Kufiyaspotting #19: Editors

I just noticed this photo while leisurely leafing through the latest issue of Spin. This appears to be the publicity photo that is being circulated in conjunction with the release of their second album, An End Has a Start. I had not heard of this Birmingham band, but I've now listened to a few tracks from their Live at Lollapalooza 2006 album, and I really like their sound. They remind me of Echo and the Bunnymen. I haven't hunted much but I get no sense that there are any radical politics involved here. The kufiya (worn by guitarist Chris Urbanowicz) is just... normal "hip" gear in England these days. (Spin gives the new album 3 1/2 stars; Rolling Stone is less enthusiastic.)

Meanwhile, it may be okay for mainstream rock bands and hipsters to wear kufiyas, but if you're the principal of an Arab-themed public school in New York City, God forbid that you should ever use the word intifada...