Oft likened to Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen and similar ’80s legends, Editors have undergone some sort of epiphany with this, their fifth record. They have accepted that toying with the style they developed along these perimeters with a sprinkling of Interpol may tick the right credibility boxes but does not equate to fiscal rewards. Maybe it was the departure of Chris Urbanowicz last year, but Tom Smith and cohorts step into the U2-lite light.
Editors remain dense and stifling when the mood takes them. Which is often. Lyrically, The Weight Of Your Love sees a band surrounded by the emotional Wailing Wall. You get the hint very early on when Smith’s falsetto moans “I’m a lump of meat with a heartbeat/Everyday l pray l’m the first to go,” on The Weight. Later, Hyena reflects of sentimental free relationships, “l love you, l love my black eye/These knots l’ll never untie/They’ll believe us in who we are/There’s history in a scar.” Certainly not very airy as the cement begins to set.
Then, scratching at an itch he cannot quite find, Smith bemoans “I don’t trust the government/l don’t trust myself/What is a boy gonna do?” on A Ton Of Love. Thankfully, the rest of the band, particularly guitarist Russell Leetch, drummer Ed Lay and keyboardist Elliott Williams lend some earnestness to proceedings without devolving into a puppy-like eagerness to please Smith. But Smith resolutely does not stray far and reminds us that “I am in the corner with the wasp sting in my throat,” on The Sting.
Then, remembering that the cash box needs a rattle, Smith recalls the light and deftly delivers “I wrap myself in you/A little something that l can cling to.” The listener becomes reinvigorated and the record executives elated. Musically, Editors have become less dissonant without diminishing the emotional intensity. Although not blessed with the musical virtuosity or lyrical vision that the listener in for a feast, Editors are meaty enough to guarantee there will not be any starvation either.
BY BRONIUS ZUMERIS
Best Track: A Ton Of Love
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: THE NATIONAL, MARK LANEGAN, SPARROW AND THE WORKSHOP
In A Word: Lugubrious
