Editors: Rarities

Editors try to keep the momentum up here, by repackaging a few B-sides and a track off the two-disc British limited edition version of their debut into an EP of Rarities (though the concept may sit a little oddly considering the band’s only been around for one album, a product of tracks leaked on blogs here and there). The disc’s a for-fans-only affair, offering little in the way of creative insight or undiscovered gems. “Heads In Bags” has the Editors’ trademark guitar-jangle, upbeat drum accompaniment, but it’s a kind of paint-by-numbers song, relying on the atmosphere and timbre of Tom Smith’s voice and the driving rhythms of the guitars and drums rather than any innately interesting melodic or harmonic tropes. It’s consistent across four of the five tracks: “You Are Fading” turns U2 arpeggios into Editors thick-textured sound but misses that group’s soaring triumph; “Colours” misses the point on its chorus, a repetition of melodic fragment that seems only half-formed. But the obligatory remix of the hit single — here it’s the cicada remix of “Munich” — is actually quite successful, turning the surging original into a deep house crowd-pleaser, slow-enunciated vocals overlying a hyperactive synth riff. It’s a minor uptick though: if this is a sign of things to come, get ready for the sophomore slump.