Editors - In This Light... Album Review
Tom Smith and co Return With Their Third Album.
Oct 30, 2009
Editors’ latest, In This Light and on this Evening, retains the band’s dark indie sensibility, but eschews much of the wall of sound, guitar driven impetus of their previous albums, instead choosing to focus on a heavily electronic sound. It’s unmistakably the same band, only now they’ve undergone something of a conversion to Krautrock-esque electro-gloom.
Change in Musical Direction Suits Editors' Dark Sensibilities
For some, who felt the band’s sophomore effort lacked the originality of The Back Room, the album will be a pleasing change of direction, at least as far as the musicianship is concerned. Clearly Smith and co are attempting to broaden their, admittedly still pretty miserable, horizons. And so, In This Light...kicks in under a veil of heavily laden synths, guiding in Smith’s voice: “I swear to God, I heard the earth inhale / Moments before it spat its rain down on me.” The first track is also the title track, and it immediately sets about establishing the mandate for the album: dark, brooding atmospherics and dark lyrics.
Pleasingly, Editors’ sound transfers well to the new equipment and Smith’s booming tones suit the atmospherics to a tee, even if lyrically the album does have a few weak spots. The dark opening gives way to Bricks and Mortar, which continues the trend of the first song, but introduces a catchier hook and some lovely, sweeping backing vocals. Third track Papillon was understandably released as the lead single; it’s dramatic, faster-paced electro being the most marketable section of the record.
From time to time, the subtly effective synths do betray a slightly uninspired underbelly, with tracks such as You Don’t Know Love and Like Treasure less immediately captivating. Luckily, the appallingly titled Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool (whose title does not reflect the quality of the song) and the closing, choir-driven tenderness of Walk the Fleet Road, wrap up the album on a positive note.
"Make our escape, you're my own Papillon"
In This Light...has a very consistent aesthetic that somehow manages to be less cohesive than An End Has a Start. There is a lot to like here, but it sometimes feels like a few great ideas stretched a little too thin. That said, the album has plenty of satisfying tracks, and overall the good points outweigh any complaints. Editors, painting life’s little miseries now in washes of synthesised colour, are still worth a listen for fans and newcomers alike.
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