And End Has a Start - A Year On...

25th June 2007, possibly one of the most British and most innovative, transfixing and astounding albums of the 21st century hit the shelves. Yes, it was “An End Has a Start” by Midlands group, Editors. Their follow-up to debut album “The Back Room”, the second release is often regarded as making or breaking a band’s career, but there were no worries here.
The past year has been a true journey, for me and the band alike. The Band have now conquered the US and a good majority of Europe, topped the album chart and the top 40 chart, as well as seeing lead vocalist Tom Smith become a father to Rudy Brae, with long-term radio one presenter girlfriend, Edith Bowman; phenomenal. In comparison, the past 12 months for myself has seen me fall victim to temptation, love, loss, and the perils of a taste for the night life and city lights. You could say that innocent part of me has slipped away, much like “And End Has a Start”; with death, and passing being an integral part of the album’s focus and surrounding.
When it came out last summer, many criticized this theme of death as being too foreboding, and having smothering overtones within the music, but as with any piece of art, it’s always down to interpretation. From the first time I pressed play, I found “An End Has a Start” to not be depressing and centering on mortality, but in fact, I found it to be a true celebration of life, hearing life in the beat of the songs, and the charisma coming through Smith’s wistful words. Looking back now, it is quite ironic. The concept of death/life came to be after a personal loss of the band, and that end, saw a new start with the band progressing professionally and within their family lives.
For me, this record has been there through the romances, the break ups, making love, heartaches, the low times, the fights, and the day-to-day stress and confusion, that life holds. The album remains pristine, and never tarnished and represents life in its pure essence; what they successfully capture. “Look up, through the trees to feel as small as you can”, and other lyrics, “Can I start this again?” are all lyrical concepts that we can all relate to, making the band and their material so accessible and so genuine. For a long time, I think “An Has a Start” will remain a very exclusive and individual record for me, reminding me of summers, love and making me feel alive, amplified by Chris Urbanowicz’s unbelievable and breath-taking riffs.
I remember seeing them for the first time in 3 years last May, hearing previews of “The Racing Rats” and “Escape the Nest”, and being spell-bound, having it on CD only made it worse, being able to hear that power again and again for my own entertainment, and these tracks still remain as fresh as on that tour. This album, as well as the band as a whole, remains cutting edge, compelling and outstanding. I truly love it. With the risk of sounding cheesy, this band is a real favourite of mine and I owe a lot to them for the making of this album. Since its release, I’ve literally listened to it every day and I can guarantee it’ll remain a frequently played album within my music collection. 10, 20, 30 Years from now, it’ll mean just as much to me as it did then and now; still sounding utterly epic and remarkable. If you haven’t managed to even get a glimpse of “And End Has a Start” over the past 12 months, where have you been? Do it. Now!