Thom Yorke - The Eraser Review
Posted by Mitch Michaels on 07.20.2006
Radiohead’s frontman goes solo?
My Story
A lot of people see Radiohead as a “thinking person’s” band. Unfortunately, that label can be damning as a lot of music listeners just flat out don’t want to think. In truth, Radiohead is an unpredictable rock band. This can be detrimental to a lot of folks’ opinion, too, as a good portion of listeners WANT to be able to predict what an album is going to sound like before they buy it. But if you’re feelings are the opposite, if you like to be challenged and surprised by a release, then Radiohead is probably one of your favorite bands.
Me, I think they’re OK. I hardly consider the band the saviors or end all be all of whatever, but I do think they have laid down enough interesting and overall good music to deserve at least some of the respect they have been dolled out in critical circles.
But that’s Radiohead. How will frontman Thom Yorke fare as he sets out on his own for this project? Will he find himself lacking away from the band atmosphere? Or will he flourish as he becomes freer to experiment? Or, worse, will he just sound exactly like Radiohead? Let’s find out.
His Story
Thom Yorke was born in the late 60’s in Wellingborough, England. His childhood was less than ideal, as severe vision problems combined with the nomadic nature of his father’s job led to him not having many friends. Thom Yorke turned to music at an early age.
Yorke’s family settled in Oxford as he entered his teenage years and it was there, at an all boys school, where Thom met Ed O’Brien and Colin Greenwood. The two fellows introduced Thom, at that point an avid British classic rock fan, to alternative acts like The Smiths and R.E.M. The three friends began jamming together to a drum machine and Radiohead was born (albeit originally under the name On A Friday). The trio brought in Phil Selway to play live drums a little later, along with multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood (Colin’s brother).
After an EP, Drill, that didn’t make much noise, the band’s proper debut, Pablo Honey, dropped in 1993 on Capitol Records (Parlophone in the UK). The album seemed to be stalled from the get-go, that is until a higher power intervened. In this case, the higher power was MTV. The band’s alt-rock anthem “Creep” fit in perfectly with America’s grunge movement and, in turn, became a massive hit on the music channel and the radio, topping at #2 on the Modern Rock charts and even scraping the Billboard Top 40.
The exposure given to the band by “Creep” led to what would become a huge following of fans who appreciated their blend of mopey, honest alt rock and experimentalism. The band released five more albums over the next ten years to largely successful reviews and sales. Their 1997 album OK Computer is regularly considered one of the greatest records of all time, while their 2000 release, the enigmatic Kid A managed to hit #1 on the Billboard charts, despite the fact that no singles or videos were released for the album.
During Radiohead’s run as “the most important band in the world”, Yorke found the time to lend his vocal talents to several artists, as well. Thom has appeared on songs by Drugstore, Sparklehorse, Björk, PJ Harvey and others. Yorke also appeared with Jonny Greenwood as part of the one-off band The Venus In Furs (with ex-Suede guitarist/producer Bernard Butler, Roxy Music’s Andy Mackay and Paul Kimble), who contributed several songs to the 1998 soundtrack to Michael Stipe’s Velvet Goldmine.
2003 saw the release of Hail To The Thief, Radiohead’s sixth studio album. The set, the band’s most varied and longest running to date, debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts and sold over 500,000 copies in its first month. The album found the band combining elements of their previous albums with a return to a “traditional” songwriting approach that was no doubt refreshing to fans who had been alienated by their more experimental fare.
The band began working on a follow-up to Thief in 2005, but the going has been slow and sporadic. Given the activity surrounding the seventh album, fans were shocked and excited when frontman Yorke announced via Radiohead’s website in May of '06 that he had completed a solo album that would be released soon.
The Album
On July 11, 2006, XL released The Eraser, the debut solo album by Thom Yorke. The album was produced by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich and is available on both CD and LP.
The Band: 8.5
Thom Yorke: guitar, piano, vocals, programming…
The first thing that strikes you about Thom Yorke’s solo debut is how much of an electronic album this is. Each track is based on a sample or electronic beat and built from there. Yorke has admitted to copping several old Radiohead riffs and pieces that he had lying around unused, and you have to think the inspiration to make something of these bits of throwaways is what drove this solo album. Almost every track has a cold feel to it, but the songs are far from disengaging. To the contrary, this is probably the most relatable album Yorke has been involved with in a while.
Nigel Godrich does a good job with the production and the other elements he lends. The inclusion of Godrich may have raised a few eyebrows (if this isn’t a Radiohead album, then why use Radiohead’s producer?), but Godrich seems to realize exactly the sound that Thom is going for here and he captures that vibe completely.
Yorke’s vocals are just as you would expect: a bit raspy, a bit sullen and still smoky smooth. I’ve always enjoyed Thom Yorke’s vocal work and I think he’s one of the few alternative rock guy’s left who still gets how to sound alternative AND beautiful.
All of the good aside, the major question is this: does this sound like a Radiohead album or is it something completely new? Well, the answer is neither. The album is definitely less “out there” than your average Radiohead release and, therefore, it requires less “thinking” to enjoy. You can get a level of enjoyment from these songs by just playing them in the background that would be impossible for something from, say, Kid A. But the album is by no means a total departure, either. This is Thom Yorke doing his thing, while Radiohead just happens to be part of his thing, too.
The Songs: 8.0
1. The Eraser
2. Analyse
3. The Clock
4. Black Swan
5. Skip Divided
6. Atoms For Peace
7. And It Rained All Night
8. Harrowdown Hill
9. Cymbal Rush
Another great thing about The Eraser is, despite the fact that it’s an electronic release, the songs would no doubt sound good in a traditional acoustic guitar/piano/vocal atmosphere. Yorke has never slacked on his songwriting, and that is apparent here. While the material can be heavy in places (“Harrowdown Hill” deals with a political suicide, for instance), the album as a whole comes out as comforting and less riddling than your typical Radiohead song.
The title track is a particularly warm number and it, along with “Atoms For Peace”, stands in stark contrast to the rest of the album’s cold beats. “Black Swan” is sure to be a classic, with its quotable chorus: “You have tried your best to please everyone/But it just isn't happening/No, it just isn't happening/And it's fucked up, fucked up.”
The Eraser is full of soft beats and emotional vocal work, and it draws you in for its entire nine tracks. You get the feeling that Thom Yorke isn’t going for a solo career here, just following a muse that has lead him away from the collaboration of a band. If anything, this album proves you can have your cake and eat it, too.
The 411: The Eraser will definitely please Radiohead fans, but it by no means sounds like a pared down Radiohead album. While several riffs are copped from the band’s “throwaway bin”, Yorke has taken the elements and produced a soft and beautiful electronica album that is relatable in a way that his band has shied away from. The songs are soothing and surprisingly engaging, but don’t require a deep concentration to enjoy. If there was an album that could bring Yorke back to mainstream radio and MTV, The Eraser, with tracks like “Black Swan”, “The Clock” and the title track, could definitely do the job.
