The Back Room＜Clear Vinyl＞

Before issuing their debut, The Back Room, in August 2005, Editors were immediately compared to the dark, brooding sounds of Interpol as well as the post-punk brashness of Echo & the Bunnymen. Singles such as "Blood" and "Bullets" quickly put Editors in the elite crowd of those to watch that year. The band -- Tom Smith (vocals/guitar), Chris Urbanowicz (guitar), Russell Leetch (bass), and Ed Lay (drums) -- compose a tight rock sound that's both raw and defined, particularly on album opener "Lights." Editors are an anxious, frantic, and passionate group, and the album is done with taste from the start. Smith is vocally passionate without being too steely, unlike Interpol frontman Paul Banks, as he exclaims, "I've got a million things to say," while his bandmates add to the song's rushing intensity. From there, the blistering "Munich" and the more luxurious, danceable "Blood" are the standout moments of this 11-song set. "Munich" is one of The Back Room's especially stylish numbers, thanks to the matching guitar work of both Smith and Urbanowicz. The surging storm that is "Bullets" is further proof that from the first note, The Back Room lunges at you with a dynamic that's fierce, wiry, and slightly fashionable. Alternative rock hasn't seen anything like this since the release of Turn on the Bright Lights. ~ MacKenzie Wilson

長州小力が本家長州を超えて世間に認知された（?）ように、ジョイ・ディヴィジョンを父に持つ昨今のUKシーンにおける〈ジョイディヴィ・チルドレン〉もまた、親離れをするときが来た。そう確信させられる決定打の登場だ。静かに、しかし取り返しのつかないほどに波打つ漆黒ビートの海原を、サーチライトの如く照らすギター・フレーズが淡々と導き、さらにそれを縫うようにイアン・カーティスを思わせるナルシシズムとニヒリズムをふんだんに含んだヴォーカルが漂う。ズバリその性は〈陰鬱〉である。絶望的暗黒という無痛状態から繰り出される必殺の鋭角を誇る楽曲は、着飾っただけの〈耽美〉をズタズタに切り裂き、とてつもない本気度が窺える。息つく暇もない今作の〈窒息寸前の体験〉こそが、ニューウェイヴの〈蘇生（リヴァイヴァル）〉を凌駕した、カサビアンと並ぶ現代のビート・アサシン誕生の歴史的瞬間なのである。
bounce (C)加賀 龍一