The Book LA was there too and we are proud to bring you an exclusive and “unedited” interview with Chris Urbanowicz (guitar), Russel Leetch (bass), and Ed Lay (drums). Singer Tom Smith was unfortunately not available at the time. Here are Editors in their own words.

BKLA: : Life before Editors.
MChris Urbanowicz: I'm from Nottingham, were we like to rob from the rich and give to the poor. After I left school, I became embroiled in a military drug scam in Bangkok. This proved to be a tough time as Thailand prisons are notoriously
notorious. After three years I escaped and spent a small time embargoed in the south of France testing my knowledge of wines in a russian roulette cyanide spiked merlot field with an old man named Laurent. After earning enough money to fly home, my plane was brought down unexpectedly over Birmingham.

Read the entire interview...

We were not given official links to videos. The following links were found using a Google search:

Munich
Blood

At a time where everything is remixed, repackaged or refurbished, it’s nice to see that there’s still room for one more novel idea. Black Eyed Peas band leader Will.I.Am could have been content to sample Sergio Mendes renowned Samba anthems brought to fame by his bands Brazil 66 and Brazil 77. But on the aptly named Timeless (Concord Records), Hip Hop and R&B are fused into a brand new production with help from The Black Eyed Peas, Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, India Arie, Justin Timberlake, Q-Tip, members of the Roots and Jurassic 5 who get down Rio style. But even this much star power can’t overshadow Mendes engrossing compositions, and surprisingly it is Hip Hop here that is getting a face lift. Make sure to catch our exclusive coverage of the first ever live performance of this album at the Peapod benefit concert on February 6th. in the special events section.

It would take the combined DNA of Louise Brooks, Marlene Dietrich and Donna Summer to clone Alison Goldfrapp, the futuristic Glam Diva fronting the UK duo of the same name. You’d then need the highest form of Artificial Intelligence to successfully extract and combine one hundred years of popular culture. Supernature (Mute) is a time machine resurrecting the sounds of T-Rex, Gorgio Moroder, Gary Newman and (then electro-funk) Prince into our present. Dark design or synthetic pleasure? Does this future-retro tribute improve on the material that inspired it? Maybe Goldfrapp just points out the obvious: every moment in time is the sum of everything that has happened before, from electricity to glitter, to disco.

Following Zero 7 vocalists and bandmates Sia (see January feature), Sophie Barker and Tina Dico, Mozez is the latest to embark on a solo expedition with his debut So Still (Apache Music). While the Zero 7 collective contributes its downtempo sensibility to a few tracks, other producers like Ben Chapman, Guy Sigsworth (Madonna, Bjork), and Nightmares On Wax help create an eclectic array of mellow grooves. His lush vocals mix up sensuality and lyrics sung with great conviction. As a black British artist, Mozez has more options to position himself away from the mainstream, and while his repertoire is rooted in the classic Soul of Marvin and Curtis, it also propels the genre into its future. This is music you can feel.

One who clearly understands that the voice is the greatest instruments is Frou Frou front woman Imogen Heap. Having left an indelible imprint on the music landscape by way of soundtrack placement in Garden State (with Frou-Frou), the O.C. and Narmia (the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), her otherworldly vocal styling -reminiscent of Kate Bush, Sinead O’Connor, and Laurie Anderson- have become a distinctive and recognizable trademark. Even when using complex production tricks like voice layering and an arsenal of pro-tooled beats, her songs are just made to sing and dance to. Even the fluff stems from the mind of a mad scientist, and Speak for Yourself (RCA) is a breakthrough debut that can be rediscovered differently every time it is played.

Even if the French are often up to no good, DJ Cam’s discography proves just the opposite. The turntable maestro has made a career out of jumping chips, from his abstract Jazz and psychedelic breaks to street style hip hop, until his more recent foray as an Acid Jazz composer and producer. Cam has equally deceived and surprised, never staying on one path for long, reinventing himself with each new record. Revisited By (Recall) offers shortcuts between these eras while peers like Thievery Corporation, Kenny Dope, Kid loco, (the recently departed) J-Dilla and others skillfully deconstruct, retool and add their personal touch to some of his most outstanding work. Putting his own music through the process that created it in the first place is a good way to keep it fresh, offer a coherent retrospective, and not insult fans with a generic “best of”.

buy it now

Once upon a time when DJ Shadow was barely out of pre-school and Beck was still learning the guitar, UK duo Coldcut were the undisputed master of the audio collage. When asked in an interview what they called their hybrid concoction, they’d offer this puzzling reply: “Country-Disco-Symphonic-Punk”. By the mid 90’s, Coldcut was so experimental with all things scratched and sampled, that their records stayed mostly underground left to the appreciation of their peers and music pundits. Sound Mirrors (ninja tunes), their first album in 8 years, is a far more accessible return to form, and proves that you can’t get off solely on what the critics are saying. No longer is every genre imaginable crammed on one track. Rather each are juxtaposed, even as rock, electro, bangra, house or hip hop are subjected to enough tweaks to throw you off base. Guest vocalists Jon Spencer of the Blues Explosion, Robert Owens, Roots Manuva and Saul Williams (who continues to blow minds one spoken word piece at a time) lend their unique personality to each song. Whatever ingenious mind is at work in here, must be working overtime.

buy it now

Taking advantage of the single greatest promotional tool available to any recording artist these days, I recently caught up with Chanteuse Billy Miles on myspace. Though her self titled debut on Azrea Records came out a while back, it’s never too late to promote great talent, especially when it hasn’t received all the exposure it deserves. Essentially, Miss Miles does R&B, but with the torchy sensibility of a 40’s Jazz band. Because of this old school flavor, Billy has been compared to another Billy, an inaccurate analogy that robs her of her own artistic merit. There’s a little of that raspiness in both, but her playful quirkiness keeps the mood upbeat, and her purring masks defiant self affirming lyrics. Even if occasionally bittersweet, there’s no singing the Blues for this lady.

Liner notes for The Elected sophomore album Sun, Sun, Sun (Sub Pop), talk of songs and melodies inspired by the open road and endless interstates stretching for miles between gigs. Some of the songs were allegedly recorded while traveling, capturing first impressions of unfamiliar places. This “Bohemian Americana” is as easy on the ears as a camp fire tale, mixing blues and folk roots with incidental pop oddities. Blake Sennett, on a time out from playing guitar in Rilo Kiley, applies his falsetto to emotionally charged melodies, built on bare bones arrangements reminiscent of REM or the late Elliott Smith. It takes a wandering heart to travel the open road, but sometimes a guitar and a song can bring it home.

Attention shoppers! For your 21st. Century Art Rock fix, please find Pilotdrift’s new album Water Sphere (Good Records) in the Texas oddities section on the same shelf as label mates Polyphonic Spree. Please read all labels carefully, as we offer no guaranty on what you may find inside, other than a brilliant case of free association bordering on the schizophrenic. You might also not be able to adequately relate your listening experience to friends and family, and words like “psychedelic”, “operatic”, “cinematic” and “progressive” will offer only loose references. You then might realize that you are on the edge of a musical experience you cannot describe. Please proceed to the cashier line with caution and an open mind.

On her sophomore album Change It All (Sony), bay area songstress Goapele goes in search of rainbows in dark places. Her socially conscious lyrics override the sensual grooves, and if change is the running thread of the album, it is implied but never preached. Every song brings the realization that any transformation starts with one’s self, and the flow runs deep, using common sense to question social ills, positive affirmation to mend personal strife. The album was recorded in Goapele’s Oakland studio, with collaborations from Sa-Ra Creative Partners (Jill Scott, Bilal), former 4 non blondes front woman and chart topping producer Linda Perry (Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stephani, Pink), Bay Area hip hop producer Bedrock (E-40), soulman Dwele, all choice ingredients to give rise once more to a truly original voice in the world of R&B.

For questions or submissions email mgoldstein@thebookla.com

I met the remaining three members of editors there who were stationed in the West Midlands after being caught for numerous air mile scams they picked up whilst working as stewards. Needless to say, we had all done our time and embarked on a far safer journey of rock'n'roll. Actually, that's not strictly true. I went to University in Stafford. Nothing happened for four years.
Ed Lay: I’m from a small town called Ipswich near the east coast of England. Its one of those places with a little interesting history of its own, but now is one of many towns, of homogeneous architecture and attitude, across the country. Aside from a brief jaunt as an airline steward, I’ve had countless jobs in countless offices, call centres, pubs, factories and hotels. I also tried my luck at university, and although, discovering the expensive way that im not the most studious of fellows, I certainly found a talent for watching North American sports in the middle of the night. Being in Editors is just a stop gap. My real passion is mathematics.
Russel Leetch: I am from Solihull very close to Birmingham.

BKLA: Putting the band together
CU: I lived with Ed at University and met the others as friends not long afterwards. We all ended up living together. The band has been a part of my life for four or five years and I have sacrificed a lot to be on this adventure but I wouldn't change anything for all the Bentleys in the world. I really wouldn't, I feel that there's unfinished business with the band.
RL: I’ve always wanted to be involved in making music, and was determined to take this career. We got lucky in meeting like-minded people at University, became friends and our music grew out of that friendship.

BKLA: Bandmates.
CU: Ed: Dad, Gary, Geoff, Reliable, a very good friend, has a high mocking
threshold. Russell: Often a disgrace, has an alter-ego called "The Leetch" who is terrifying, massive. Tom: Tall, slender, often defies gravity.
EL: Tom: The most honest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Russell: The tidiest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Chris: The laziest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
RL: Lanky, Black hair, Tiny- see if you can differentiate.

BKLA: Birmingham.
RL: We were based in Birmingham whilst writing our first album but since the release we’ve been home for 3 weeks maximum so we’ve got rid of our house and moved back in with our folks. No point paying rent for 12 months a year when your only there for 3 weeks! It’s such a big and culturally diverse city that there has never been a ‘scene’ as such- like Manchester. There are some great small venues, the flapper and firkin and the jug of ale- being two of them. These venues get all the up and coming acts from all over the place and its great to see them in sweaty exciting rooms. The local bands that don’t have record deals are very supportive to one another.
CU: I like it, It's certainly not a trendy place and it's not full of hipsters. I guess that makes it more real. There's not as many wannabes and people are very genuine. There are a lot of good venues too. The only problem is that Birmingham is very large but also very culturally diverse so it struggles to have an identity or start a scene.
EL: Brum has a pretty good little scene that stays under the national radar somewhat. Its stealth-like. There’s nothing quite like going to a gig and knowing pretty much everyone in the little room, it's a sense of community that I’d hate to lose.

BKLA: Fast times
CU: It's all gone very crazy in the UK over the last couple of months, our latest single went top ten, the album went to number two and went platinum and loads of gigs sold out. You can never expect that to happen, especially as it's happened six months after the album dropped. We're buzzing at the moment.
EL: Its humbling. I cannot believe there are so many people in the UK and mainland Europe who are spending their hard earned cash on our record. Even more flattering are those who travel to our gigs and spend their valuable time with us.
RL: It's great that people know our words all over the world and sing them back to us when at our gigs.

BKLA: Music to your ears.
CU: Then: Anything and everything from The Strokes to Elbow to The Walkmen to Echo and the Bunnymen to TV on the Radio to The Cure to Oasis to Pharcyde. I've always said that my main influence is my surroundings and my feeling at the time of writing. Now: Richard Hawley, Tom Vek, The National, GangStarr, Television, Vitalic, Tiga, We are Scientists, Forward Russia, Shout out louds, Kate Bush, Talking Heads.....
EL: Then: As a band, it's melodic stuff. Records with depth and passion. Personally, I was a little rock kid, I loved Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins, Deftones and ill always flick a set of horns up for the daddies; Metallica. These are the bands that made me want to smash the fuck out of a set of drums. Now: Theres a band from Birmingham called Shady Bard, I have a feeling they are going to be something special. Im quite into British Urban stuff like The Streets, Kano and I just picked up the debut from an angry little chap called Sway. I had a chat with the Mitchell brothers last night too which was pretty exciting. Aside from those, an Elbow record is never more than a couple of feet from my stereo.
RL: Then: Elbow, Spiritualized, REM, Radiohead, Neil Young, Blur, The Walkmen, Embrace, Primal Scream, Mogwai, Television, Tv on the radio. Now: the Beatles, The National, Modest Mouse, Ambulance LTD, Amusement parks on fire, Archie Bronson Outfit, Kate Bush, Arab Strap, The Spinto Band, Constantines..

BKLA: A good Editors song needs...
CU: Good hooks and good dynamics. If we play it and the hair stands up on our
necks then we're usually doing something right.
EL: Control, Speed, Damage and Aggression.
RL: Everyday life and experiences are the main inspiration for the majority of lyrics. We are yet to make our best or greatest Editors song.

BKLA: “Back Room” favorite
CU: All Sparks, it nearly didn't make it but Jim our producer sorted it out and now it rocks. It's the closest we have to a head banger, more of a head nodder.
EL: I listened through it for the first time in months the other day, and you know what? its all pretty bloody good. Most surprising song though is ‘Someone Says’. It s essentially a raw rock song with production that's smoother than the cream in a Twinkie, and the combination works a treat.
RL: I’m not going to pick one because it would look as though the others on the album aren’t as good.

BKLA: Breakfast in America
CU: Well we did east side and west side and missed out the middle. Firstly LA is crazy. It's like a fantasy town. I fell in love with New York, I was expecting to be overawed but I felt I fit in by the end of it and felt like a local. I'm currently looking for houses. If anyone has a spare room going, I will gladly fill their void. I am however still seeking good food.
EL: Well I cant wait to come back, so that's saying something. I need to get a bigger wallet when I come to LA though; I have never been given so many business cards in my life! I also need to get some more comfortable shoes so I can dance till even later in New York. Its a really big place you have over there, just looking forward to seeing some of it.
RL: The audience was excited to see us, was more vocal in different cities although everywhere was very welcoming. Only saw the big cities on the East and West coasts so are yet to see that massive gap in the middle. I did think that the ‘no dancing’ law in New York was ridiculous- especially at a club- very bizarre. I would love to see some green beans and broccoli in restaurants.

BKLA: Your (brand new) US label
RL: The Fader label is ace. The people around us are fun to be around and are as supportive as KItchenware- our UK label. We are all excited about releasing the record in the US.
EL: Truly exciting. I get the feeling that Fader really want us, they are all well up for the challenge and have already made us feel right at home. Its notoriously hard to make any sort of impression on the US market, but with this bunch of young upstarts watching our backs, I think we have a realistic chance of doing so.

BKLA: the biz.
EL: I really tend not to think about the business side of it too much. We are in a very privileged position as a band because we are on labels both here and the US that are doing right by us. Unfortunately there are many great bands who deserve far more attention than they are getting from their labels, and subsequently not making the impact they should on the industry.

BKLA: CD vs. mp3
CU: There's room for both. Personally I like having an in-sleeve and I like fishing through artwork. It represents the bands identity. Then again the last five albums I bought were off I-Tunes because I don’t want CD's cluttering up my travel bag and getting wrecked.
EL: Artists tend to put a lot of thought into their record sleeves so it great to have a CD/ record as it adds to the experience of discovering new music. However for me, whose home is a tour bus bunk, space is at a premium and Digital is where it's at.
RL: CD’s are way better. I love having a CD / Vinyl / Cassette in my hand, you get the artwork and the physical product rather than a file on your computer that will most probably get wiped when your computer gets the newest super virus.

BKLA: Favorite band anecdote
CU: Probably getting locked out of a car park were our bus was parked, climbing over a fence, breaking the lock and driving to freedom.....well Oxford.
EL: When we were just starting out, we got given a support slot with a well hyped signed band so we were really excited to play a big gig with a proper audience. We arrived at the venue (quite a cavernous place), and the main band had all their flight cases lined up on the stage. Eagerly, I went up to them to introduce myself in an overexcited support band type way, and when I turned my back to depart I sent a guitar flying with a trailing leg and a domino effect ensued making the most gigantic, echoing crash. I froze with fear and embarrassment, and the main band did not speak with me for the rest of the night.
RL: When we played Glasgow King Tuts. After we finished playing ‘Bullets’ people wouldn’t stop screaming and shouting in admiration. We all looked round at each other and suddenly thought FUCK, people really do love our music- nothing can ever take that moment away.

BKLA: Next stop: Coachella
CU: I'm excited to play a festival this hot. I am officially the pastiest indie band member in the UK. It also seems to be the coolest festival in the world which is obviously a good thing.
EL: So to Cochella. Im really excited by the prospect of playing here. As a kid I always was interested in American Rock music, and Cochella and Lollapalooza were the big festivals that these boys played at. So it's got the history, and we are determined to put our own stamp firmly on the festival this summer.
RL: Very excited to play… and in the sun! Hopefully we won’t get sunstroke. Looking forward to see Shedloads. TV on the radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs especially.

BKLA: Future ambitions
RL: To headline Glastonbury

We asked two of our favorite taste makers to share their thoughts on Editors
Nic Harcourt (Kcrw): Although its music scene is not as renowned as those of Liverpool or Manchester, Birmingham has had a vibrant musical history as the birthplace for bands like Black Sabbath, Traffic, Electric Light Orchestra and Duran Duran. Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant is also a Brummy. I first heard of the band when I was doing an interview for a local Birmingham paper. I asked the journalist what was going on in the music scene, he mentioned a band fast on the rise named Editors and he sent me a CD. Their music grabbed me immediately and made me want to dance, which is a little unusual for me [laugh]. Editors fits in with many new English bands that borrow influences from the Post Punk scene like Franz Ferdinand, Block Party or Artic Monkeys. They are already huge in Europe and I honestly think they have a shot at the big time here, but it takes more than making a good album of course. You can’t help but feeling a little pride when something this good comes out of your hometown
Jason Bentley (Kcrw-Kroq): Editors burst onto the scene at KCRW with "Blood" in the Fall of 2005. I'm not sure if it was an official single or if someone sent along a CDr copy, but in any case it was a sensation from the start. Early comparisons to classic post-punk bands simply couldn't hold due to the quality and confidence of the sound. This band hit the ground running. I soon favored "Munich" for airplay on both KCRW and KROQ, and the anticipation started to build leading up to their debut Los Angeles performances. With hundreds of CDs crossing my desk each month, Editors were clearly something special. The next test is their performance at Coachella 2006. If they can manage to make a strong impression on that desert stage, it would be pivotal in getting to the next level. I'm predicting big things for these guys.


Words and photos: Marc Goldstein (www.myspace.com/mar©). Make Up: Michelle Morgan. Style: Jamie Crowley. Shot on location in Los Angeles at the Natural History Museum. Special thanks: Jennifer Westphal. Lawrence Petty and Jonny Kaps, Nat Hays and Jessica Park @ +1 Management. See photos of Editors first West Coast performance at Cinespace (1/17/05) in our special event section.

Editors online:
www.editorsofficial.com
www.myspace.com/editorsmusic

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