Editors | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Marrying dark angular rock with a sharp pop sense, English band Editors emerged in the early 2000s as part of the post-punk revival that also included contemporaries Interpol, White Lies, and the Cinematics. Following their 2005 debut, The Back Room, they scored a pair of U.K. chart-toppers, including In This Light and on This Evening, which found the band incorporating more synth pop elements. They furthered that digital push on 2015s In Dream, before striking a balance between rock and electronic with 2018s Violence. Formed in 2003, Editors became one of the leading bands in the post-punk revival that swept America and England in the early 21st century. Originally dubbed Snowfield, the group comprised four music technology students from Stafford University -- singer/guitarist Tom Smith, lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz, bassist Russell Leetch, and drummer Ed Lay -- all of whom had relocated to Birmingham after graduation. A series of a well-received club dates and demo recordings earned Editors some attention from British labels, and the group soon signed with the revitalized Kitchenware, the venerable indie label once home to Prefab Sprout. Kitchenware issued the bands debut single, "Bullets," in early January 2005. The record reportedly sold out in one day, and its sound earned comparisons to the dark, dramatic atmospherics of contemporary bands like Interpol and Bloc Party (not to mention veteran outfits like Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen). Editors follow-up single, "Munich," made them darlings of the U.K. music press, and just weeks after their standout performance at the annual Glastonbury Music Festival, the band issued a third single, "Blood." Their much-anticipated debut LP, The Back Room, followed in mid-2005. "Munich" was reissued in January 2006 to ramp up support for the album, which entered the Top Five in the U.K. and eventually earned platinum sales. A U.S. tour with stellastarr* coincided with the American release of The Back Room in March, and a Mercury Music Prize nomination followed in July. Editors sophomore effort, An End Has a Start, came out the following summer, preceded by the Top 10 single "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors." Like its predecessor, the album went platinum in the U.K. and maintained the bands modest audience in America, where they returned in September 2007 to launch another stateside tour. Editors remained on the road through the middle of 2008, playing a slew of festivals in the U.K. and opening a string of European shows for R.E.M. before the year was up. By this point, the band had grown tired of their sound, however, and 2009 found them tinkering with synthesizers and industrial music. After enlisting the help of producer Flood (known for his work with Depeche Mode, U2, and Nine Inch Nails), they decamped to the studio to record In This Light and on This Evening, which unveiled their newfound electronic fixation upon its release in October 2009. Eager to build on the success of a second U.K. number one album in a row, Smith immediately began to write material for a prospective fourth full-length. By the time the In This Light and on This Evening promotional tour had ended in late 2010, the band had enough new songs to enter a London studio, with Flood once again behind the desk. The majority of the band wasnt satisfied with the initial results of these sessions, and by early 2012, Smith, Leetch, and Lay had asked Urbanowicz to leave Editors when it became clear that the vision they had for the bands future wasnt shared by their guitarist and founding member. Very shortly after Urbanowicz had departed, the band were offered a high-profile festival slot in Werchter, Belgium. They honored this commitment, bringing in ex-Yourcodenameis: Milo guitarist Justin Lockey and Airship member Elliott Williams to their lineup, bolstering the bands sound and laying the foundations for the straight-ahead rock approach that their fourth album would ultimately take. Recorded as a five-piece in Nashville with Jacquire King as producer, The Weight of Your Love was issued in June 2013 and nodded to the ambitious, guitar-led, stadium-filling sound of U2 and R.E.M. In 2015, Editors delivered their fifth studio album, the self-produced In Dream, which featured background vocals from Slowdives Rachel Goswell and included the singles "No Harm," "Marching Orders," and "Life Is Fear." They toured extensively behind the effort before returning to the studio for their sixth LP, 2018s Violence, which featured the singles "Magazine" and "Hallelujah (So Low)." A version of the album originally recorded with electronic producer Blanck Mass was issued a year later as The Blanck Mass Sessions. The short set featured alternate versions of seven tracks from Violence, adding the previously unreleased song "Barricades." | ||
 | Album: 1 of 16 Title: The Back Room Released: 2005-07-25 Tracks: 11 Duration: 43:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lights (02:31) 2 Munich (03:46) 3 Blood (03:29) 4 Fall (05:06) 5 All Sparks (03:33) 6 Camera (05:02) 7 Fingers in the Factories (04:14) 8 Bullets (03:09) 9 Someone Says (03:13) 10 Open Your Arms (06:00) 11 Distance (03:38) |
| The Back Room : Allmusic album Review : Before issuing their debut, The Back Room, in August 2005, Editors were immediately compared to the dark, brooding sounds of Interpol as well as the post-punk brashness of Echo & the Bunnymen. Singles such as "Blood" and "Bullets" quickly put Editors in the elite crowd of those to watch that year. The band -- Tom Smith (vocals/guitar), Chris Urbanowicz (guitar), Russell Leetch (bass), and Ed Lay (drums) -- compose a tight rock sound thats both raw and defined, particularly on album opener "Lights." Editors are an anxious, frantic, and passionate group, and the album is done with taste from the start. Smith is vocally passionate without being too steely, unlike Interpol frontman Paul Banks, as he exclaims, "Ive got a million things to say," while his bandmates add to the songs rushing intensity. From there, the blistering "Munich" and the more luxurious, danceable "Blood" are the standout moments of this 11-song set. "Munich" is one of The Back Rooms especially stylish numbers, thanks to the matching guitar work of both Smith and Urbanowicz. The surging storm that is "Bullets" is further proof that from the first note, The Back Room lunges at you with a dynamic thats fierce, wiry, and slightly fashionable. Alternative rock hasnt seen anything like this since the release of Turn on the Bright Lights. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 16 Title: Napster EP Released: 2006-03-27 Tracks: 5 Duration: 18:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 All Sparks (03:29) 2 Bullets (03:44) 3 Someone Says (03:12) 4 Munich (04:11) 5 Road to Nowhere (03:30) |
 | Album: 3 of 16 Title: All Sparks Released: 2006-05-16 Tracks: 5 Duration: 16:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 All Sparks (03:15) 2 Come Share the View (04:43) 3 Find Yourself a Safe Place (02:57) 4 Time to Slow Down (03:03) 5 French Disko (02:25) |
 | Album: 4 of 16 Title: Live at Lollapalooza Released: 2006-09-12 Tracks: 11 Duration: 50:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Someone Says (04:16) 2 Blood (03:42) 3 All Sparks (03:54) 4 Fall (05:50) 5 Bullets (03:44) 6 Camera (05:09) 7 Lights (02:44) 8 You Are Fading (05:49) 9 Munich (05:10) 10 Open Your Arms (05:03) 11 Fingers in the Factories (04:41) |
 | Album: 5 of 16 Title: An End Has a Start Released: 2007-06-22 Tracks: 10 Duration: 44:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors (04:57) 2 An End Has a Start (03:45) 3 The Weight of the World (04:18) 4 Bones (04:06) 5 When Anger Shows (05:45) 6 The Racing Rats (04:17) 7 Push Your Head Towards the Air (05:44) 8 Escape the Nest (04:43) 9 Spiders (04:00) 10 Well Worn Hand (02:56) |
| An End Has a Start : Allmusic album Review : To put it plainly, An End Has a Start doesnt have the electricity of Editors first effort. And lets face it, The Back Room was a tough act to follow -- it was a damn near perfect debut, delivering a compelling set of cathartic, nocturnal neo-post-punk songs. The problem is not simply that there isnt a track on this release that comes close to the visceral, resonant power of "Bullets." The problem is that there isnt really a memorable moment here, period. And its a big deal, because it makes Editors, for all their musical prowess, sound practically average. The lead single, "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors," charges out of the gate with pounding, purposeful drums and surging guitars only to stumble into a muddy, oddly forgettable hook, and "Bones," in spite of its needling momentum and affecting lyrics ("In the end, all you can hope for/Is the love you felt to equal the pain youve gone through...Your face in my hands is everything that I need"), somehow fails to come to a satisfying climax. Editors are reaching for something here, but one gets the sense that they never quite grasp what theyre aiming for. The inspiration and exploratory spirit found on the first album are not here; most of the material, albeit well crafted, sounds pretty safe. Its consistently moody, licked throughout with tame fire, at times not entirely unlike (forgive the comparison) something Coldplay might put together in their edgier moments, especially in the case of "Push Your Head Towards the Air" and "Well Worn Hand." Make no mistake: this is a decent album; it bears a craftsman-like solidity and many fans will no doubt be satisfied (and, more than that, happy) with it. But An End Has a Start is simply not the best album Editors are capable of putting together. Hopefully its just a sophomore slump and not, in fact, the beginning of the end. [The CD was also released with bonus tracks.] | ||
 | Album: 6 of 16 Title: iTunes Festival: London 2007 Released: 2007-08-06 Tracks: 9 Duration: 38:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Munich (05:07) 2 Blood (03:31) 3 Escape the Nest (04:11) 4 The Racing Rats (04:08) 5 Bullets (03:13) 6 The Weight of the World (04:19) 7 Bones (04:04) 8 Smokers Outside the Hosipital Doors (05:03) 9 Fingers in the Factories (04:32) |
 | Album: 7 of 16 Title: An End Has a Start EP Released: 2007-09-14 Tracks: 6 Duration: 24:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 An End Has a Start (03:45) 2 An Eye for an Eye (04:24) 3 The Picture (03:50) 4 Some Kind of Spark (04:26) 5 Open Up (03:41) 6 An End Has a Start (acoustic) (03:59) |
 | Album: 8 of 16 Title: Push Your Head Towards the Air Released: 2008-03-21 Tracks: 7 Duration: 31:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Push Your Head Towards the Air (Radio Edit) (03:50) 2 Push Your Head Towards the Air (05:50) 3 Well Worn Hand (Live at BBC Electric Proms) (02:58) 4 The Weight of the World (Live at BBC Electric Proms) (04:27) 5 Spiders (Live at BBC Electric Proms) (03:44) 6 When Anger Shows (Live at BBC Electric Proms) (06:01) 7 Lullaby (04:20) |
 | Album: 9 of 16 Title: In This Light and on This Evening Released: 2009-09-10 Tracks: 10 Duration: 47:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 In This Light and on This Evening (04:20) 2 Bricks and Mortar (06:20) 3 Papillon (05:24) 4 You Dont Know Love (04:38) 5 The Big Exit (04:44) 6 The Boxer (04:40) 7 Like Treasure (04:51) 8 Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool (04:53) 9 Walk the Fleet Road (03:46) 10 No Sound but the Wind (live at Rock Werchter 2010) (03:50) |
| In This Light and on This Evening : Allmusic album Review : After two albums, Englands premier post-punk revivalists Editors were at a crossroads. Their debut was a commanding snapshot of a young band whose emotional urgency outweighed its slavish devotion to the sounds of late-70s/early-80s Manchester -- there was no getting around singer Tom Smiths similarity to Ian Curtis -- but the power and passion of the songs trumped any "British Interpol" accusations. The follow-up found the band falling victim to the dread sophomore jinx, turning out a lackluster rehash of the same ideas as the debut. Ironically, it sold better than the first. Whether or not the band recognized they had come to a musical dead-end despite their booming sales, they were apparently wise enough to know it was time for a change in direction, and they decided to take a rather drastic left turn for their third outing. Theyve by and large ditched the guitars in favor of synthesizers, for a sound thats more New Order/Ultravox sleek than post-punk scrappy. If you open your mind up wide enough, you can draw a parallel to Van Halens 1984 -- the sound of a guitar band getting its synth on but retaining its musical identity. While the shift to an electronic approach opens up more possibilities for the band in terms of dynamics, arrangements, and melodic contours -- theres a noticeable slant towards catchy refrains rather than billowing atmosphere -- this is still very obviously an Editors album. Smiths Curtis-like tones still boom out authoritatively, and the ominous intensity of old is a constant presence. And while it seems they will probably never equal the majesty of their debut, Editors have dug themselves out of their artistic cul de sac at least long enough to plan their next move. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 16 Title: Unedited Released: 2011-03 Tracks: 66 Duration: 4:34:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Lights (02:31) 2 Munich (03:46) 3 Blood (03:29) 4 Fall (05:06) 5 All Sparks (03:33) 6 Camera (05:02) 7 Fingers in the Factories (04:14) 8 Bullets (03:09) 9 Someone Says (03:13) 10 Open Your Arms (06:00) 11 Distance (03:38) 1 Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors (04:57) 2 An End Has a Start (03:45) 3 The Weight of the World (04:18) 4 Bones (04:06) 5 When Anger Shows (05:45) 6 The Racing Rats (04:17) 7 Push Your Head Towards the Air (05:44) 8 Escape the Nest (04:43) 9 Spiders (04:00) 10 Well Worn Hand (02:56) 1 In This Light and on This Evening (04:20) 2 Bricks and Mortar (06:20) 3 Papillon (05:24) 4 You Dont Know Love (04:38) 5 The Big Exit (04:44) 6 The Boxer (04:40) 7 Like Treasure (04:51) 8 Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool (04:53) 9 Walk the Fleet Road (03:46) 10 No Sound but the Wind (live at Rock Werchter 2010) (03:50) 1 No Sound but the Wind (04:46) 2 Last Day (03:09) 3 Heads in Bags (03:10) 4 Find Yourself a Safe Place (02:57) 5 Let Your Good Heart Lead You Home (04:37) 6 An Eye for an Eye (04:25) 7 Disappear (03:11) 8 Crawl Down the Wall (03:34) 9 For the Money (05:53) 1 Every Little Piece (04:18) 2 Open Up (03:41) 3 Some Kind of Spark (04:26) 4 Release (05:45) 5 Banging Heads (03:42) 6 Come Share the View (04:44) 7 The Diplomat (04:17) 8 Dust in the Sunlight (04:42) 1 This House Is Full of Noise (06:24) 2 Camera (03:34) 3 From the Outside (03:14) 4 Bullets (03:12) 5 Time to Slow Down (03:03) 6 A Thousand Pieces (03:42) 7 I Buried the Devil (04:02) 8 Alone (03:10) 9 A Life as a Ghost (04:35) 10 The Picture (03:48) 1 Colours (03:53) 2 I Want a Forest (04:01) 3 Thousands of Lovers (03:18) 4 Forest Fire (03:04) 5 Human (03:14) 6 No Sound but the Wind (live at Rock Werchter 2010) (03:50) 7 You Are Fading (04:31) 8 These Streets Are Still Home to Me (version 1) (02:59) |
 | Album: 11 of 16 Title: You Are Fading Released: 2011-03-28 Tracks: 8 Duration: 35:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Every Little Piece (04:18) 2 Open Up (03:41) 3 Some Kind of Spark (04:26) 4 Release (05:45) 5 Banging Heads (03:42) 6 Come Share the View (04:44) 7 The Diplomat (04:17) 8 Dust in the Sunlight (04:42) |
 | Album: 12 of 16 Title: The Weight of Your Love Released: 2013-06-13 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:36:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Weight (04:32) 2 Sugar (04:16) 3 A Ton of Love (03:58) 4 What Is This Thing Called Love (04:12) 5 Honesty (04:49) 6 Nothing (05:15) 1 Formaldehyde (03:50) 2 Hyena (03:39) 3 Two Hearted Spider (04:30) 4 The Phone Book (04:31) 5 Bird of Prey (04:46) 1 The Weight (04:32) 2 Sugar (04:16) 3 A Ton of Love (03:58) 4 What Is This Thing Called Love (04:12) 5 Honesty (04:49) 6 Nothing (05:15) 7 Formaldehyde (03:50) 8 Hyena (03:39) 9 Two Hearted Spider (04:30) 10 The Phone Book (04:31) 11 Bird of Prey (04:46) |
| The Weight of Your Love : Allmusic album Review : Moving away from the synth-heavy sound of 2009s In This Light and on This Evening, Britains the Editors return to the more epic, atmospheric guitar-based rock of their debut with 2013s The Weight of Your Love. However, this release is far from repetitive. Certainly, lead singer Tom Smiths baritone croon sounds as authoritative as ever, and the band has lost none of its languid 80s post-punk inclination. But at the same time, there is something less frenetic about the music here that speaks to broader artistic influences and a more mature level of songwriting. Produced by Jacquire King in Nashville, the album has a distinctly organic feel, as if it were recorded in an old theater. Adding to this tactile, less electronic sound is the choice to frame several of the songs in judicious swaths of string orchestration. The result works especially well on the albums handful of ballads, including "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "Honesty," helping them achieve a deeply moving, cinematic quality. The band also delves into several long-form, slow-burn rock epics that are definitely worth your attention, even if their sustained drama plays out at a more sinister pace. Songs like leadoff "The Weight" and "Sugar" are thoughtfully arranged; they take their time to fully engage your adoration. That said, adoration is exactly the emotion evoked by such deliciously addictive pop moments as the lead single, "A Ton of Love," which brings to mind the passionate, soulful rock of U2 and Echo & the Bunnymen. In fact, on "A Ton of Love," Smith chants the word "Desire" as if in direct homage to U2s 1988 single. A grandiose shout-out for sure, but ultimately, a fitting one. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 16 Title: Weight of Your Love (acoustic live EP) Released: 2013-06-24 Tracks: 3 Duration: 12:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 A Ton of Love (acoustic) (02:58) 2 Nothing (acoustic) (04:42) 3 The Phone Book (acoustic) (04:25) |
 | Album: 14 of 16 Title: In Dream Released: 2015-10-02 Tracks: 10 Duration: 51:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 No Harm (05:06) 2 Ocean of Night (05:05) 3 Forgiveness (03:44) 4 Salvation (05:02) 5 Life Is a Fear (04:24) 6 The Law (04:51) 7 Our Love (05:18) 8 All the Kings (04:53) 9 At All Cost (04:54) 10 Marching Orders (07:45) |
| In Dream : Allmusic album Review : Five albums into their career, Britains post-punk stalwarts Editors dig deep for a cohesive set of sophisticated, nuanced songs rife with a hard-won maturity, which still retain all of the intense emotionality of their debut. Though Editors have experimented with their sound in the past, 2015s In Dream is the groups most well-rounded album to date, combining the best stylistic elements of each of their previous efforts. Here, we get the driving, angular guitars of 2005s The Back Room, next to the chilly synths of 2009s In This Light and on This Evening, all wrapped up in the expansive, church-studio production sound of 2013s The Weight of Your Love. As always, burning at the center of these icy, monochrome anthems is vocalist Tom Smiths closed-eyes, pyrrhic, baritone croon. Smith, who has drawn easy comparisons to Joy Divisions Ian Curtis, has matured into an assured, commanding singer, and Curtis is but one touchstone, along with Nick Cave, Neil Diamond, and Elton John, all of whom inform the music on In Dream. In fact, the ebullient, classically inflected sophisti-pop of "All the Kings" wouldnt sound out of place on an Annie Lennox album. Musically, while the dark, 80s alt-rock influences remain, the groups work has grown richer, and In Dream is much more than an exercise in style. This is an album of highly compositional, slow-burn epics that build with Kubrick-ian intensity and attention to detail. Cuts like opening "No Harm," with its circular keyboard pattern laying the groundwork for Smiths slow, off-kilter vocals, and "Salvation," with its piercing orchestral intro building palpable harmonic tension near its ending choruses, full of bashing catharsis and symphonic desire. And while there is a spareness to the arrangements on In Dream that reads, at first, as arch in tone, tracks like "Ocean of Night," with its sparkling piano and thumping bass drum and "Our Love," with its pulsing, Giorgio Moroder-esque beat, find the group reworking disco and house music elements in unexpected ways. Also adding to the richness of the album is Slowdives Rachel Goswell who lends her angelic voice to several tracks. Although In Dream is neither a dance record, nor a cerebral art-rock album, by borrowing elements from both, Editors have crafted something grandiose and utterly transfixing. As Smith sings on the epic ending cut, "Marching Orders," "These are our marching orders/These are the rules that we break/These are the doubts we cling to/Tryin to give more..." | ||
 | Album: 15 of 16 Title: Violence Released: 2018-03-09 Tracks: 9 Duration: 43:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Cold (03:38) 2 Hallelujah (So Low) (03:55) 3 Violence (06:06) 4 Darkness at the Door (04:26) 5 Nothingness (05:05) 6 Magazine (03:55) 7 No Sound but the Wind (04:27) 8 Counting Spooks (05:43) 9 Belong (06:12) |
| Violence : Allmusic album Review : The Editors have always been good at evincing the sound of their idols, and 2018s grandiose, pop-infused Violence is no exception. The difference this time out is that rather than just digging deeper into a vintage 80s post-punk style a la Joy Division, here theyve broadened the template, weaving in bits of early-2000s David Bowie ("Violence"), and Achtung Baby-era U2 ("Hallelujah [So Low]"). Of course, with swaggeringly moody vocalist Tom Smith at the helm, all of these tracks still sound like the Editors. Helping the band to achieve this deft balance is journeyman British guitarist and producer Leo Abrahams, who has previously worked with such similarly arty rockers as Ed Harcourt, Brian Eno, and Florence + the Machine. Working with Abrahams, the Editors have adopted a dynamic studio sheen that gives hooky cuts like the propulsively anthemic "Magazine" and the Kate Bush-meets-Peter Gabriel-sounding "Darkness at the Door" an added theatrical wallop. Its an approach that works equally well on the more vintage-leaning tracks, as on the arch "Counting Spooks" and the hooky "Nothingness," where the band draw heavily upon Giorgio Moroders synthy dance-pop. Pleasantly, while there is an evident move toward bigger pop hooks and production on Violence, the band are clearly still interested in wrestling with timely issues and real emotions. "Hallelujah (So Low)" was purportedly written after Smith returned from an Oxfam trip to help Syrian refugees in Northern Greece. He sings "I bleed like a millionaire, cause my bones lay with dust in your care." Interestingly, they also make room for an equally timely reworking of their ballad "No Sound But the Wind," which was inspired by Cormac McCarthys post-apocalyptic novel The Road and originally featured on the Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack. Thankfully, the new version supplants the original, maximizing the songs visceral, emotional potential. With Violence, the Editors have crafted a big pop album on their own terms, rife with grand, operatic gestures and heat-seeking hooks that cut deep, just as they put salve on your wounds. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 16 Title: The Blanck Mass Sessions Released: 2019-04-03 Tracks: 8 Duration: 36:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Barricades (04:11) 2 Cold (04:04) 3 Hallelujah (So Low) (03:40) 4 Violence (06:08) 5 Darkness at the Door (03:28) 6 Nothingness (05:04) 7 Magazine (04:04) 8 Counting Spooks (05:49) |