Editors - 'Papillon'
It's a risky business naming your new song after a word which has nothing but positive connotations for the world at large. Papillon is french for butterfly, and we all love a butterfly, right? It's also the name of a staggeringly good '70s film starring Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen, which was itself taken from a well-loved book of the same name.
There again, it's also a risky business for an indie guitar band to put down the guitars and wander over to the synthesizer section of the music shop. Even if they are officially retro synthesizers, and therefore have stood the fabled Test Of Time that rock fans are so fond of, the fact remains that fans of guitar bands tend to prefer their guitar bands to play guitars.
So, everything to play for, lots to lose...
(. You can run all you like, mate, McDonalds is still shut.)
I'm probably the wrong person to make a judgement on whether this new direction is a good idea, as I was never that sold on Editors in the first place. Too much overstatement, too much huff and puff, too much Hercules Goes To The Shops. So while some people are gnashing their teeth because 'real' music has been taken over by something 'fake', I'm sitting here wondering why they didn't try something like this years ago.
It helps that there's a one-finger refrain at the heart of this which is worthy of Gary Numan's better moments, or the theme tune to TV's The IT Crowd (I know, THAT good!). It also helps that the chorus is close to the best thing they've done. That falling, pleading melody around the line "if there really was a God here" is destined to be sung back at the band by a teary front row for, well, as long as they continue to play the song, really.
'Papillon' also answers one question which has plagued romantic indie fans for years; what Joy Division would have sounded like if Ian Curtis hadn't died. Synths were already part of the Joy Division sound, and New Order went on to make some of the best electropop of the '80s, and people made a LOT of electropop in the 1980s. I know, I was THERE, MAN.
Well now we know: They'd have been grand.
Download: October 11th
CD Released: October 12th
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comment number 1.
At 6th Oct 2009, spirit wrote:I have loved "PAPILLON " for ages now , and yes it is well up there with Editors best work. For me , this includes :
Bullets
All sparks
Munich
Fingers in the factories
Lights
Blood
Smokers outside the hospital doors
The Racing rats
An end has a start
Papillon takes a few listens but when Tom sings that chorus hook , I find it so pleadingly beautiful .
Love the fact that they have torn up their template and come back with something different .
What they have not torn up however , is their deep ability to write a song full of hooks and subtle melody .
This is a soaring lead single .
The album IN THIS LIGHT AND ON THIS EVENING is released very soon .
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
At 6th Oct 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:Complain about this comment (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
At 6th Oct 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:OK, no idea what happened there. Must've pressed 'Post Comment' by accident. Move along, nothing to see here...
Complain about this comment (Comment number 3)
Comment number 4.
At 6th Oct 2009, CurtainJerker wrote:Idiot.
Anyway, this song is fantastic. I've never been an Editors fan (do you think their real fans call them "Eds"? I bet they don't), but this song was enough to convince me to listen to their album online.
Sadly, although I was there ready to be pulled in, they didn't quite manage it, so I remain not-an-Editors-fan. But that doesn't stop this being another one of my favourites of the year. Brilliant.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 4)
Comment number 5.
At 6th Oct 2009, spirit wrote:" I was there ready to be pulled in , but they didn't quite manage it . "
Ah , the tug of war contest between Curtains and Editors continues...
Complain about this comment (Comment number 5)
Comment number 6.
At 6th Oct 2009, flatknees wrote:massive statement about joy division near the end there Fraser.. somewhat controversial methinks.. no matter.. good track, really dramatic..
i shall wait patiently for deadmau5 - ghosts and stuff review... in the shadows...
Complain about this comment (Comment number 6)
Comment number 7.
At 6th Oct 2009, spirit wrote:Totally agree FK ,nobody knows how Joy Division would have sounded if Ian Curtis would have continued in the band . It's an impossible answer .
Things that are for sure however ,is that Joy Division are an extremely dear and important band in many peoples lives , and another , is that Joy Division remain one of the most influential bands that England have ever produced .
I never knew them at the time , but through research I now rate "Love will tear us apart " and "Atmosphere " as very important songs in my life . There are other treasures to be found also .
Sometimes investigating the past can be very rewarding...
Complain about this comment (Comment number 7)
Comment number 8.
At 6th Oct 2009, spirit wrote:Seriously , if there is anyone out there who likes Editors , but has never heard :
Love will tear us apart by Joy Division.
Take some time and listen to it , it's so good it hurts...
Brilliant , brilliant song.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 8)
Comment number 9.
At 6th Oct 2009, flatknees wrote:your dead on the money there spirit. love will tear us apart can break people
Complain about this comment (Comment number 9)
Comment number 10.
At 7th Oct 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:Good shout on The Racing Rats Spirit.. think its my fav Editors song.
Liking this new track too. The thought they have put into changing their sound much welcomed.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 10)
Comment number 11.
At 7th Oct 2009, DanRhyn wrote:I used to be quite indifferent to Editors, I had the first album and thought it was OK but that I might as well listen to Interpol instead, and that was it until I saw them at a festival this summer. I went along to the stage expecting to be underwhelmed but they really surprised me, both the new and old stuff just sounded amazingly good in the live setting, and having had a listen to the new album I think they've managed to keep up that promise on the recording.
It's made me go back and listen to the old stuff too, and Papillon is definitely up there with their very best (Bullets, All Sparks & Munich), The Back Room really is a great complete album, though I'm still not sold on the second album, despite a couple of strong singles.
And although I know a lot of Joy Division fans may see your final comments as blasphemy, I think you're pretty much spot on.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 11)
Comment number 12.
At 8th Oct 2009, spirit wrote:Can anyone , apart from people totally guessing wildly,know how Joy Division would have sounded , if Ian Curtis was still alive ? No one really knows, as life's slings and arrows can change on a daily basis.
For a start , Tom Smith is not Ian Curtis ,he's Tom Smith and Editors are not Joy Division , they are Editors .
They are two separate bands , almost 30 years apart.
Both are bands who have brought a lot of good songs to the world , one did it in the 70's and 1980 . and ones doing it now .
If Bernie, Pete and Steve come on this blog and say that Papillon was due to be their next single release in 1981 , with Ian on vocals , but they instead decided to wait 29 years and give the song to Editors,then we will all know for sure..
Until then , lets just enjoy a fantastic Editors single.
Ian Curtis R.I.P
Complain about this comment (Comment number 12)
Comment number 13.
At 8th Oct 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:We ARE enjoying it, thanks. There's only one person here who seems to be frowning and it's not me. Look :-)
Complain about this comment (Comment number 13)
Comment number 14.
At 8th Oct 2009, spirit wrote:This is brilliant ! Now we are all agreed that Papillon is the good new single by EDITORS, let's all smile. :) :) :)
Complain about this comment (Comment number 14)
Comment number 15.
At 13th Oct 2009, spirit wrote:Editors album came out yesterday , caught me by surprise as it came out the same day as the single.
It's sounding good.
Anyway , expect a high new entry for the album , along with Chipmunk , Shakira , The Saturdays and Taio Cruz .
The last Editors album went to NUMBER 1 , can this one do the same ?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 15)
Comment number 16.
At 16th Oct 2009, spirit wrote:Papillon is currently the number 1 single in . . . . . . . . Belguim !
Complain about this comment (Comment number 16)
Comment number 17.
At 18th Oct 2009, spirit wrote:EDITORS have the NUMBER 1 album !!!
I am so happy !!
Superb , comment 15 rings true xx
Complain about this comment (Comment number 17)