Editors
An End Has A Start

THE REVIEW

I awaited the second album by Editors with moderate interest. I didn't shout "miracle" when "The Back Room" was released, their 2005 debut, yet songs like "Blood," "Camera," "All Sparks," "Fingers In The Factories," made me think that this group had a few cards to play, and that the album wasn't one to dismiss without appeal. In short, without considering potential subjective shifts in judgment and aprioristic stances, the first album by Editors rests in the limbo of normality: it would be an exaggeration to lavish overly enthusiastic praise just as much as to categorically condemn it. All in the name of a certain underlying objectivity.
It must be said that, heard on TV, live, the songs remain effective and, whether for the cover, the influences, or something inexplicable, the group exerts a discreet charm on me. When I learned that Editors were working on their second album, I tried for a moment to put myself in Tom Smith's shoes; I thought that he and his friends play the music they like and, by virtue of this aspect, it can't be very pleasant to read everywhere that his music resembles that of Interpol, which in turn resembles that of Joy Division, and so on... Perhaps he is aware of it, but doesn't want to hear it. Or, simply, he can't do anything if his voice resembles too much Paul Banks's, which in turn recalls a more tuned version of Ian Curtis. If I were in his place, however, I would have done everything possible to claim a pinch of individuality. I would have been meticulous if necessary. I would have gone to the Registry Office of Rolling Stone or NME and made it clear that there is no family relationship between Editors and Interpol. But Tom Smith, perhaps, is not so meticulous. So here we are at "An End Has A Start", the awaited test for the British quartet.
Beautiful cover. Whatever is depicted, that cover has something expressive; it reminds me of a futuristic painting by Boccioni. It reminds me... it reminds me... I have the impression that, when talking about Editors, it's all a game of references.

First track, the single: "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors"; after the first minute, here comes the sensation of déjà-vu. Where have I heard this frantic pace before, here slightly tempered, and this elegant pomposity? Of course! "Blood" and "Camera". There's also something in the melody that reminds me of the latter track. Maybe it's just a connecting link, I think. No. More than a link, it's a chain, and quite a long one: "An End Has A Start", the second track, is practically an updated and equally captivating version of the oft-mentioned "Blood". "The Weight Of The World" makes me feel partially relieved; at the moment I can't think of any resemblance, and with its dark and solemn pace, and a beautiful melody it redeems the two previous "missteps". Unconsciously, it was the song I hoped to hear. However, tracks like "Bones", "When Anger Shows", and "The Racing Rats" are the unequivocal sign of this group's repetitiveness: frenetic rhythms, the usual high-pitched guitar notes at the beginning of the song or accompanying the vocals in the chorus, the usual keyboard effect, embellished by some sporadic piano notes, are the distinctive traits of the typical Editors song. The obsessive similarity of the arrangements seems to reflect on the melodies as well; often, one gets the feeling of listening to the same chord sequences, slightly modified. If the aforementioned premises did not exist, "Put Your Head Towards The Air" and "Spiders" would be two other great tracks. It's a real shame to note that this band's ideas are trapped in exaggerated and overused stereotypes. Above all, it's a shame to have to declare that "An End Has A Start" resembles "The Back Room" which refers to Interpol's style who are inspired by Joy Division, completing, with a bit of regret, the puzzle of references and similarities.