Editors - 'You Don't Know Love'
Curious thing: When Editors were critical darlings and had screechy post-punk guitars like Bloc Party and were generally considered to be the very acme of modern thought in matters indie rock, I was one of the people standing at the back of the room and huffing about Joy Division.
Now they've incorporated synthesizers into their sound - like Bloc Party - and are receiving something of a mauling from snooty music bloggers and possibly a smidge of an indie backlash, I find I'm warming to them.
And it's not just bloody-mindedness on my part either. Probably more to do with not having high hopes for their third album, and those hopes therefore not being dashed by their *cough* 'new direction'.
(. It's a doomy ballet in a pub. Glum Lake, anyone?)
As always, it's all about Tom Smith's voice, which sits among their violiny synths beautifully. His dark, calm delivery has room to reverberate more in a slower, moodier song than in the band's more hectic numbers. Separated from the hubbub, Tom sounds a little less like hell's own supermarket tannoy announcer, demanding a cleanup in the aisle of fresh souls.
They still struggle not to write preposterously overblown lyrics though, like "everything you die to hide" or "through the cemetaries where ghosts still play". And by "struggle" I mean "fail to struggle", and by "lyrics" I mean "lists of gothy metaphors which sound cool but don't mean a right lot".
So, I guess what I'm stumbling towards is the idea that Editors are at their best for me when they keep things simple; by which I mean emotional words, said in simple language over minimal backing.
After all, making things clear and cutting away things which are needlessly fussy, that's what editors DO.
Download: Out now
CD Released: January 25th
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comment number 1.
At 27th Jan 2010, take it to the chorus wrote:Unfortunately for Editors, I'm still one of those people standing at the back of the room and huffing about Joy Division. Tom Smith just sounds like a photocopy of Ian Curtis.
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Comment number 2.
At 28th Jan 2010, thranjax wrote:Standing at the back of the room and huffing about Joy Division ... me too, but to be fair, I do that when I'm watching Jedward as well.
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Comment number 3.
At 28th Jan 2010, spirit wrote:And you should hear him at a NEW ORDER concert . .
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Comment number 4.
At 28th Jan 2010, thranjax wrote:The little one on the right of the picture looks as if he is trying to remember if he left the iron on.
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