When Interpol arrived on the music scene back in 2002, it was nearly impossible to find a review that didn’t compare them to Joy Division, and rightfully so. Four years later, England’s Editors will be just as hard pressed to find a critique that doesn’t mention Interpol, and likely Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen and Morrissey. Tom Smith’s vocals have a thick, dour mope full of the kind of reverb that immediately conjures memories of all the above. His pessimistic sketches of doomed love reveal some unique ideas, though. Cold lines like “Blood runs through your veins/that’s where our similarity ends” (“Blood”), “All sparks will burn out in the end” (“All Sparks”) and “People are fragile things/you should know by now” (“Munich”) form the hooks of some of The Back Room’s best songs. Each one of them balances despair with bouncy basslines, skittering high hats and throbbing guitars. At least half of the album’s tracks work the dark-mood-but-upbeat-pulse formula to perfection and individually each one is a knockout single. Over the course of an album, though, the recipe can get a little tiresome, especially when the respites come in the form of slower, more tortured tracks. Only gluttons for sorrow may enjoy a whole album’s worth of Editors, but the highlights are strong enough to establish an identity for the band separate from their influences.
Heavy Rotation tracks: “All Sparks“; “Blood“; “Munich“; “Fingers In the Factories”
Medium Rotation tracks: “Bullets“; “Lights”
Grade: B