Photo courtesy of Edith's Instagram
There weren't a lot of officially-sourced band related photographs to enjoy in April, but that's OK because this month was much more concerned with the important stuff. The constant and unstoppable evolution of civilian life continued for all 5 Editors, with more milestones being passed and established. There were congratulations and revelations to be had in the form of 2 birthdays (Mr Smith and Mr Williams), an actual birth (for Mr Lockey and family) and a wedding (King Leetch). Best wishes to all of you.
Record Store Day happened on the 13th April and brought with it a limited run of sexy vinyl containing the Blanck Mass Recordings. All you cats that managed to get a copy were no doubt aware beforehand that there would be a digital download code provided with your purchase, so you wouldn't have to ruin your pristine prized possession by having to open it up to hear the songs. That was the theory. The catch? To lessen the possibility of leaking the material the code won't actually go live until the 3rd May when everyone else is able to buy their own copy. Gotcha! Tricky customers, those Editors.
I have heard the album in its entirety and I don't want to turn this post into a review, but I will comment on one song only because I've got ridiculous rumours to spread and theories to theorise. Get ready for a detour.
A couple of days later on the 15th of April the Blanck Mass version of Hallelujah (So Low) found its way onto streaming services courtesy of the band, and showcased a totally different personality for this very familiar track. It relies more on electronic instruments than guitars, and Mr Smith apparently had yet to offer atonement when it was finished. There's also no handclaps in the quiet spots, but the biggest difference for me is the Hallelujah Death Riff (c). It's present here but nowhere near as pronounced, and its structurally dissimilar. I should warn you that this may or may not make sense to you, but in my head it's crystal clear.
Justin's riff on the Blanck Mass Recording is much more contained within the 4 notes the chorus spans. If you listen to the bass line it also occupies that 4 note parameter. During the early live performances of the song Russell's bass playing followed this format but that has changed since to mirror Justin's lead guitar. Unlike the BM Recording where it comes in level and repetitive in the notes being played, the final take that's on VI OLENCE starts off low and then arcs up before coming back down in graduated increments. The effect is that it feels like the floor has been whipped away and it makes it more of a disorientating ride across 4 notes rather than a series of 4 deliberate steps. It's like a standing on a ship that's being lifted up by stormy seas, only to drop again once it's cleared the crest of the large wave. Does that make sense? I've said before but I can draw music better than I can describe it, which is frustrating. The overall point I'm trying to make is that there's more aggression in the VI OLENCE recording (how appropriate), which is a little ironic considering who it was the band were collaborating with. On Hallelujah I think Editors managed to out-menace the guy behind World Eater. Impressive.
I will say that the version of Hallelujah that's on VI OLENCE makes more sense now. It's as if they were tipping the cap to Blanck Mass by featuring it in the final take, suggesting that even though the song itself may have changed that his influence on it was still important enough to retain. However, in the interests of total candid honesty, the ending of this song had always seemed a little weird to me. Like there was a different but similar sounding composition that began when Hallelujah came to a stop, only to abruptly conclude way too soon. You know the way that Violence blends into No Harm when they play live? That's what it's always felt like. I watched some of the festival shows from 2017 where Hallelujah was initially played and it's odd seeing them seemingly finish the track, before the keyboard outro starts up. The crowd don't appear too sure of what's going on, and it creates a little awkward gap between numbers. Interesting that after some road testing they dropped the outro completely.
Have you got time for a second detour and to indulge a theory directly out of left-field?
If you've seen the video for the official release of Hallelujah, you'll be aware of how it goes. It begins with rain falling, then the song kicks in. That rain vanishes and doesn't appear again until the final set of frames. Rahi's camera work during the clip mean that the viewer is kept in a perpetual state of disorientation, as he uses only brief amounts of time to present a single static image in any shot. It has an intensity that is accordance with what you're hearing and then right at the end everything changes. The rain reappears and the music slides into the keyboard motif from that Blanck Mass recording. The tempo and the way the notes are played does sound very much like raindrops and we get shots of all the band members, each one wearing black and being soaked. Mr Smith, who is the only one who gets to look the camera in the eye, lowers his head and the song ends. Cue my unsubstantiated theory.
What if there's a second video for Hallelujah that was shot by Rahi, and it commences at the point where the rain comes back in and we see everyone getting drenched? Go watch the video again and notice how the title of the song comes up near the end of the official promo and right where it starts raining. What if that's the real beginning of an alternate Hallelujah video? Also, it abruptly concludes at a point where it seems like Tom could very well be about to start singing. Those final seconds just do not fit with all the shaking, aggressive imagery that came before. What if Rahi had based his first ideas for a promotional clip on the Blanck Mass recording, and there's footage we haven't seen yet which is a continuation of the "band in the rain" theme we only get to see briefly?
Back to business.
On the 19th Tom made a solo live appearance with Unkle at the Southbank Centre in London, to perform The Other Side. The 24th of April saw Editors back together as a band playing live again but without Justin Lockey. Nic Willes stepped back in as Justin's wingman while Mr Lockey went off to expand the brand, sort of speak. This answered a lingering question about Nic's possible involvement with the band after he appeared in rehearsal photos couple of months ago. Another concert followed on the 25th but the third in what should have been a French trilogy was cancelled due to some extremely inconsiderate weather.
And that's pretty much it, folks. Enjoy the snaps and short videos for April 2019 ;)
For all of Editors' previous Instagram posts, go here.
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
