Review: Editors: And End has a Start

My Editors review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com


An End has a Start
Editors
Kitchenware/Fader
2007

Since the tragic death of Ian Curtis, there has been a void that has yet to be filled. Yeah, I know New Order merely continued with the musical direction that Joy Division started. But what happened to the sound of midnight heard on Joy Division's two legendary records? That same sound that was the soundtrack for every misunderstood teen, dressed in black, listening to "Love Will Tear Us Apart." A nation of Goths still yearn for a deep haunting vocal to descend deeper in a sound that echoes the feeling where hope and despair eventually collide.

With the arrival of bands like New York's Interpol and their magnificent debut Turn out the Bright Lights, the legacy of Ian Curtis was finally finding a foundation across the Atlantic. During Interpol's three year pause after Antics, a UK band appeared to pick up where their New York counterparts left off. With their stellar debut The Back Room, The Editors relit the flame once sparked by Joy Division. Instead of running away from the Curtis legacy as Interpol was prone to do, Editors embraced it, musically at least, and thanks to support from bands like U2, became the indie darlings of 2006.

I was introduced to The Editors by an old co-worker of mine, Slobodan, the Import Buyer at the Lincoln Park Tower Records in Chicago. I used to work the late shift with Slobodan and he would sneak a few imports on the in-store play, which is how I discovered and subsequently bought records by Richard Hawley, among others. The Editors' debut was one such album, and it would never fail that someone would always come up and dubiously ask "is this a new Joy Division song, you're playing?" And they would eventually purchase the very expensive import edition of The Back Room. I thought that The Back Room was an impressive debut, thanks to the exposure from Slo'. I loved the song "Bullets," with its chorus of "You don't need this disease." that even Curtis would adore. It was merely the spark that is set aflame on their superior follow-up An End Has a Start.

In spite of the strong influence, The Editors are not a Joy Division clone. They have their own distinctive sound that begins but doesn't end with the Curtis comparisons. Tom Smith's vocals and lyrics reflect Ian's, but Smith has his own unique vocal flavor. What I find striking about Smith's voice is the hints of hope in his lyrics, like "Every little piece of your life will mean something to someone" from "The Weight of the World," a lighter side that was absent from albums like Closer.

An End Has a Start has an explosive sound that should make The Editors international icons. It starts off with the "Bullets"-esque "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors." "Someone turn me around," Tom sings, "Can I start this again?" as guitarist Chris Urbanowicz's lightning riffs carry the song into a fiery atmosphere that would impress even The Edge. The band has a grander sound on this outing, and to borrow from a Spinal Tap cliché, they definitely go to eleven.

To me "Smokers" is more than a crank `em up indie rock jam—I connect to this song on another level. It reminds me of a very frightening and unhappy time for me when I was living in Chicago. Right after Halloween a year and a half ago, I had a recurring illness that I thought was turning fatal—yes, I actually thought that I was going to die. Hearing Smith sing, "Say goodbye to everyone/You have ever known/ You are not gonna see them ever again," I'm reminded of the moment I sat there in the hospital room, scared and alone, pondering my mortality. The events of that night changed me and inspired the choices that I made soon after. This song reflects that moment when death stares you in the face and challenges you to live your life to the fullest. The coda, however, is my favorite part of the song: "We've all been changed/from what we were/Our broken parts/Smashed off the floor" When I hear "Smokers" it takes me back to all that I have faced in the past year and a half, but I'd do it all again to be where I am today. What a way to begin an album! It made me want to break out a pack and light one up—it was that intense and stimulating. Editors impress early, but Start gets even better.

Next up is the title track, which starts off with the optimistic lyric "I don't think it's going to rain today... there's an angel on the way." It grabs you from the opening chords, and Tom Smith's voice carries you as you follow him through a journey of darkness and light with a blend of sincerity and power. And the album doesn't stray from the promise laid down from the two opening tracks. There's not a weak track on Start. The atmospheric introduction and taut post-punk drum and bass line on "When Anger Shows" is another highlight. The song climbs into arena rock territory as Smith sings his plea "I need you to tell me its okay" over Urbanowicz's thunderous guitar riffs.

There are some surprises, especially achingly beautiful piano ballad "Well Worn Hand," which closes the album. A sparse arrangement with Tom Smith's vocal set to only distant keys echoes a Coldplay-like number that ends the album in a mournful yet established tone. Worry not with the Coldplay comparisons, though, as Smith sings "I don't want to go out on my own anymore," still displaying the rhythmic shadows that we have now come to expect from The Editors.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
07.18.2007

Review: White Stripes: Icky Thump

My White Stripes review can be found (click here) on treblezine.com


Icky Thump
White Stripes
Third Man/Warner Bros.
2007

It's been a while since we heard from Detroit's favorite brother/sister, ex husband/wife duo The White Stripes, and in the time since their last album, Get Behind Me Satan, they both waved good bye to the Motor City. Jack, his lovely wife and their new child moved to the Dirty South, Nashville to be exact. And Meg packed her bags and followed me out to Los Angeles. No, not really but it would be cool if it was true—if only.

Before going to Tennessee, White formed The Raconteurs and released Broken Boy Soldiers of which I wasn't really a fan. I enjoyed the first single "Steady as She Goes" and "Blue Vein" but that's it. Maybe it was the fact that White's buddy, who I never really cared for, Brendan Benson shared co-writing and vocals with Jack. It just never really hit nor shook me like a White Stripes album does. And that's the problem that most artists face when they start a new project away from their familiar confines. The baggage and greatness of their former selves overshadows their creative output, just as Macca, Johnny Marr and Robert Plant have proven, trying to escape their glory days.

So then comes the arrival of Icky Thump, and like the Stripes' last release, I was excited about the prospect of another Jack and Meg collaboration. You see, as you read in my past review, I loved Get Behind Satan. I thought that record was where The White Stripes peaked with their red and white prowess. It was such a unique album, so honest, pure and raw away from the electricity of Elephant that it still is to this day my favorite record of theirs. So to best that would be quite a feat.

Instead of topping Satan, Jack and Meg went off and resurrected the old school spirit of the Stripes in all their glory. Wow, what an album! It's a fun record and you can hear the smile on their faces as Meg bangs away on her drums and Jack slays his guitar while singing his blues-inspired vocals. Although he's living the dream, Jack White has the blues in his soul and he loves singing it to you and me. Thump is a treat, and these two always seem to surprise me by rising up and shredding my expectations. Check the way Jack tears away at a chord and holds it there while Meg thrashes her kit. Sounds like bliss to me and Thump delivers and lays it down for you and I to enjoy.

Jack continues his ongoing sonic tributes to Plant & Co. and he takes another page from Zoso's playbook. Can you feel him channeling Led Zep on the first single and title track of the album? It also sounds as if Ole Jack has gone politico taking a stand on our country's controversial policy on immigration on us as he sings "why don't you kick yrself out/ y're an immigrant too." In the video, you will even see a sign for the Great Wall of Mexico. I love the freaked out synth/keys solo towards the end of "Icky." But the piano takes a back seat and unfortunately isn't as prominent as it was on Satan.

The Stripes seem to have taken on a more global vibe, which began on the calypso trip on "The Nurse" from Satan. Listen for the mariachi horns on "The Conquest." I like to think that Jack must have loved Mull of Kintyre growing up (obscure Macca reference—I had to do it) he adds a double shot of Scottish bag pipes on "Prickly Thorn but Sweetly Worn" and "St. Andrew." I love these new additions to the Stripes arsenal, as it shows that these Jack and Meg aren't just riff and rim shot traditionalists. These two can incorporate new sounds to their already explosive musical canon.

But seriously, we all know that Jack White is a blues player at heart. Just check out "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues" and get a history lesson that even Robert Johnson would sell his soul for. Yes, White is not only this good but he's got Meg White, his beating soul by his side. She even sings in a sped up vocal on "St. Andrew" with said bagpipes in unison with her sticks and Jack's killer chords.

Listen to Jack's guitar work on his ode to married life on "I'm Slowly Turning Into You." Along with the return of the funky organ sound The Whites create a new take on matrimony which Jack makes very alluring and true. I love the "happy ending" with the harmonious harmonies on the fade out. Nothing borrowed, it never fails, there's always something new and innovative on a White Stripes record. Icky doesn't let us down.

From the opening chords you can hear Meg and Jack becoming one as they trade lines on the ultimate track on Thump, "Rag and Bone." Together they light the spark, rock the house and burn it down with solid jamming on this powerful track that is pure White Stripes. I feel like I am right there with Jack and Meg as they hunt for treasures from an antique junk dealer coming to life on a stereo near you. I could tell you about Jack's sourly acidic lyrics which echo a past flame and failed love affair on the addictive "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)" and the acoustic flavored "Effect and Cause" but the rhythmic style of the Stripes is what's on display with Icky Thump. Along with Jack deep prose both are the ingredients that make-up the ying and yang of Jack and Meg and their red and white blues.

I think I need to shut up now so you can run out and pick up Icky and turn up the Thump to eleven. It is time to reclaim your faith in the Whites. Lose the trepidation I, myself, had before putting my ears to this newly born classic. Bow down and let their riffs and rhymes fill you up and reign over you.

Adrian Ernesto Cepeda
06.25.2007