in the Factory" is most memorable for it's stomping chorus, with voice drums and guitars all hitting the same staccato notes, but the same gimmick falls flat elsewhere. "Bullets" relies on forceful repetition for a hook, belting "you don't need this disease" over and over while the band cranks it up, but the dynamics are lost without a melody.
Editors sound like an earnest rock band who grew up loving the same bands as the current batch of revivalists, but beyond the workmanlike interpretations of their heroes, it's hard to swallow. Editors often imitate bands with dramatic vocalists like Ian Curtis or Ian McCulloch, but the best moments on The Back Room aren't the theatrical ones-- it's when the four of them are playing and discovering their own chemistry.
-Jason Crock, August 5, 2005
Review by MacKenzie Wilson
Before issuing their debut, The Back Room, in August 2005, Editors were immediately compared to the dark, brooding sounds of Interpol as well as the post-punk brashness of Echo & the Bunnymen. Singles such as "Blood" and "Bullets" quickly put Editors in the elite crowd of those to watch that year. The band -- Tom Smith (vocals/guitar), Chris Urbanowicz (guitar), Russell Leetch (bass), and Ed Lay (drums) -- compose a tight rock sound that's both raw and defined, particularly on album opener "Lights." Editors are anxious, frantic, and passionate, and the album is done with taste from the start. Smith is vocally passionate without being too steely, unlike Interpol frontman Paul Banks, as he exclaims, "I've got a million things to say," while his bandmates add to the song's rushing intensity. From there, the blistering "Munich" and the more luxurious, danceable "Blood" are the standout moments of this 11-song set. "Munich" is one of The Back Room's especially stylish numbers, thanks to the matching guitar work of both Smith and Urbanowicz. The surging storm that is "Bullets" is further proof that from the first note, The Back Room lunges at you with a dynamic that's fierce, wiry, and slightly fashionable. Alternative rock hasn't seen anything like this since the release of Turn on the Bright Lights. The catch: not only is The Back Room better, it holds promise for even better things in the future. [The UK album release also includes the Cuttings EP on bonus disc].
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