• Record Label: PIAS
  • Release Date: Jul 9, 2013
User Score
6.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 59 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 59
  2. Negative: 11 out of 59
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  1. Jul 1, 2014
    7
    Having produced an excellent debut album and a solid follow up, Editors third offering was a much more experimental affair that, in the main, continued to impress. 4 years on and with an altered line up, the band released their 4th album "The Weight of Your Love" which sees the band move towards a more mainstream pop rock sound. The core elements of the Editors indie sound is still thereHaving produced an excellent debut album and a solid follow up, Editors third offering was a much more experimental affair that, in the main, continued to impress. 4 years on and with an altered line up, the band released their 4th album "The Weight of Your Love" which sees the band move towards a more mainstream pop rock sound. The core elements of the Editors indie sound is still there but you can see that the band have tried to give the songs a more anthemic feel to them. At times the band pull this off while at other times it sounds a bit forced. The album opens with 3 great tracks in "The Weight", "Sugar" and "A Ton of Love" with the record shaping up to be a proper tune fest. The remainder of the album is more hit and miss - you have great tracks like "Formaldehyde" but also non events like "Nothing" and "The Phone Book".

    The departure of Chris Urbanowicz from the band leaves Tom Smith with nobody to really question his ideas or shake things up and hence why we are left with arguably the bands safest album to date. I have to say "The Weight of Your Love" is an enjoyable record but it comes in a distant 4th in my preference for Editors albums.
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  2. Jul 6, 2013
    3
    Editors are on a steady rate of decline, and The Weight of Your Love only solidifies that decline. Either figure out what sound works, or give it up guys.
  3. Jul 6, 2013
    7
    I was surprised on how the ratings were for this one. This isn't like an excellent record The Back Room or An End Has to Start, but it definitely isn't like a bad record In This Light and on This Evening. I welcome back their return to basics, but it could have been better especially in the middle of the album. Highlights on the album are: Sugar, A Ton of Love, Bird of Prey.
  4. Sep 10, 2013
    6
    http://osianlewis.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/album-review-editors-weight-of-your-love.html

    ''The Weight of Your Love' definitely sounds like a fourth album. This is not an insult. I think the Editors have developed with each subsequent album. I believe Editors might lack a bit of flare and ingenuity. Sometimes I sense that their songs are about to take off and they just seem to struggle to
    http://osianlewis.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/album-review-editors-weight-of-your-love.html

    ''The Weight of Your Love' definitely sounds like a fourth album. This is not an insult. I think the Editors have developed with each subsequent album. I believe Editors might lack a bit of flare and ingenuity. Sometimes I sense that their songs are about to take off and they just seem to struggle to find the next gear. 6.5/10.'

    Bumped down to a 6.
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  5. Apr 17, 2014
    9
    Editors can easily be one of the most (over)analysed bands in past ten or so years. From their sound, influences, lyrics, Tom Smith's falsetto to their resemblance to Coldplay, Muse, Joy Division, Echo and The Bunnymen, U2, even Editors themselves... everything has been anatomized. Why am I writing this? Because I think there lies problem some people have with them.

    Truth is that they
    Editors can easily be one of the most (over)analysed bands in past ten or so years. From their sound, influences, lyrics, Tom Smith's falsetto to their resemblance to Coldplay, Muse, Joy Division, Echo and The Bunnymen, U2, even Editors themselves... everything has been anatomized. Why am I writing this? Because I think there lies problem some people have with them.

    Truth is that they have always remained faithful to their idiosyncratic, heavy industrial from time to time, sound, from their début "The Back Room". Also, truth is that their music is meant to be played live, and possibly outdoors. They stole my heart when I first heard them live almost five years ago, and since then I have never heard a band performing live so well. Without exaggerated sound effects, light-show or some other stuff that masks music. I am talking about - pure, beautiful, echoing, can-cause-endorphins-hangover music. When they play on open space there are very few band that can compare with them.

    Sound on the "The Weight of Your Love" is a bit different, mostly due to the departure of Chris Urbanowicz in April 2012., but not in a bad way. Just different. Serious, but not with arrogance. It is an hour long walk through all stages and kinds of love and hate - from infatuation and desire in A Ton of Love to long overdue breakup in What Is This Thing Called Love. Album can also be named "Eleven tales of love and hate". But I love it. I would love it even more if songs were in different order, and if Sting was not part of the Deluxe edition. I don't want to be too pretentious, but this album might be their "The Joshua Tree" (no pun intended). Band has taken different path, lyrics are not so ambiguous any more "... and I promised myself I wouldn't talk about death" (The Weight), they sound very cohesive... time will tell. But it can also be their "Collapse into Now". I hope that will not be the case.
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  6. May 20, 2014
    1
    Boring, no inspiration, poor lyrics!!! People who like this album dont know what Editors were in the past. On this album, Editors pretend they are Coldplay... sadly! I can't stand this album at all!!! These guys need a break because everytime they release an album, since 2009, it seems they don't know what they are doing!!! One of the worst album of 2013.
  7. Aug 19, 2013
    9
    Very good album, much better than In This Light and On This Evening, some odd lyrics in a few songs but it keeps it interesting. I expected the worst after their last album, but this album is certainly no disappointment. It seems like they have gone back towards An End Has A Start and The Back Room, which were equally as good albums.
  8. Dec 8, 2022
    7
    Very solid record is very chill and epic at the same time but is not so good líke their first records
  9. Apr 8, 2021
    7
    This record got way too much flak when it came out--no doubt audiences feeling whiplash from 'In This Light.' Years later, the qualities really shine through--simultaneously their most sonically diverse and catchy album.
  10. Nov 23, 2013
    8
    Played this in the car for the first time and thought it was pretty ordinary. Like other users once you get over the initial hump its a really good album.
  11. Jul 4, 2013
    8
    felt compelled to hit back at the critics on this one. this album cements the editors place as one of my favorite bands. an additive album that warrants having a repeat button on the ipod. it has at least 3-4 outstanding tunes such as ton of love, formaldehyde, honesty and nothing. the rest then grow into classics with every listen. after such a poor year of good new brit rock music thisfelt compelled to hit back at the critics on this one. this album cements the editors place as one of my favorite bands. an additive album that warrants having a repeat button on the ipod. it has at least 3-4 outstanding tunes such as ton of love, formaldehyde, honesty and nothing. the rest then grow into classics with every listen. after such a poor year of good new brit rock music this album is a breath of fresh air and it definitely takes the band out of their comfort zone. Expand
  12. Aug 9, 2013
    9
    This album is great At the beginning i thought it was total crap, all this ballads were unnecessary and just didn't fit. But after a while i realised that Editors made something something different and something better. Their music is now more American, and i think this is the reason of so low reviews. For me one of the best album of the 2013, so far.
  13. Jul 1, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Editors fourth album begins with 'The Weight' a great atmospheric opener and the best song on the album. Tom Smith's vocals sound almost ghost like on this track. This is followed by 'Sugar' and 'A Ton of Love' both very good, the latter is a stadium anthem which wouldn't sound out of place on a U2 record.

    Unfortunately the album then slumps with the next three tracks with heavily utilise an orchestra. The first 'What is this thing called love?' is probably the worst of the trilogy. It's a ballad in which Tom Smith sings falsetto which sounds truly terrible. 'Nothing' is a plodding funeral march where Tom sings accompanied by the orchestra. No guitars, bass or drums seem to be audible so presumably the rest of the band had the day off. Sandwiched between these two is 'Honesty' which is admittedly better but lacks any real bite. I recommend replacing this trilogy with the three unique bonus tracks from the deluxe version which do at least sound more like Editors songs and are more up-tempo.

    Thankfully the album recovers in the latter stages with 'Two Hearted Spider' the highlight; much like 'A Ton of Love' it is very much stadium rock fodder. The funky 'Formaldehyde', the simple and direct guitar rock of 'Hyena', and the acoustic guitar driven 'The Phone Book' stresses the point that Editors sound better stripped back and straight forward rather than backed by a battalion of violin players. The piano driven 'Bird of Prey' closes the album nicely.

    Overall I thought this album excellent apart from tracks 4-6 which I felt let it down. The bonus tracks on the deluxe version are awesome, at time of writing I'm listening to 'Get Low' and wondering how 'What is this thing called love?' got onto the album. Bizarre.
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  14. Jul 7, 2013
    9
    This album is amazing. Another example of how the Editors are able to change their sound and excel with new dynamics. Just as ITLAOTE focused on synth driven melodies, this album focuses on Tom's lyrics and lugubrious vocals. Sure, it's unlikely we'll ever hear the raw power found in The Back Room, but it's better for them to explore new sounds then rehash the same album every two years.This album is amazing. Another example of how the Editors are able to change their sound and excel with new dynamics. Just as ITLAOTE focused on synth driven melodies, this album focuses on Tom's lyrics and lugubrious vocals. Sure, it's unlikely we'll ever hear the raw power found in The Back Room, but it's better for them to explore new sounds then rehash the same album every two years. This is an album I'll be happy to play with my girlfriend in the car, it's not too depressing and is rather beautiful at times. Luckily, we still have their older work, and can swap out their records according to what you're in the mood to listen to! Expand
  15. Jul 14, 2013
    8
    Amazing! Its just a pleasure to be sucked into the gloomy Post-Punk-world of the Editors once more. The whole album combines both the intense, metaphoric lyrics of the first album and mixes it up with the atmosphere of ITLAOTE. In genereal, it feels like they tried to get back to their roots since the whole album is much less synthi-driven than its predecessor. This all climaxes into theirAmazing! Its just a pleasure to be sucked into the gloomy Post-Punk-world of the Editors once more. The whole album combines both the intense, metaphoric lyrics of the first album and mixes it up with the atmosphere of ITLAOTE. In genereal, it feels like they tried to get back to their roots since the whole album is much less synthi-driven than its predecessor. This all climaxes into their best album since ,,The Backroom" and makes the little flaws ITLAOTE contained forgotten. Expand
  16. Aug 9, 2013
    8
    The album is brilliant. It grows in you and then all the music becomes "edited". You should listen more than a few times. All the tracks have something to say except maybe "Nothing" that isn't so great. I will be more satisfied when I 'll see Editors live with the new songs (8/10)
  17. Sep 11, 2013
    10
    Albums as good as this are very rare. Stunningly brilliant. The bad reviews on this site are simply wrong. Go out and get it now you won't regret it.
Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 22
  2. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. Aug 28, 2013
    50
    There are glimmers of the band that went before. [Aug-Sep 2013, p.130]
  2. Jul 25, 2013
    58
    There are a few thrilling moments here—notably the cinematic ballad “Nothing”--but the band mostly flounders as it seeks a new direction.
  3. Jul 16, 2013
    30
    No matter what mode they’re in, they manage to turn four-minute songs into small eternities.