I can't shake this feeling I've got...
September saw a continuation of the recording activities of Smith and Burrows, but that was bumped from the front pages by Editors news, some of which we suspected but others that came right out of nowhere. The tease began on the 3rd with a studio snap. It was tagged with the line:-
You’re not a secret or a story to tell...
Easy to say this now but I did think that flowed really nicely from a previous line we'd been fed on the 13th February this year:-
I know you better than you know yourself....
Then on September 4th there was a post that simply said "Tomorrow" and had a brief clip of what looked like a close up of a hand. A day later, the avalanche of information hit and 3 things were made public. The first two were pretty much the worst secret never kept, and that was Black Gold being revealed as a single (and you can listen to that here or here), as well as the release date and full tracklisting for the Greatest Hits, also called Black Gold:-
Black Gold Tracklisting
1. Frankenstein
2. Papillon
3. Munich
4. Sugar
5. Hallelujah (So Low)
6. An End Has a Start
7. Upside Down
8. Bullets
9. Ocean of Night
10. No Harm
11. Smokers
12. A Ton of Love
13. Magazine
14. The Racing Rats
15. Black Gold
16. No Sound but the Wind
Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc
Distance - The Acoustic Recordings
1. Violence
2. Walk the Fleet Road
3. Blood
4. Let Your Good Heart Lead You Home
5. Smokers
6. Fall
7. Two Hearted Spider
8. Distance
For all the information you need on how to order, including their very sexy range of vinyl editions, go here. There's also some bonus goodies in the form of an official release for the Snowfield Demos, which was what started my considerations of what this all means in the wider context of the band and their future. More on that in a minute.
What most people didn't see coming at all, however, was the statement about some live shows under the banner of "The Black Gold Tour" with the album as its centrepiece. Details are here.
7th September - Rahi posts a photograph of Tom with the tag "Waiting for Smith". Hmmm. Something's up.
10th September - Justin makes an appearance on the "Anyone Can Play Guitar Podcast". I haven't archived this yet because the makers of the show have indicated that the full interview with him will be released sometime soon.
September 24th - Black Gold video stills start showing up.
September 26th - The Black Gold video drops, Rahi is back in the band, the world is a better and brighter place for it.
September 27th - The acoustic version of Smokers from the upcoming Greatest Hits album is posted on YouTube, having already been posted and then removed a day earlier. It's a reworking of an old favourite, and possesses some wonderful echoes of R.E.M. unless I'm completely off the mark. Go and listen to the awesome Electrolite from New Adventures in Hi-Fi by that band to see what I mean.
Keep in mind that all of the above were in addition to the myriad of photos and videos from the Smith and Burrows sessions in Franklin, making this a very busy time. With all of this information to digest, it was only natural that those of us up to our earlobes in the cool, slow-flowing black waters of Editors fandom would start to analyse what we were seeing (or maybe that's just something I do). Before I continue, the usual rules apply; I have no contact with the band, we've never met and I'm probably bringing a lot of personal biases here. Only Tom knows what the lyrics are about and I have no privileged insights to speak of. I don't want them to split up...but only if they want to carry on. Lastly, there's every chance that I'm just seeing what I want to see, but current happenings have got me thinking. A lot. To those of us who have so much invested in Editors, and I've been on this ride for about 13 years, it's never as simple as just buying the records.
September 27th - The acoustic version of Smokers from the upcoming Greatest Hits album is posted on YouTube, having already been posted and then removed a day earlier. It's a reworking of an old favourite, and possesses some wonderful echoes of R.E.M. unless I'm completely off the mark. Go and listen to the awesome Electrolite from New Adventures in Hi-Fi by that band to see what I mean.
Keep in mind that all of the above were in addition to the myriad of photos and videos from the Smith and Burrows sessions in Franklin, making this a very busy time. With all of this information to digest, it was only natural that those of us up to our earlobes in the cool, slow-flowing black waters of Editors fandom would start to analyse what we were seeing (or maybe that's just something I do). Before I continue, the usual rules apply; I have no contact with the band, we've never met and I'm probably bringing a lot of personal biases here. Only Tom knows what the lyrics are about and I have no privileged insights to speak of. I don't want them to split up...but only if they want to carry on. Lastly, there's every chance that I'm just seeing what I want to see, but current happenings have got me thinking. A lot. To those of us who have so much invested in Editors, and I've been on this ride for about 13 years, it's never as simple as just buying the records.
If you recall, Editors are a band who in 2015 refused to spend too much time revisiting The Back Room on its tenth birthday, a trick they repeated two years later when the anniversary of An End Has a Start came around. In fact, they said even less about AEHAS. They have consistently maintained a steady course to the future, jettisoning the parasites of retrospection whenever they attached themselves with a preference for potential plans. It's always been about what's next. All of that changed this month with the announcement of a greatest hits tour. My main concern around all of this is not why this surrender to nostalgia is happening, because they've surprised everyone and deviated from type before, it's more about why now?
Maybe this is an indulgence to fans who incessantly complain about not hearing the older material enough? They have done this kind of thing before, where they actually asked people what they'd like to hear in the set and then tailored it accordingly. Whatever the reason, I feel like they've decided that if they are going to get introspective, they're going to go all-in. Such a drastic alteration in course warrants absolute focus, with no partial commitments or weak intent. This isn't just a collection of their old material, because a look at the sleeve notes betrays a serious application of thought to this whole enterprise. What could have been a typical, cynical music industry end of contract cash-in has become a collection of media and events. A celebration. They're collecting their history for consumption but also taking the time to pull it apart and evaluate it, and to act on what that means.
Maybe this is an indulgence to fans who incessantly complain about not hearing the older material enough? They have done this kind of thing before, where they actually asked people what they'd like to hear in the set and then tailored it accordingly. Whatever the reason, I feel like they've decided that if they are going to get introspective, they're going to go all-in. Such a drastic alteration in course warrants absolute focus, with no partial commitments or weak intent. This isn't just a collection of their old material, because a look at the sleeve notes betrays a serious application of thought to this whole enterprise. What could have been a typical, cynical music industry end of contract cash-in has become a collection of media and events. A celebration. They're collecting their history for consumption but also taking the time to pull it apart and evaluate it, and to act on what that means.
I'm yours to dissect now...
My guess is that the bulk of what's going to be played is on that track listing, but there could be a return for some older songs that may have been forgotten. After all, most of the songs on the album have been featured regularly in sets recently anyway, and Editors have a solid group of compositions that have been dormant for a long time, whether that's been a consciously decision or not. Perhaps it was because of the involvement of their former guitarist in their manufacture, and the reluctance to invoke all the contextual emotions attached therein. It could also just be a question of taste and preference that has them unattended in history, but the enduring fact is that there is a small reservoir of reliable older songs that deserve another listen. We should remember that as recently as the 5th September Russell was interviewed by Studio Brussel, and he confirmed that the Black Gold shows would be all about playing the singles and some "fan favourites".
There's also the question of what form the shows will take. When other bands have done gigs specifically centred around an album they often adhere to the original running order and play it in its entirety, and I wonder if that played a part in how they arranged the flow of music on the record beforehand?
Also, I know that No Sound but the Wind has had a long, long journey to find its place in this world, but imagine if they play the VI OLENCE take live? Go listen to the studio recording and then imagine Tom with just a microphone and Elliott providing piano and backing vocals? I think it would be a show-stopper.
There's also the question of what form the shows will take. When other bands have done gigs specifically centred around an album they often adhere to the original running order and play it in its entirety, and I wonder if that played a part in how they arranged the flow of music on the record beforehand?
Also, I know that No Sound but the Wind has had a long, long journey to find its place in this world, but imagine if they play the VI OLENCE take live? Go listen to the studio recording and then imagine Tom with just a microphone and Elliott providing piano and backing vocals? I think it would be a show-stopper.
So as all this new information dropped, a person with a more concerned mind may believe that there are pale red warning flags being unfurled at every turn. Not dark red, but not much lighter. The return of Jacknife Lee, the apology to Chris in the sleevenotes, bringing Rahi back in for another video, Tom's inclusion of his kids on the record, the Snowfield demos getting an official release etc etc. Then there's the lyrics and themes of a couple of the 3 songs from the Jacknife session. Frankenstein is more than likely a nod to the fans:-
A song for the freaks, a song of joy and escapism, a cartoon song for the different and for the night.
Black Gold contains lyrics which may or may not address a weariness with life on the road, relationships with their fans, as well as a wider questions of Editors' position in the musical tapestry in 2019:-
We are not going to be afraid, now it's a little late.
Did we ever belong?
The dawn never comes.
And we don't answer when we're wrong.
Just take the money then we're gone.
It makes me wonder what Upside Down will sound like and what the lyrical themes will be? As I said, if you're in the wrong frame of mind, which I may well be, there appears to be a series of signals indicating finality here. At the very least, it sounds like a very distinct and clear line is being drawn as a marker/barrier between the future and the past. For me, the most pressing question is...what does life after Black Gold look like? There's a heterogeneous collection of possible outcomes, and to my mind there would seem to be three main contenders for the next move. Again, as I said earlier I wouldn't be thrilled if the band broke up so don't mistake this as wishful thinking. Just an analysis of potential scenarios.
- Editors split. It's rare that a band goes out clean, ending their lifespan on their own terms and leaving everybody wanting more, without having thrown lye or mud on their legacy before they depart.
- Editors move forward having taken the time to look back and appreciate their past, normal service of writing/recording/delivering continues.
- Editors move forward having taken the time to look back and appreciate their past, normal service of writing/recording/delivering continues...but they use the greatest hits tour as an opportunity to leave behind some tracks they've doubtlessly grown exhausted of playing. Folks who have devoured their interviews over the years will know what songs they are.
October has already begun, and we should see the band in the media a little more as the campaign to promote Black Gold gets going. My hope is that these interviews, and the information they may provide, will succeed in making me look a little foolish, totally wrong and probably paranoid. Any of those three is fine with me ;)
For now, here's the abundance of photos and video from September 2019.
Editors Instagram September 2019
For all of Editors' previous Instagram posts, go here.
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
