In This Light

Editors first arrived back in 2005 (when Chris, the guitarist tried to sneak me into their first ever Irish gig because I was underage. What a SWEETHEART) with their Mercury nominated debut ‘The Back Room’, a fact that is making me feel a little bit old. The album was well loved by many, and the band soon built a name for themselves and their intoxicating music and captivating live shows, namely due to front man Tom Smith’s Ian Curtis-esque stage presence where it was obvious that he lost himself in the music. 2007 saw their second release ‘And End Has a Start’. I was a rather big fan of ‘The Back Room’, but was slightly disappointed with their second offering, which came across as something of an extension of the debut.

Now, here we are in late 2009, and the boys are back with ‘In This Light and On This Evening’. And I am once again rather impressed. Third time round and the Birmingham four piece have taken a more mysterious, alt-80s direction on us. And it works magically. Tom’s trademark voice is in place, cementing a sinister view on the world, soundtracked by distorted guitars and the welcome addition of more than a few synths. Opening with the title track, the lyrics ‘I swear to God, in this light and on this evening, London’s become the most beautiful thing I’ve seen’ lyrics are enigmatically relayed and later burst into a mass of noise. A few songs in and recent single ‘Papillon’ rushes in with a heap of synth goodness, and later erupts into recent facebook-status-favourite amongst more than a few friends of mine – ‘it kicks like a sleep twitch’ securing its place as a fan favourite. Personal highlight ‘Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool’ holds a later position on the album, and begins quite reminiscent of The Big Pink’s ‘Dominos’. This does however pass when Tom’s vocal once again makes an appearance proclaiming ‘I don’t wanna be ignored… When I’m a gun in a fist fight’. ‘Like Treasure’ precedes this, and the only thing I can focus on whenever I hear this are the lyrics ‘you’ll become digestives’ and the thought of someone turning into a biscuit… (Obviously, these are not the actual lyrics, it is in fact ‘digestED’… But times are tough these days, you have to find entertainment where you can).

The album overall is fast becoming a favourite, potentially even overtaking ‘The Back Room’ in my books. And all that’s left to say is that I’m rather annoyed at the fact I missed them on their last visit to London…