And here we have another reason to embrace 2005. EDITORS. Amidst the mire of Curtis mannerisms and Joy Division wannabes, there’s finally a band to rise above in both style and substance. Comparisons of this nature would typically engineer a fall, and as much as Tom Smith pries into your mental recesses and engages you with his overwhelmed charm, Editors have the ability to capture a moment with an unnerving clarity and an irresistible poignancy.
Devoid of the forced showmanship and jacked up personas, each member of the band is almost each to their own. Drummer Ed Lay is a blaze of hi hat concentration, bassist Russell Leech is as intimidating as his bass playing whilst guitarist Chris Urbanowicz wanders with mediated intent between the front row and singer Smith as he (Smith) emanates a sense of personal belief that he conveys with effortlessly overwhelming charm.
You could focus on any number of intricacies and make unfair comparisons between the ill fated Curtis and Joy Division, but Editors remain distinctive in their own right. For one, Tom Smith isn’t Ian Curtis and Editors at this moment in time are not a vehicle for one man's suffering. What is clear is that Editors delight in creating music of cerebral splendour. ‘Bullets’ carries an ominous menace with its veiled proclamations and the penetrating chorus of ‘You don’t need this disease’ whereas ‘Blood’ with the mordantly unadorned line; ‘it runs through you veins/brings hope to your heart’ demonstrates Smith’s acerbic lyrical ability in conveying hope and optimism, and yet it all somehow remains critically unsalvageable.
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Evocative, resonant and ultimately beautiful, if you must have a band of 2005, embrace them and them only.
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