EDITORS

Editors - a band from Birmingham, England - will no doubt be relegated by many to the Interpol knock-off bin, just as Interpol themselves are dismissed by some as shameless imitators of Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen. Fair enough in both cases, perhaps.

But I've been enjoying this '80s wave for quite some time now, and while Editors may be offering nothing particularly new or original with their debut LP, The Back Room, I'm still buying the vibe: dark and at least superficially delicious.

Anyway, at this late date in human history, I'm not entirely sure it's possible for an artist of any type to be truly original. Everything's been said, seen, expressed, and heard before. So, as we wait for the avian flu to come calling for all of us, we should probably find a way to be more forgiving of new artists attempting to carve out their own identities on this thoroughly second-hand planet.

[Unfortunately, at the moment, it would seem that The Back Room is only available to Americans as a predictably pricey import. But here are some songs in the meantime...]

[MP3] [left-click] "Blood"

[MP3] [left-click] "Lights"

[MP3] [left-click] "All Sparks"