Thom Yorke's solo project is only for diehards
Written: Apr 07 '07
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Provides something for rabid Radiohead fans awaiting the new album
Cons: Depressing, directionless, loads of filler material
The Bottom Line: I would recommend this only for the diehard Radiohead (or Yorke) fan. Lacks any real sense of purpose.
|
|
|
| jwiebe's Full Review: The Eraser [PA] by Thom Yorke |
Perhaps because I'm still waiting for news of the next Radiohead album (rumours have it slated for release sometime in 2007), I have been listening lately to Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and his 2006 record The Eraser.
I remember first hearing this record last summer and being profoundly underwhelmed. As solo projects often do, The Eraser meanders while identifying no real theme or purpose. It is most successful on those songs where Yorke employs those elements that make for a good Radiohead song; other attempts at artistry often fall flat.
If you're looking for some of the straight ahead rock numbers that form the bulk of Radiohead's early work and are peppered throughout their later releases, you won't find them here. Instead, try to imagine a record full of pondering numbers, featuring Yorke's nasal tones, not unlike several tracks off of Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief.
The Eraser does get off to a hopeful start with the opening title track. A progression of piano chords sets off a skipping computer beat. Yorke seems to believe what he is singing. The rather gloomy tone is betrayed by the defiant chorus:
The more you try to erase me
the more the more the more that I appear
Sadly, the passion and quality dips following this track.
Analyse plods along somewhat more slowly than its predecessor, and is essentially a duet between a crooning Yorke and his piano. Computer effects augment the mix but perhaps one of its lyrics, "It gets you down", is most telling. This a depressing song and fails to express the urgency of its chorus
That there's no time
there's no time
to analyse
to think things through
to make sense
The Clock is an example of why I don't like this record. Computer beats, a droning set of tones that barely budge and a directionless melody make this a 4-minute song that can't end soon enough.
Black Swan brings to mind a few slower Radiohead numbers of recent vintage. While it isn't as blatantly pointless as The Clock, here too we have a song that doesn't seem to have a destination nor much terribly interesting to say. Besides it's frequent use of the F-word, it is entirely unremarkable.
In Skip Divided, Yorke tests the low end of a vocal range, to little success (I suppose there is a reason he prefers his high, nasal tones). A lilting beat keeps the song moving, but melodically and thematically it again seems stuck in the mud.
As far as vocal performances are concerned, Atoms for Peace is one of the best of the album. This is a Yorke virtuouso performance: the piano is gone, the beats are subdued, the instrumental melody is for the background only. High falsetto crescendos and other vocal gymnastics are the driving force as Yorke sings, rather disturbingly:
I want to eat your artichoke heart
no more leaky holes in your brain
and no false starts
I wanna get out and make it work
The electric works come into full effect in And It Rained All Night. This song would not seem out on Hail to the Thief. It succeeds because the firestorm of computer beats and static bursts keeps it chugging along quickly enough that depression fails to set in.
I have no use at all for Harrowdown Hill and as I nearly always skip it, I won't bother to describe it. But the closing track, Cymbal Rush, is worth skipping ahead for. By far the most contemplative track on The Eraser, it features Yorke at his best, singing along to his piano, spurred along by a quick but not frantic beat and withdrawn guitars. The energy and the urgency of the song finally agree with Yorke's lyrical ejaculation "s'all boiling over"
Ultimately, The Eraser contains far too much filler material to be worthwhile for the casual fan. It represents a brief diversion for the Radiohead fan waiting breathlessly for the next album, but it is a diversion that grows old quickly. One can only hope that Yorke's bandmates provide some gusto to complement Yorke's wavering vocals and depressing themes.
Track listing
1. The Eraser [4:55]
2. Analyse [4:07]
3. The Clock [4:16]
4. Black Swan [4:50]
5. Skip Divided [3:35]
6. Atoms For Peace [5:12]
7. And It Rained All Night [4:22]
8. Harrowdown Hill [4:36]
9. Cymbal Rush [5:10]
Recommended:
No
Great Music to Play While: Going to Sleep
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jwiebe
|
|
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Reviews written: 51
Trusted by: 48 members
About Me:
The man with the plan.
|
|
|
![The Eraser [PA] by Thom Yorke](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/3a/7d/46/2005676369-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.