Good to see you again, Sir ;)
**Preface - This was assembled before the 3rd September, when we hadn't had a teaser relating to possible impending future activity by the band. My timing is impeccable...just not right now ;)
August was a game of hide and seek between Editors and their fans that lasted for a whole month, and as yet we still haven't located them. Individual members of the band are engaged in outside pursuits, but as a cohesive entity they seem to be officially on hiatus.
On August 6th, and wherever you were in the world, you were probably hit by a sudden rush of air followed by what sounded like a huge sigh of relief coming from somewhere. It was me, and if I messed up your hair or knocked your hat off then I apologise. What was it that caused me to exhale so fully and forcefully? Justin returned to instagram with another airport snap, and suddenly everything was OK in the world. He posted photographs of his trip to JFK and as reassuring as that is, it's tempered with the fact that it's probably not directly connected with Editors given their current offline status. Justin Lockey, you're still missed.
The 19th of August provided answers to what went on to become the biggest story of the month, and provided almost all the memorabilia, the recording of the second album by some guys called Smith and Burrows. They sent photographs and videos from Franklin in Nashville via Instagram, and a familiar face turned up in the studio with them and this is something that deserves to be applauded. Hang in there, there's a point being made (fairly) soon...
It used to be that Editors maintained a steady course forward, rarely becoming bound in an examination of their past. Creatively, it's always been about future achievements. Unfortunately, the peculiar thing about being a band existing in any kind of public space, and especially in an age of readily available social media, is that your past is never definitively left behind. Editors history is something that creeps along beside them rather than disappearing with the steps they lay down as they move forward. It's continuously accessible, able to be referenced at any hour of the day and from almost anywhere in the world. Because of that it doesn't have the opportunity to decay and fade like regular memories. Good or bad, it's so very easy to remember. Easy to say when I'm all too aware that I am part of the problem in that respect, given that I actively preserve as many of their activities as I can.
Lately, however, circumstances seem to have altered in an way and I'm really happy for what it all means. Smith and Burrows choosing Jacquire King as their producer for their new album is a revelation to me, and here's why. The last time Tom worked with Jacquire was for the recording of The Weight of Your Love, an album that was born of extreme circumstances. The band had almost self-destructed, with extinction being a possible outcome. Chris returned to civilian life and Justin and Elliott were viewed by some as two mysterious interlopers. Fortunately, time and their incontestable charms have ensured that they're now seen as more familiar interlopers. Ah-haaaa!
After Werchter 2012, which acted as interpersonal glue to all five Editors, The Weight of Your Love was recorded in Nashville with a swirling atmosphere of expectation, pressure and probably an unhealthy dose of stress. Unlike the previous recordings for albums 1, 2 and 3, which were primarily about finding joy in the distillation and expression of ideas, E4 was all about establishing a new direction and returning from a place they weren't accustomed to being in.
It's a summary you'll already know if you've followed the band for years but I bring it up because Editors progress has occasionally been akin to the trajectory of Interpol's; both bands lost a founding member of personnel around the fourth album and that record is viewed with...cautious suspicion. Some hardcore fans remember The Weight of Your Love as carrying a cloud with it, and not in the usual good way of "let's all dress in black and celebrate the beauty and depth of music with a soul" we all treasure so dearly. This group of songs triggered pain because of all that had shaped it, including the substantial losses and consequently it felt as though it was never looked directly in the eye as a piece of work. Ever since, and because of Editors' unerring commitment to looking at events forthcoming rather than everything that has passed, I always thought that the Jacquire King sessions would be consigned to an odd space in their story, accompanied with uneasy sideways glances and a wince whenever it was brought to mind.
And that would have been unfair to the band and also to Mr King.
Whatever your own personal thoughts on The Weight of Your Love, it sounds brilliant and Jacquire did a great job as a producer. As an example, go listen to The Phone Book, and the fragility they achieved. Editors as a country band? He manages to make that convincing which is quite the achievement. The collaboration between them as a whole doesn't deserve the harsh reputation it often has, and so when I saw that Tom and Andy had chosen to make music with him for their new album, it felt like there was conscious reconnection to the past and a chance to rewrite some history. There are ghosts that have whispered around since The Weight of Your Love was made and beyond and they deserve to be silenced, for everyone's sake. It's also notable because it looks like Editors, and especially Tom, have stepped off the gas for a second to ease the momentum and recognise they've established a collection of resources over the years which have proven worth, and which could be utilised again. Hence Jacknife Lee and Jacquire King made a return to Editors' story and both in the same year.
Before I go, consider that the last time Andy Burrows worked with Tom it was a time of insecurity and uncertainty. 2011 was the year that preceded one of the biggest shifts in Editors' history. At a time when the process of compiling and creating had possibly stopped being fun, the pressure was released by doing a Christmas album with a good friend. Unexpected but effective. After that, obstacles were overcome and Editors continued on. Here we are in 2019 when the course of the band's plans aren't as absolute as they have been, something that hasn't happened in a long time. Apprehension abounds. What happens? Tom goes off and records an album with Andy Burrows. If past is prologue, we're all going to be fine. Enjoy the snaps ;)
Editors Instagram August 2019
download here or download here
For all of Editors' previous Instagram posts, go here.
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
