Editors - 'The Back Room' (Kitchenware) Released 25/07/05

 

True it’s all admittedly a tad short on invention - there's a pinch of punk-funk's restless overdrive here, a touch of War-era U2 there and, above all, a mighty dollop of Joy Division's all-pervasive gloom and hard-hitting urgency. On top of this, frontman Tom Smith delivers his imaginative and arresting lyrics with a declarative tone reminiscent of both Ian Curtis and John Cale. Importantly, the band never allow their vibrantly potent playing to be overwhelmed by the amply administered atmospherics and subtle electronic touches that remind the listener of the decade we're currently residing in.

Despite such familiar reference points, Editors hover far above the competition (The Departure et al) thanks to their rare ability to combine a relentlessly intense assault with impeccably infectious and substantial songcraft. The album's knockout punch of an opening salvo provides a breathtaking summary of the band's considerable strengths. The urgent blast of 'Lights' is a stunning opener, while the recent top 20 smash 'Munich' is graced by the kind of stadium-sized tune that was undoubtedly the aim of those endless hours Coldplay spent toiling in various top range studios - although anyone with this much furious intensity would surely be immediately expelled from the Chris Martin School of Songwriting. Elsewhere, current single 'Blood' offers further proof of the band's awe-inspiring ability to bridge the glaring gap between the stadium and the indie disco, while 'Fall' eases off the accelerator without losing an iota of the band's incendiary force. Each of these songs provides more hooks and clenched-fist excitement than most bands manage on entire albums.

The rest of the album can't quite match this stunning succession, although the epic sweep of the sorrowful 'Camera' and the rousing staccato chorus of 'Fingers in the Factories' are equally fine, while 'Open Your Arms' and 'Distance' brighten the Editors' bleak palette by approaching the expansive, warm-hearted territory currently occupied by Elbow. All of this is delivered with a level of conviction and passion rarely witnessed in an era thoroughly stained by the knowing wink of irony and vacuous posturing. “I’ve got a million things to say”, declares the agenda-setting refrain of ‘Lights’, and this brilliant debut offers almost as many valid reasons to listen. Tune in now.