Editors - In This Light and On This Evening
By Nick Manteris · 0 Comments · Leave a Comment
In This Light and On This Evening is the third studio album from the British indie band, Editors. Their first two records both went Gold in Ireland and Platinum in the UK, but their second album was the only one to make the US charts…and it never even made the top 100, peaking at 117. Due to the similar vocal stylings of Tom Smith and Paul Banks, Editors was frequently compared to Interpol, but, even though Interpol appeared several years before, Editors has actually been the more successful band overall.
The title track starts things out slow and dark, but it eventually builds into a sonic assault as intense as anything they’ve ever recorded. The band takes a new direction with this album and if it isn’t obvious on the first song then the synth sounds on the second and third tracks will leave absolutely no doubt. The power of the opener makes the next two songs seem pretty weak and the line “kicks like a sleep twitch” can’t even save their first single, “Papillon.” They get back on track for most of the rest of the disc with “You Don’t Know Love,” “The Big Exit,” “The Boxer” and “Like Treasure” – all better than average songs that don’t really sound much like the band’s previous efforts. And then the momentum falters with the “blood drool” song – an unfortunately titled tune with lyrics to match – and the most uninteresting song of the bunch finishes off the album.
- Score
- 81%
In This Light and On This Evening is comparable in quality to their previous two releases – even with the polarizing change in sound – but the best song is as radio-unfriendly as it could ever hope to be. The first single is also a poor choice and a better option might have been “You Don’t Know Love” or “Like Treasure.” This is a mostly solid collection of songs from a band that is usually overlooked in America, but it won’t be the breakthrough album that will finally allow them to conquer the US record charts. Maybe for Editors the fourth time will be the charm.
