Reviews 7/9/07

Editors - An End Has a Start

Being pigeonholed as "England's Interpol" the Editors return in style with this well produced second outing. With the release of their debut album "The Back Room" fans always questioned where the band would take it from there.

An End Has a Start begins with the single and huge "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors", the song Coldplayesque in it's delivery, slow building and anthemic. Straight away a noticeable difference between albums is presented with the bulked up sound with the addition of piano which was absent on their debut.

With huge seemingly nonbackupable first track they emerge into the title track and latest single with the signature Editors rocking guitar sound. The chorus comes crushing down. They seem to have found a decent balance here with the mixture of the more rocking songs and the ballads without losing the mood. "Weight of the World" is a good example of the former with it's brooding opening to it's uplifting close. Bones could have appeared on the next U2 record with the clear Edge like guitar style in toe.

The album no doubt supplys us with another dose of those fist pumping, catchy chorus melodies, which the band have grown to do so well. "The Racing Rats" is a combination of where they came from and where they are now. Slow gentle piano introduction busting into flows of catchy guitar work with the enagaging drum work which is quite prominent throughout the record.

An End Has a Start falls short of what it could have been, fearing that the songs sometimes appear to similar and the quality of the material may lose it's appeal in the not to distant future. With saying that the album escapes the sophomore slump with the broadening of their sound in comparison to their first outing and showing they can still produce quality material.


6.5/10

Sean B