British Bravery (The Back Room - Editors)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	The Back Room - Editors
Date:	24/03/06 (374 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Just an amazingly good debut

Disadvantages: Some abrupt finales that typify an early band's shortcomings

These are halcyon days for indie bands. With a plethora of first rate acts like The Arctic Monkeys, Hard-Fi and Doves to name but a few, Editors is yet another new group that has made the limelight through a stunning debut album. Released on Kitchenware records, “The Back Room” is a 11-track set that brims with quality.

It was a friend at work who introduced me to the band's CD and very grateful I am that he did. Editors are Tom Smith (vocals/guitar), Chris Urbanowidz (guitar), Russell Leetch (bass) and Ed Lay (drums). Commonly cited as originating from Birmingham, the members of the band are actually from Stroud (Tom Smith), Nottingham (Chris Urbanowicz) and Ipswich (Ed Lay) whilst bass player Russell Leetch gets the closest to the Second City hailing from Solihull. It was Ed Leech that gets the credit for founding the latest incarnation of Editors, formerly based at the University in Stafford. On graduation from Uni, the four relocated to Birmingham as it was both the nearest big city and the home of their management. Signing to the Newcastle independent label, Kitchenware in 2004, the band embarked on a tour across the country. Debut single “Bullets” was released in January 2005 followed by “Munich” in April 2005. Stunning performances at Glastonbury and at the NME / Radio One Stage tents at Reading and Leeds catapulted the band into the centre of music media attention.

Debut album “The Back Room” was released in the UK in July 2005, entering the charts at Number 13. “Bullets” was re-released in September 2005. With an ongoing tour schedule across the UK, the band’s support continued to swell and supporting the phenomenon, Franz Ferdinand at the close of 2005 saw out the year in style. A re-release of “Munich” in January gave the band their first Top Ten UK single, “The Back Room” climbed the charts to reach Number 2 and went platinum in the process. “The Back Room” has just been released in the US having achieved critical acclaim in the UK. With duelling guitars and songs that deal with depressed subjects like death, disease and doomed love, the band attract the obligatory comparison with seminal acts like The Cure, Echo and The Bunnymen and even Coldplay. For me, the closest influence in today’s terms would be a British version of The Bravery with an 80’s feel to the music and a synth-laden set of catchy, pop reveries.

Lead singer, Tom Smith sounds like a cross that sits somewhere between a wailing Morrissey, a bass, monotone Dave Vanian of The Damned and the brilliant Ian McCulloch of Echo and the Bunnymen. There’s definitely a downbeat, almost Gothic feel to his voice as he belts out the songs on the album. There are several, significant high points on the set. “Lights” is a great way to start. With a prominent guitar sound, reverb-heavy single notes and punchy, stinging lyrics, “Lights” is a bold opener. “Oh, if fortune favours the brave/I am as poor as they come/I've got a million things to say/I've got a million things to….” You can’t help but get hooked on the nagging drum beat and haunting, if economic sentiments of Smith’s vocals. As you’d maybe expect, the best stuff is all packed into the first few tracks as the album forces itself upon the listener. With a verve and swagger that bodes well for a successful future, the evocative “Munich” follows with a big chorus and anthemic overtones as the crowd sways to “It breaks when you don't force it/It breaks when you don't try/It breaks if you don't force it/It breaks if you don't try”. This is clearly the best track on the album with a rhythm and energy that’s infectious; Smith may never sound more like Ian McCulloch. If that wasn’t enough, “Blood” completes a trio of fabulously rousing tunes. An essentially simple rhythm line backed by a downbeat but powerful, spiralling vocal, “Blood” takes off into another reverential chorus “Blood runs through your veins/that's where our similarity ends/Blood runs through our veins/Blood runs through your veins/that's where our similarity ends/Blood runs through our veins." If anything, the ending of this track is typical of the abrupt finale for most of the tracks but if “Munich” is the zenith of the set then “Blood” runs it a close second.

The album does get a little ponderous in the middle with more melodramatic, slower songs in its centre. "Fall" features listless strumming over spartan bass and drums although “All Sparks” is a ballad that visits a place that seems reserved for Coldplay these days. Both feature an imploring undertow “Juggernauts screaming to a stop/Sound like devils are laughing” from "Fall" shows a sensitivity and creative streak that showcases the collective talents of the band’s song writing as a whole. In "All Sparks" Smith reverts to a feedback induced Dave Vanian with another notable chorus played out to a potent combo of drums and guitar. “Camera” is back to Ian McCulloch land with a truly 80’s centric ballad backed with a synthesiser sound that reverberates to Smith’s baleful cry. There may even be a Roxy Music feel to this one and there’s no doubt that “Camera” is a beautifully reflective song that keeps the mood slow and presumably gives the album its name “Look at us through the lens of a camera/does it remove all of our pain?/If we run they'll look in the back room/where we hide all of our feelings.”

With a quicker tempo, "Fingers in the Factory" is notable for a stomping chorus, with voice, drums and guitars all hitting staccato notes. This is borderline Doves although probably one of the weaker tracks on the album. It’s not a bad track by any means but simply fails to do anything that’s not been done before or at least fails to tread water in any memorable way despite another potent chorus done to chopped guitar sounds and a crashing drum beat. "Bullets" spawns spidery guitars and a rock opera set of chords to open; Smith sings “You don’t need this disease/No, not right now” with a repetitive force that gets the message across whilst tinkling guitar lines blend with the chant of the song. “Someone Says” is back into Dave Vanian/Damned vocal/guitar sounds. The album closes with two ballads, a stark contrast to the abrasive tracks that mirror the rest of the album. "Open Your Arms" is beautiful and anthemic in equal measures whilst also being then longest track at six minutes. Technically the most adept song of the set, Smith reaches new heights in traversing the peaks demanded by the song. “Distance” closes with a distinctly retro bound, drum machine sound but another haunting journey into the soul. Production on the album is sure-footed with recordings in Lincolnshire and Wolverhampton featuring amongst the locations.

There is an excitement, energy and bravado all of its own with Editors and it’s quite remarkable that two, such similar sounding bands have come together at a similar time separated by an Ocean and two different versions of the same language. For me, Editors are every bit a British version of The Bravery. If you like retro sounding rock with a strong influence of guitars and a hint of 80’s then this will be for you. I can’t recommend this band highly enough. You are gonna here a lot more about them!

Thanks for reading

Mara

I bought this at Tesco for £9.77. It's available for less at Amazon i.e. £7.99.

More info at www.editorsofficial.com and www.kitchenwarerecords.com

Summary: Write up of the album