It's always amusing to compare how two different bands with the same primary source of influence can turn out very different records. In 2006, fans got to draw their own comparisons between She Wants Revenge and The Editors, a pair of bands that were heavily influenced by Joy Division. But while the former was critically lambasted on their self-titled album for being synth-pop hacks, the latter became the talk of the town, even earning a Mercury Prize nomination for their debut album, The Back Room.

While the first album was a success, The Editors chose to go in a different direction for their sophomore album. Front man Tom Smith told the press from the start that they were going for a more ambitious sound on An End Has A Start and that he an his crew had no intentions of repeating The Back Room.

Despite the new direction, the comparisons will return on An End Has A Start. This time around it won't be for standing in the shadows of Joy Division, but rather U2. From the lyrics to the drums to the guitars to the song sequencing, this album has an awful lot in common with How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb and All That You Can Leave Behind. But this isn't a bad thing. Not only are those fine albums to take off, but as they proved with The Back Room, execution is everything, and The Editors execute to perfection.

On the first single, "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors," Smith's big baritone jumps to the forefront with evocative, though mysterious lyrics. The title track and "Weight of the World," lay down the basic template for the album: rumbling bass drum kicks from Ed Lay, subtly smooth bass guitar licks from Russell Leetch, and moody, tweaked guitars from Smith and Chris Urbanowicz that evoke a dreamy soundscape a la My Bloody Valentine.

"When Anger Shows" changes up the flow, beginning with a slow fade in that ushers in Smith's vocals and the rest of the arrangement. The Editors also display considerable range on "Push Your Head Towards The Air," a well-crafted guitar-based ballad, and "Well Worn Hand" a brief and spare, but captivating piano-based ballad.

Every year there's a new "it" band out of Great Britain that is expected to change the game. The same year that The Editors gained a big buzz after a wild bidding war, The Arctic Monkeys were dubbed the "it" band based on a similar bidding war (the Arctic Monkeys' debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not was the album that eventually beat out The Back Room for the Mercury Prize). But where the Monkeys have a style of their own (overhyped as it is), The Editors are still discovering what they can do, and their potential is staggering. An End Has A Start is a solid album, but when the Editors find their own voice and style, they will reach greatness.