To Whom It May Concern,
Tom Smith is a cunt.
Yours,
Alex.
Where do I begin with this album? Let's start with the cover art. It's been done. I have the sneaking suspicion that Editors are trying to revive the feel of late 70s and early 80s Post-Punk acts like Joy Division, Bauhaus and the New Romanticism of Duran Duran. It's not something that strikes me as innovative or thought provoking in this day and age; the cover actually looks like it should belong on the front of a dark Devo album; or maybe Marc and the Mambas previously released it. In short: while they seem to be revisiting the 80s, they're really just going by the handbook and not exploring off the beaten path.
Songwise, it's a lame duck. I've liked worse albums, to be fair; but, this one has all the aura of a now-dead-decade that's being brought back by all sorts of poncey, Indie Cindy groups like La Roux and Bloc Party. We don't need to rehash the old. We don't need another New Order, or the second coming of Peter Murphy. We need a new sound.
"New sound; this album is fresh off the presses," I hear you cry! "LIES!" I retort. You're not going to like this, but, Editors have basically become a forced New Order; a fairly crappy Devo. Where are the massive pianos; the all-encompassing sound of the underground is missing. I suppose, on the plus side, they can no longer be compared to Interpol. But, now the comparisons can be thrown at them thick and fast. They are no longer deserving of the crown they once held. No more shall I laud them. They've hit my radar of scepticism, and backed it up by saying "This is our third studio album" - welcome in The Curse ladies and gents.
5/10 - It might be a grower, but, for me, it's just half-assed synths that don't work with Tom's voice. I suppose one might even say that they've just lost it.
Top Track: Bricks and Mortar
