thom yorke review
Here you go, Margaret, hope this is okay:
Reviews, Final
Analyzing The Eraser
Radiohead Fans, Your Attention Please
You’ll be Happy if You Know What I’m Talking About-Analyzing The Eraser
By Caitlin McClusky
Staff Writer
Radiohead fans, rejoice. For The Eraser, the new solo album by Thom Yorke, is here. Featuring only Yorke’s voice and electronic keyboards, The Eraser is simple, haunting and oddly mesmerizing. All of the tracks seem to flow together, dream-like in its entirety; the experienced Radiohead fan is perhaps reminded of Amnesiac upon first listen.
There are definitely distinct similarities between the two. Both feature vague electronic beats to accompany unique vocals. For example, listen to track four “Black Swan” on the album and note the likeness between it and “I Might Be Wrong” on Amnesiac. Both have songs with wave-like, rolling piano chords, sharp, striking beats, high melancholy vocals, and lyric poetry What a surprise coming from Thom Yorke, right?
However, The Eraser proves to be quite individual and different from Radiohead creations. Particular tracks that stand out are “And It Rained All Night”, “Analyze”, “Harrowdown Hill” and “Skip Divided”, all of which are really original. Yorke has the unique ability to take a certain genre of music, in this case electronica, and make it meaningful with beautiful and thought-provoking lyrics. And of course, he employs the typical Thom-Yorke tendencies: asks questions to invisible enemies, (for example, “Could you guide me in? Could you smother me?” and “Are you only being nice Because you want something?”) makes somewhat obscure political statements (a couple of the songs focus on issues in the environment and regular Reviews, Final
problems within the government), and so on.
Imminent doom, of course, is a key point in this album, and is heard especially in track five “Skip Divided”, what Yorke described as being “complete disconnection” in his MOJO magazine interview. Underneath the video game-like bleeps and blips lies The Eraser as a whole: deep, dark, perhaps holding more angst within it than any other previous Thom Yorke creation.
But, in buying The Eraser, one most remember that it is not a Radiohead album. It is Thom Yorke’s, and those anticipating long, drawn-out guitar solos or any sort of drumming should save their money, although there are some short and sweet bursts of strumming throughout “Harrowdown Hill.”
However much one may like him in Radiohead, it might be difficult to appreciate the cold electronica-esque sound of Yorke’s solo work. A Pablo Honey fan might have trouble with The Eraser, because they are so completely different. The Eraser, in short, is raw and unapologetic, and definitely worth checking out.
And for those who don’t know what I’m talking about, just listen to it. NOW.
Reviews, Final
Analyzing The Eraser
Radiohead Fans, Your Attention Please
You’ll be Happy if You Know What I’m Talking About-Analyzing The Eraser
By Caitlin McClusky
Staff Writer
Radiohead fans, rejoice. For The Eraser, the new solo album by Thom Yorke, is here. Featuring only Yorke’s voice and electronic keyboards, The Eraser is simple, haunting and oddly mesmerizing. All of the tracks seem to flow together, dream-like in its entirety; the experienced Radiohead fan is perhaps reminded of Amnesiac upon first listen.
There are definitely distinct similarities between the two. Both feature vague electronic beats to accompany unique vocals. For example, listen to track four “Black Swan” on the album and note the likeness between it and “I Might Be Wrong” on Amnesiac. Both have songs with wave-like, rolling piano chords, sharp, striking beats, high melancholy vocals, and lyric poetry What a surprise coming from Thom Yorke, right?
However, The Eraser proves to be quite individual and different from Radiohead creations. Particular tracks that stand out are “And It Rained All Night”, “Analyze”, “Harrowdown Hill” and “Skip Divided”, all of which are really original. Yorke has the unique ability to take a certain genre of music, in this case electronica, and make it meaningful with beautiful and thought-provoking lyrics. And of course, he employs the typical Thom-Yorke tendencies: asks questions to invisible enemies, (for example, “Could you guide me in? Could you smother me?” and “Are you only being nice Because you want something?”) makes somewhat obscure political statements (a couple of the songs focus on issues in the environment and regular Reviews, Final
problems within the government), and so on.
Imminent doom, of course, is a key point in this album, and is heard especially in track five “Skip Divided”, what Yorke described as being “complete disconnection” in his MOJO magazine interview. Underneath the video game-like bleeps and blips lies The Eraser as a whole: deep, dark, perhaps holding more angst within it than any other previous Thom Yorke creation.
But, in buying The Eraser, one most remember that it is not a Radiohead album. It is Thom Yorke’s, and those anticipating long, drawn-out guitar solos or any sort of drumming should save their money, although there are some short and sweet bursts of strumming throughout “Harrowdown Hill.”
However much one may like him in Radiohead, it might be difficult to appreciate the cold electronica-esque sound of Yorke’s solo work. A Pablo Honey fan might have trouble with The Eraser, because they are so completely different. The Eraser, in short, is raw and unapologetic, and definitely worth checking out.
And for those who don’t know what I’m talking about, just listen to it. NOW.