In This Light and On This Evening by Editors
As an avid Editors fan, I was lusting for In this Light and on this Evening as soon as I heard distant whispers of its release. As the anticipated day approached, I scoured the internet for anything - a clip, a video, something. I wished I could have pre-ordered it through iTunes, but only the UK store offered it. Amazon UK was out of the question since I'd end up getting it after the release date.
Today, 13 October 2009, it was set to release. There is was on iTunes, and I began downloading it, and then left my house in search of a hard copy since I like to have both physical and digital (music is an expensive hobby for me). I couldn't find the disc at either Borders or Barnes and Noble, where I'd been able to find both The Back Room and An End Has a Start. Frustrated, I headed home.
I synced my iPod because, let's be honest - there's nothing quite like hearing it live or from headphones (and live wasn't really available to me at the moment - curse my US citizenship). I grabbed my shopping bags and headed on foot to the grocery store. The title track started the album and, at the beginning, I wondered if I had downloaded the wrong thing. Then I heard Tom Smith's voice. Ooh, "trendy" intro. I thought they may be trying to compete with Tegan and Sara's recent recording with DJ Tiësto, as that style is quickly becoming the "trendy" indie. Then there's piano. No, not piano. Keyboard. Come on, Editors. Aren't you good musicians? At this point I'm hoping that it's just an off-genre song length intro to a great album.
I decided that this needed the long walk to the grocery store for a decision, I turned left instead of right, into the woods.
Strings? Gorgeous, no doubt, but where are my Editors? Where is that swanky, strummy Interpol-like guitar?
The song gets harder, and you know what it sounds like? It sounds like what '80's Nintendo games would have were they not restricted to only 8 bits. Terrible.
The next song continues with synth crap overpowered by Smith's voice. It really doesn't...go.
Papillion is by far the best song on the album. Smith's wonderful vocals, along with the pop-like beat is fun and dancey, which is all the rage these days.
The rest of the album is really unremarkable. It had absolutely no emotional resonance, which surprised me; previously recorded tracks had brought me to tears.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to the show, but I'm a little disappointed in this album.
2/5 stars