The Blanck Mass Sessions is a 2019 EP from British indie rock band Editors in collaboration with electronic musician Blanck Mass. Released as a Record Store Day promotion, it has received mixed reviews from critics.
Reception.
Editors at AllMusic rated this album 3 out of 5 stars, with critic Neil Z. Yeung writing that "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" and that compared to the versions of these songs on 2017's "Violence", this release "offers a fresh perspective on one of Editors' finest albums to date". Barney Harsent of "The Arts Desk" gave this release 2 out of 5 stars, calling the decision to allow Blanck Mass to remix the music a "fairly ballsy move by the band" and continued that while "there is some grade A production technique on display here... it’s at the expense of any downtime", resulting in "exhausting listening" with "the worst excesses of EDM". At "PopMatters", Richard Driver scored "The Blanck Mass Sessions" an 8 out of 10, calling "this new set of tracks more engaging and tangible" than "Violence" that "ultimately deserve an equal footing to any album... released by Editors and further my own previous review of a vivid and articulate presentation of isolation, collaboration, and regeneration, set of tracks and thematic elements on an album". "Under the Radar"'s Matt the Raven rated this work 3.5 out of 10 stars, stating that "why re-work of something that is already as unique and alluring as Editors’ cinematic indie rock is somewhat of a mystery to begin with, and after listening to The Blanck Mass Sessions it proves to be a totally unnecessary exercise" and summing up that listeners should stick to "Violence", as the "scruffy and electronically enhanced re-works heard on "The Blanck Mass Sessions" play like a one-off adventure and are a risk-taking excursion that challenge the ears too much to make revisiting them worthwhile".
Track listing.
All songs written by Ed Lay, Russell Leetch, Justin Lockey, Benjamin John Power, Tom Smith, and Elliott Williams
Personnel.
Editors and Blanck Mass
Additional personnel
References.
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