An End Has a Start : Editors : Review : Rolling Stone

Gloom sluts even by Northern English post-punk standards, Editors were the toast of 2005, at least in certain dimly lit, poorly furnished, disgustingly smoke-clogged garrets around the world. Sure, they sounded like Joy Division but with a little death disco in the drums, a little flash in the guitar and a salutary emotional resolve in Tom Smith's voice, as in "Munich" ("It breaks when you don't force it/It breaks when you don't try" – such a simple line, yet tougher the longer you chew on it) or "All Sparks." On the second Editors album, An End Has a Start, the songwriting has moments, like "Bones" and "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors." But the production goes soft, a sorry trend this year for U.K. bands' sophomore albums (see Bloc Party, the Rakes, Kaiser Chiefs, etc.); the songs get puffed and fluffed up but lose the wiry edge of "Munich," burying Chris Urbanowicz's guitar until it all sounds like Coldplay. Nice tunes, but louder, please.

ROB SHEFFIELD

(Posted: Jun 13, 2007)

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Give us your review of An End Has a Start

Review 1 of 3

4of 5 Stars

A good follow-up to 'The Back Room', and although not quite as impressive, still gives a good listen.

Jul 30, 2007 15:37:02

Review 2 of 3

4of 5 Stars

spoon has good quality and is very catchy. I like the guitar and key boards.

Jul 28, 2007 07:21:58

Review 3 of 3

4of 5 Stars

Editors' first disc, The Back Room, seemed cold and emotionless at first, but the draw of the tunes and icy guitars was undeniable. I couldn't stop listening to it. But now that An End Has a Start has been released, Editors have lit their frozen-tundra sound with a little more fire...and a lot more piano. It's far more emotional than their previous work and slightly more beautiful as well. And while The Back Room's lyrics were largely vague, Tom Smith's songwriting is quite focused on An End Has a Start. He's dealing with some heavy issues here, with some beautiful, literal imagery: "There's people climbing out of their cars/Lining the roadside/Trying to glimpse at the dead" he sings on "Push Your Head Toward the Air," revealing the specific topic of the song and, aided by the building music, paints a scene that illustrates the need to come to grips with tragedy. Giving this album a passing listen and/or effortfully drawing comparisons with other albums does it a great disservice. An End Has a Start is a superior sophomore album from Editors and should not be overlooked by fans of quality music that seeks nothing more than to be just that.

Jul 26, 2007 08:39:53

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