‘The Back Room‘ is the debut album by English post-punk/rock band Editors. It was actually the second Editors album I bought because I only heard of them when ‘An End Has A Start‘ came out. I actually prefer this one to their second effort as it was a little more dark and and also slightly more original in the sense that it was their debut and they were bringing a sound they wanted to be associated with.
At this time, ’06, ’07, I was mad into Interpol and I felt the connection between these two bands. Lead singer Tom Smith’s voice was also a draw as it reminded me of Ian Curtis, so the band as a whole tick all the boxes of what I was listening to at the time. ‘The Back Room’ was very well received with three single being released. ‘Munich’ is probably the most recognisable and appealed to college goes, becoming a regular at college bars for a few years. The album goes straight into it with ‘Lights’, as if you turned on the record in the middle of the song and it gives you an idea of what to expect with their music. ‘Munich’ follows up with its catchy riff and its easy to understand why this was a hit, and its probably one of the few tracks on the album you would think could do so. It also introduces you to the reoccurring theme of love and loss, something Editors have mastered in a few of their albums.
‘Fall’ is wedged in between two other hit contenders in ‘Blood’ and ‘All Sparks’. ‘Fall’ is a slow burner which isn’t common in the record,’Open Your Arms’ joins it but they fit well with the structure of the album. ‘Blood’ and ‘All Sparks’ do get you going, solid guitar and they don’t hold back on drums. The lyrics ‘blood runs through our veins, that’s where our similarities end‘ is a good example of what Tom Smith writes about, how people can’t be trusted, hanging onto someone for the wrong reasons, and also losing loved ones. ‘All Sparks’ is a track that would closely follow ‘Munich’ and it also got fair radio play. Very catchy. However, my two favourite tracks are ‘Bullets’ and ‘Fingers In The Factories’ because they’re loud and kind of come flying at you. Not that the album before them doesn’t have its moments because it certainly does, but these two stand out for me. They don’t hold back and both tracks are anthems and very arena friendly! ‘Open Your Arms’ is also a track worth looking up as it builds towards a big finale, giving the band the opportunity to draw you into the lyrics rather than go straight into a guitar riff.
Overall, I really like the album and the first three Editors albums in general. Perhaps they’ve taken a dip recently, but you can’t take those records away from them!
G.M
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