The solar and almost stadium rock shift of the previous "The Weight Of Your Love" had left some Editors fans unimpressed.
It is not surprising, therefore, the darkness that envelops almost every single note of this "In Dream," the fifth studio release by the British band. Initially described as a return to the keyboard-dominated synth style of the third album "In This Light And On This Evening," in reality, we are faced with the darkest record in the career of the Birmingham lads.
The references return to those that made "The Back Room" one of the most beautiful debuts in the last twenty years of British rock (Joy Division above all), yet this time they are filtered through an absolute minimalism, foreign to the layered rock of the previous studio release. Starting with the opener "No Harm," essential and dominated by a celestial singing often slipping into falsetto, Tom Smith fully exploits his splendid vocal range to decorate ten tracks where the guitar embellishments are reduced to the bone, if not almost entirely omitted, to make space for strings, keyboards (measured, not drenched in loudness as in "In This light..."), acoustic instruments, and a general greater focus on highlighting the gloominess of the atmospheres rather than the epic nature of the melodic proposition.
Very few concessions to airy catchiness: the progression marked by the piano in the refrain of "Ocean Of Night" (which wouldn't look out of place in the National's songbook), the synth-pop of the hit/instant classic "Life Is A Fear" and the pounding "Our Love" (again in falsetto). In the rest of the album, the dark minimalism, chosen by the band as the leitmotiv of the record, forcefully takes the stage, particularly in two absolute gems like the splendid closing ride "Marching Orders" and the languid "The Law," performed in duet with the excellent Rachel Goswell of Slowdive. The hinted return to the third studio release becomes evident only in certain moments like "Forgiveness" and "At All Costs," yet always in perfect harmony with the general mood of the work.
Nice return for the Editors, undoubtedly a step forward from the faltering "The Weight Of Your Love." Another necessary piece to establish roots in the crowded forest of contemporary British rock.
Best track: Marching Orders
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