Instead of copping the nostalgic style of its post-punk, early '80's forbearers, Editors choose simply to imitate as blatantly as possible. I suppose, for anyone who didn't grow up on Joy Division or Echo & the Bunnymen, Editors would sound refreshingly inventive amidst the more commercial fringes of alternative rock, which are still draped in the last throes of emo. But the idiosyncratic and iconic music that Editors mime here sounds disingenuous when presented without so much as a wink to acknowledge what came before.

The frustrating part is that Editors imitate so well that it's almost forgivable. Vocalist Tom Smith's sturdy baritone betrays obvious influences that I'm pained to reference again, and his band employs a stiff intensity in its singular pursuit of Interpol's sloppy seconds. If it weren't for the fact that this has been done into the ground, Editors might be onto something. But as it stands, Editors are in the wrong place at the wrong time. In a vacuum, Editors are sleek, edgy, and exciting. However, in the context of the current musical climate, which is overrun with references to these very threads, Editors sound exploitative and uninspired.