Scotty757
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[size=medium]Thom Yorke- "The Eraser"[/size]
The Radiohead fanbase is almost as loyal as they come (save maybe the Tool Army, but they are another matter completely), and any Radiohead news spreads like wildfire amongst the fans. After announcing there would be no new album for some time, Thom dropped the news of The Eraser, a solo project, just 7 weeks before it was released. Needless to say, the whirlwind of anticipation for this album was chaotic.
Brooding, dark, and complex; Thom Yorke has made an album that is both immediately listenable and offers complexity that keeps giving after repeated listens. Thom's first solo effort is a journey through a jungle of electronica, backbeats, and swarthily distorted guitars. I guess the best analogy I can come up with for the sound is this: imagine if Thom, M83, and Squarepusher all got together, took a lot of acid, and made a record. As you can probably imagine, the result is gorgeous, self-conscious, paranoid, neurotic and absolute genius.
As usual, Thom's voice can be taken one of two ways: it can be listened to outright as the focal point of the music, or it can be viewed as just another instrument in the medley. It is almost completely unprocessed here (unlike on Radiohead albums), so lyrics can be brought out more easily, and Thom uses this in various instances to make his points more directly. He is as political as ever, but much more introspective here than on such Radiohead albums as OK Computer. "The more you try to erase me/ The more that I appear" he sings on the album's opening track. This could either be referring to his popular persona, the failing war in Iraq, or the environmental crisis of global warming. "So many lies" Thom repeats over and over in "Atoms for Peace," an obvious reference to the Iraqi war.
As a side-note, the packaging on this album is phenomenal. The artwork, entitled "London Views," is by Stanley Donwood. It pictures his medievalised vision of apocalypse in England's capital city and was carved on 14 pieces of linoleum with one small cutting tool. It is a well put-together digipack, and one that I am proud to own.
Tracks to be sure not to miss out on include: The Clock, Black Swan, The Eraser, and Harrowdown Hill. Highly Recommended.
The Radiohead fanbase is almost as loyal as they come (save maybe the Tool Army, but they are another matter completely), and any Radiohead news spreads like wildfire amongst the fans. After announcing there would be no new album for some time, Thom dropped the news of The Eraser, a solo project, just 7 weeks before it was released. Needless to say, the whirlwind of anticipation for this album was chaotic.
Brooding, dark, and complex; Thom Yorke has made an album that is both immediately listenable and offers complexity that keeps giving after repeated listens. Thom's first solo effort is a journey through a jungle of electronica, backbeats, and swarthily distorted guitars. I guess the best analogy I can come up with for the sound is this: imagine if Thom, M83, and Squarepusher all got together, took a lot of acid, and made a record. As you can probably imagine, the result is gorgeous, self-conscious, paranoid, neurotic and absolute genius.
As usual, Thom's voice can be taken one of two ways: it can be listened to outright as the focal point of the music, or it can be viewed as just another instrument in the medley. It is almost completely unprocessed here (unlike on Radiohead albums), so lyrics can be brought out more easily, and Thom uses this in various instances to make his points more directly. He is as political as ever, but much more introspective here than on such Radiohead albums as OK Computer. "The more you try to erase me/ The more that I appear" he sings on the album's opening track. This could either be referring to his popular persona, the failing war in Iraq, or the environmental crisis of global warming. "So many lies" Thom repeats over and over in "Atoms for Peace," an obvious reference to the Iraqi war.
As a side-note, the packaging on this album is phenomenal. The artwork, entitled "London Views," is by Stanley Donwood. It pictures his medievalised vision of apocalypse in England's capital city and was carved on 14 pieces of linoleum with one small cutting tool. It is a well put-together digipack, and one that I am proud to own.
Tracks to be sure not to miss out on include: The Clock, Black Swan, The Eraser, and Harrowdown Hill. Highly Recommended.
