Barricades is released 25th March 2019

 How long could you wait for someone you love?

It's Monday. It's Barricades. There are so many questions to be asked.

Barricades is about as mainstream as this band have ever been. This is almost a pure pop song, and if you compare it to anything from the first records Editors made, only the vocals tie it to its history. Do I think it would have fit on VI OLENCE? Nope. I agree with the band on that one. When you look at E6 as a complete collection of songs, the mood just isn't right and Barricades would have stuck out. It's upbeat and airy, but it's still got a downside to it. There are times when bands have a certain track on their albums, or in this case a track that was almost on their album and it acts as a guide to where they're going next. It's unique in its surroundings because it doesn't fit with the context it's in. As an example, think about how About a Girl sounded on Bleach by Nirvana. It stood right out because it was lightweight and full of  hooks and melodies, while the rest of that album was pretty heavy. However out of place it may have seemed, it was a perfect pointer to Nevermind which was all about pop sensibilities in the same vein as About a Girl. Is this the case with Barricades?

 

I feel like through their whole existence as a band they've been searching for the perfect pop moment, and all the while struggling to satisfy the need to keep things a little more thoughtful and credible than the way pop songs are often viewed. It's very much in the same style as Depeche Mode, New Order and the Pet Shop Boys during the eighties. They managed to get songs about BDSM, drugs and the damaging effects of religious guilt respectively into the upper reaches of the pop charts. Barricades doesn't sound like a traditional Editors track, and I mean that as a compliment and with huge respect. I love the effortlessness of it. They've progressed so far down that road for looking for pop perfection that even if they never locate it, they're creating some fantastic attempts along the way.

It hurts to say it but I don't think they would have ever reached this point if Chris was in the band because it seemed like the pop dynamic was more subdued with his influence. I believe that Editors with the addition of Elliott and Justin allowed the music to find its way back into the light and with a little bit of guidance, we've arrived at Barricades which sounds like a peak moment. It's a beautiful song, and it sounds like the wind is really in their sails right now. That's not to disrespect Chris in any way, because I have an enormous amount of admiration for what he was a part of during the first run of the band. Speaking of which...

The video was released on Youtube as well as other streaming platforms today, and a glance at the credits would make hardcore fans sit open mouthed while the newest of the new fans will say "Who's he?":-

Composer: ChrisUrbanowicz
Music Publisher: Copyright Control
Composer: Ed Lay
Composer: Russell Leetch
Composer: Tom Smith
Lyricist: Tom Smith

I can't believe that this is anything other than a YouTube error.  In order for that to be true, we'd have to believe that the band as they are now with Justin and Elliott decided to use a song written from over 7 years ago when they weren't around, suspending any notions of progress, and that they agreed to not be credited for it at all. Also, that it happened right in the middle of recording their new record makes it even less likely. Remember that Barricades was supposed to be included in the tracklisting of  VI OLENCE at one point. For a band that is as forward thinking as they are, and also seemingly close as individuals, it would make things a little awkward to drop this in at this stage. They've spent the last 7 years establishing their own identity, perhaps even building a new band, creating a body of work that clearly separates them from the three albums that preceded them. I know that they've used old songs before (Two Hearted Spider, What is This Thing Called Love etc) but to my ears this song has Elliott all over it in terms of its electronics. Barricades just  doesn't sound like a song that could have been written during the era that Chris was involved in the band. 

Next, consider that from the sleeve note photograph we got from Rahi last month had Blanck Mass credited as a songwriter. 

I think it's more likely that this was the track he was involved in crafting, rather than reshaping. Tom said in a 2018 interview with DIS that the song didn't have the power of the original demo when they were thinking about including it on VI OLENCE, so maybe this is the one they've decided on as the completed track. It also raises two questions in the process; what does that original demo sound like and what does the version that the band probably worked on after Blanck Mass sent the tapes back sound like, if it exists at all?   

Let's also remember that recent photographs from the Jacknife Lee sessions had taglines featuring Black and Gold in them, but black or gold aren't mentioned in this track at all. So what was the reference there?

There was a standalone video released today and without getting too much into the realms of bad teenage poetry, it's a great fit for the track and for the underlying themes of Editors and their music in general. Everything starts out fine and in sync, before it all starts coming apart at the end. Existentialism in a single clip. It's just simple and straightforward, again in keeping with the immediacy of the song itself. Notice the credits for the video:-

Directors: Hi-Sim Executive 

Producer: Martin Roker 

Production Company: Black Dog Films

No Rahi.

I hope, hope, hope that this is just a temporary sidestep away from Mr Rezvani because he's so intrinsic to this band now that it would be a great loss to not have his input anymore. He did the artwork for the Record Store Day release so he's obviously involved in some capacity.

Lastly, will they play this song live in the future? Barricades in front of a Werchter sized crowd would be something special.

Of course the usual disclaimer here is that all of the above is complete speculation on my part, and I'm fully prepared to be wrong. I just have an overactive mind and this is what's coming out of it in response to Barricades.  

Barricades - stream it here (Editors Official Youtube)

drew ;)