It's been a while since we've heard from them but there's music being released, shows being played and so the promotional beast has exited its temporary slumber again. Ahead of Editors' show Rouen yesterday on the 24th April 2019, here's Mr Lay and Mr Williams being interviewed for Radio Lomax. All you French-speaking fans will be pleased to hear that the questions and answers are all translated into the language your familiar with.
The questions range from the influence of R.E.M. before a deep dive into the reasoning behind the release of the Blanck Mass sessions for Record Store Day. We learn that the album was recorded by the band before they sent it to Blanck Mass, which is interesting in itself, but we then learn that there was also a session where Blanck Mass, the band and Leo Abrahams were present. I'd always assumed that the chain of custody, sort of speak, was that they demoed in Oxford before sending it to Blanck Mass, and then once those mixes came back they then sent them on to Leo Abrahams. It would appear that all parties were much more involved than that, and that this was truly a collaborative effort from them all. This would also go some way to explaining the writing credits adjacent to the familiar five-piece ones on the upcoming Blanck Mass Sessions album.
The questions range from the influence of R.E.M. before a deep dive into the reasoning behind the release of the Blanck Mass sessions for Record Store Day. We learn that the album was recorded by the band before they sent it to Blanck Mass, which is interesting in itself, but we then learn that there was also a session where Blanck Mass, the band and Leo Abrahams were present. I'd always assumed that the chain of custody, sort of speak, was that they demoed in Oxford before sending it to Blanck Mass, and then once those mixes came back they then sent them on to Leo Abrahams. It would appear that all parties were much more involved than that, and that this was truly a collaborative effort from them all. This would also go some way to explaining the writing credits adjacent to the familiar five-piece ones on the upcoming Blanck Mass Sessions album.
When they're talking about the video for Barricades, Ed raises a very valid point that draws a straight line between In This Light and on This Evening and that song. He mentions that the theme of the video was to try and get machines to do human things, and that's very similar to the thinking behind the band's third album where they were looking to tame all those electronic instruments and make them more human. Life's a circle.
I don't know why but it's hilarious listening to the name "Fuck Buttons" being repeated throughout this interview. As a primarily English-speaking guy I hear a large body of words that I don't fully understand, but these two collections of letters keeping leaping out at me. I also like the casually cool way that everyone here just keeps saying it over and over as if it's no big deal. That's a room full of well-adjusted grown ups right there. I would have been sniggering like a juvenile after the first utterance. But then, that probably says an awful lot more about me that it does about them.
I've said before that as a hardcore fan even when you have a shiny new record in your hand (or in digital form) it is never, ever totally 100% satisfying. We ravenously consume these things like there's absolute scarcity on the horizon. I bring this up because even during a media obligation where the host is actively doing his research on the band during the show (nope, not kidding), the inevitable question of what they're doing next comes up. The answer is as non-commital as I would expect. Editors have found a work ethic that is effective; namely they'll do whatever they fancy and just hope the world tags along with them. It's worked so far ;)
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
