As far as the story for this Birmingham five-piece goes it has been fairly traditional.
Breaking through as the latest British indie rock band their 2005 debut The Back Room, with more than a few Interpol comparisons thrown in, placed the band on the map. 2007’s An End Has A Start brought them relative commercial and worldwide success while their third outing, In This Light On This Evening, saw the band make their ‘experimental album’ by taking an electronic industrial turn
With the departure of lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz heavily noted, the band return four years later and they’ve settled for safer ground. In fact Editors find themselves on the platform that icona-rockers U2 helped develop.
The Weight Of Your Love may begin with menacing theatrical tones but ‘The Weight’ quickly segues into an atmospheric rock opening designed for a stadium stage. ‘Sugar’ takes a heavier turn although the pubescent lyric of “it breaks my heart to love you” nullifies any intensity or edge from what the song may have had.
As ‘A Ton Of Love’ reaffirms the U2 sentiment the band’s fourth record moves into ballad mode for ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’, ‘Honesty’ and ‘Nothing’. Yet the feigned orchestral inclusions typify the album’s greatest misgiving.
From the beautiful decaying rose on the cover to the musical content held within, the album is utterly calculated.
It may be undoubtedly true that some of the best albums are, but the fact that its calculation stands out signifies that unlike other great records, it doesn’t sound effortless.
The acoustic styling’s of ‘The Phone Book’ is aided by its lack of stings. As the exception to the rule the penultimate song is one of the few tracks here with real ‘weight’ behind it.
Editors aren’t significantly bad on their fourth record, but it is hard getting past the fact that The Weight Of Your Love is a polished portrait of mediocrity.
