Editors: In This Light and On This Evening in "Nothing Not New"
Categories: Nothing Not New
Welcome to "Nothing Not New," a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about it. Why? Because in the words of his editor, Martin Cizmar, he suffers from "aesthetic atrophy," a wasting away of one's ability to embrace new and different music as one ages. Read more about this all-too-common ailment here.
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Artist: Editors
Title: In This Light and On This Evening
Release date: January 19, 2010
Label: Fader
This new Editors record is one of the most unintentionally hilarious records I've heard in awhile. The singer of Editors doesn't just borrow stylistically from Ian Curtis, the dead singer from Joy Division, he sounds exactly like Curtis. In my opinion, Joy Division is one of a handful of truly original rock 'n' roll bands in the genre's history. Their influence on popular music in the 30 years or so since their demise and transformation into New Order cannot be overstated. So, in that respect, I'm not surprised a band like Editors exists and thrives a generation or two later. They're practically a J.D. tribute band, albeit performing their own compositions with a more instantly accessible, synthesizer-heavy sound.This radio-ready sheen betrays the gloom that Editors appear to be fomenting on all the goth-in-training youngsters who probably really dig them. It seems to me that Editors probably want to be No Fun, but the music is way too shiny and the beats way too dance-y to be a total drag. That's what makes the lyrics seem so funny. Probably my favorite verse sung by the Ian Curtis sound-alike goes like this:
"I don't wanna be left out / or get fucked /
because of the talent in your lies /
If you chew with an open mouth /
raw meat / your blood drool attracts the flies"
That's from the song "Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool." And then there's this, from the New Order-esque third track, "Papillon," in which the singer dramatically chokes the dancing with this gem of a line: "It kicks like a sleep twitch."
RIP, Ian.
Best track: "Like Treasure," the least over-the-top song on the record.
Rotation: Light.
Déja Vu: Take a wild guess...
I'd rather listen to: Warsaw
Grade: D+
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