The Back Room (album)


The Back Room is the debut studio album by British post-punk revival band Editors, released on 25 July 2005. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 13 in July 2005, before peaking at number 2 in January 2006. It was produced by Jim Abbiss, and was released by Kitchenware in the United Kingdom, PIAS Recordings in Europe, and Fader Label in the United States.
The Back Room was met with critical acclaim. It received a 2006 Mercury Prize nomination.

Overview

A limited special two-disc edition of The Back Room was released in the United Kingdom, the second disc comprising unused tracks from the album recording sessions and B-sides. In the Netherlands and Germany, the album was re-released in a limited, Festival Edition CD/DVD set including a 50-minute concert recorded at Paradiso in Amsterdam, on 30 January 2006.

Critical reception

The Back Room received generally positive reviews with a Metacritic score of 76 based on 23 reviews.
E! Online has written that "The Back Room is a fine album that proves you can look backward while paving the way forward", giving an album score 91 of 100. Drowned in Sound has written that it's "how Interpol would sound like if they dealt with universal themes and reflection rather than singing about fellatio fantasies with Stella, or their length of loves". AllMusic Guide said that "Alternative rock hasn't seen anything like this since the release of Turn on the Bright Lights." NME wrote that "this is a debut that will endure", and The Guardian wrote "The longer you listen, the better they become." However, Pitchfork has written that "Editors sound like an earnest rock band who grew up loving the same bands as the current batch of revivalists, but beyond the workmanlike interpretations of their heroes, it's hard to swallow."
The album was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Prize.

Track listing

All tracks by Lay, Leetch, Smith, Urbanowicz.

Certifications and sales