Editors – The Blanck Mass Sessions (2019) [FLAC 24bit/44,1kHz]

An electronica-infused alternative version of their acclaimed top 10 album Violence, The Blank Mass Sessions cast the songs in a bold new light, offering a fascinating insight into the album’s creative process. The story of The Blanck Mass Sessions begins in 2017. Editors invited producer Benjamin John Power, aka Blanck Mass, to deconstruct the recordings that were to be the building blocks of Violence, and reassemble them in his signature saw-toothed experimental electronica. The band then enlisted producer Leo Abrahams to find the middle ground between the two recordings, fusing the raw emotion of their takes with the sparse ferocity of the Blanck Mass original productions. Whilst this fusion of the three creative influences went on to become Violence, Benjamin’s versions remained a work of art worthy of their own release, as frontman Tom Smith explains: “When we initially approached Ben to work with us on Violence we gave him free reign to do whatever he wanted. It seemed stupid to try and instill any boundaries or direction to him as he has such a singular, authored sound to everything he puts his hand to… so we left him to it. The results of that process being this release. A very visceral version of our album Violence.”

While working on their sixth full-length, Violence, English rock band Editors recorded their own version before handing it over to electronic noise maestro Benjamin John Power (aka Blanck Mass), who put his own experimentally expansive spin on the tracks. Producer Leo Abrahams balanced the two extremes, resulting in what would become the final version of the album, issued in March 2018. A year later, Editors decided to give the Blanck Mass versions an official release. The Blanck Mass Sessions includes those distorted alternate visions of seven tracks from Violence (everything but “No Sound But the Wind” and “Belong”), adding previously unreleased track “Barricades.” These synth-based doppelgangers amplify the digital dread and anxiety, paring away much of the guitar groove and live drumming from the originals while slathering atmospheric layers over it all. The original post-chorus squall on “Hallelujah (So Low)” transforms into a bright exploration that frosts down-tuned guitars with icy synths, resulting in a blend that might be the offspring of Bastille and Nine Inch Nails. Other highlights include a fuzzed-out take on “Nothingness” that echoes a Radiohead B-side and a towering reimagining of “Counting Spooks” that is split between an epic opening half that descends into electro-pop bliss reminiscent of a Depeche Mode remix. Elsewhere, “Violence” and “Magazine” clash and clang, providing ample remixes to the originals without changing too much of the formula. The only misstep on the album is “Darkness at the Door,” which burdens the soaring original with a cluttered, atonal approach that is viscerally unsettling. Overall, hearing the early versions that preceded the final product is a delightful behind-the-scenes peek into the recording process. As a sonic complement to Violence, Blanck Mass Sessions offers a fresh perspective on one of Editors’ finest albums to date. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Tracklist:
1. Barricades
2. Cold
3. Hallelujah (So Low)
4. Violence
5. Darkness at the Door
6. Nothingness
7. Magazine
8. Counting Spooks

Download:

mqs.link_Edit0rsTheBlanckMassSessi0ns20192444.1.rar