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The Blanck Mass Sessions
The Blanck Mass Sessions
EP by Editors and Blanck Mass
Released	3 April 2019
Studio	Glasshouse Oxford, Oxford, England, UK;
Length	36:32
Language	English
Label	PIAS Recordings
Producer	Blanck Mass
Editors chronology
Blanck Mass chronology

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,^[1] 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".^[2] 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".^[3] 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".^[1] 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".^[4]

Track listing

All songs written by Ed Lay, Russell Leetch, Justin Lockey, Benjamin John Power, Tom Smith, and Elliott Williams

"Barricades" (The Blanck Mass recording) – 4:11
"Cold" (The Blanck Mass recording) – 4:05
"Hallelujah (So Low)" (The Blanck Mass recording) – 3:41
"Violence" (The Blanck Mass recording) – 6:08
"Darkness at the Door" (The Blanck Mass recording) – 3:29
"Nothingness" (The Blanck Mass recording) – 5:04
"Magazine" (The Blanck Mass recording) – 4:04
"Counting Spooks" (The Blanck Mass recording) – 5:50

Personnel

Editors and Blanck Mass

Blanck Mass – keyboards, synthesizers, electronics, production
Ed Lay – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Russell Leetch – bass guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals
Justin Lockey – lead guitar, engineering
Tom Smith – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
Elliott Williams – keyboards, synthesizers, additional guitars, backing vocals

Additional personnel

Matt Colton – audio mastering at Alchemy Mastering, London, England, United Kingdom
Caesar Edmunds – mixing assistance on "Barricades" at Dead Door Studios
Steven A. Griffiths – mixing on all tracks except "Barricades" at Assault and Battery Studios, London, England, United Kingdom
Alan Moulder – mixing on "Barricades" at Dead Door Studios
Rahi Rezvani – design, artwork