Editors - Munich

Editors are a British indie rock group. I am getting tired of saying those words, specifically “indie.” When you think about “indie” is just another word we use to say “current.” Editors, like Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Interpol, The Killers, and others are a “current” rock group, as in they are actively touring and writing music in the here and now. Just like “alternative” rock groups primarily means, a rock groups that existed in the nineties and “garage band” refers to rock bands that existed in the eighties. There are just as many exceptions as there are examples of this depending on how you have arbitrarily decide to subdivide the genre of rock and roll. Surely you see my point, regardless I am getting off topic.

Editors are a British rock band. They fit the current mold of the indie rock scene, and as a result their sound is not completely unlike other indie rock bands you may have heard before. Like any truly good rock band Editors have a certain something special that makes them important. I really like their heavy use of acoustics, while the majority of Editors songs are electric guitar, rhythm, and bass, every single one of their songs sounds like it could or should be done acoustically, this is likely to explain why their acoustic sets sound as good or better than the studio versions. There is some synthesized music in nearly all their songs, presumably made on a keyboard though I am not entirely certain of this, still it really is the acoustics that make up their music. So to sum up what I have already said there is really good guitar in Editors, both rhythm and lead.

It is an easy thing to say that Editors stand out among their compatriots of modern rock by simply being good. Their sound is not as unique as much as the quality of their music is of a higher standard. While this is certainly true it is also something I say far too often. That was how I described Interpol and Bloc Party. If I had to make a distinction for Arcade Fire from their peers, quality would be the first thing I would point too. But all of those bands, all bands I have reviewed in the past, had niches and charms that went beyond simply being very good rock bands. Interpol is cryptic and poetic, Bloc Party are passionate, and Arcade Fire are daringly experimentative (experimentative is not a real word). As for The Editors what makes them stand out among their peers besides quality is probably front man Tom Smith. Not only does Tom write some great songs and decent lyrics, and he plays a mean guitar, but he has a deep singing voice, a manly singing voice, a manly man singing voice. Well maybe not that manly.

Tom Smith has a great singing voice, a voice that is not entirely in fashion any more. He sings at a deeper pitch than most anyone in light rock history and certainly he sings with the deepest voice in current indie rock. Like so many examples throughout all the years an old good idea is still a good idea, a style that was once good is still good, case in point, Smith’s voice is a deep manly voice of a style that has always worked in music but is rarely used anymore. The Editors while being new in style and fitting the current mold of indie rock scene are also equal parts a return to classical folk music; that is how I see them anyway, and Smith’s manly man voice fits into this theory.

The first song I heard by The Editors was “Munich,” and it is as good a song as any to share with the world. “Munich,” may actually be one of Editors heavier songs, and the theme of the song appropriately carries some weight to it as well. It is a high energy song.

“People are fragile things you should know by now.
Be careful what you put them through.”

“It breaks if you don’t force it.
It breaks if you don’t try.”

I could dissect the lyrics for you, but I find the song’s message fairly self explanatory, and agreeably heavy. It is always wonderful seeing the pieces of a song fit together, you know like that’s how music is suppose to work. The Editors – “Munich” is a very good example of all the right pieces coming together and being in all the right places. The electric guitar is sharp and catchy; the synthesized keyboard (if that is what it is), while unnecessary, adds an extra layer to the song, Smith’s word carrying a solid amount of weight and his deep voice aids in dropping that weight upon us. All and all “Munich” is a very good song, and The Editors three albums in so far have proven to have a solid consistency of high quality in all of their songs.

It is important to me to introduce Editors, they have done, and I think they will continue to do things that will impress me. To sum up this entire review, Editors are a good band go listen to them.

- Colin Kelly