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 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.Misery hates company. Like The Smiths, Radiohead have an unerring ability to make misery catchy, a talent that Thom Yorke has ported over to his sort-of-solo debut. “Sort of” because the nine songs that make up The Eraser were first cobbled together on Yorke’s laptop from sound files recorded by all of Radiohead’s members over the last few years. The Eraser’s sound lies somewhere between the roiling beat soup of Amnesiac and a poppier sensibility, most evident in the title track’s stuttering Chicago house pianos and the outstanding warm bass ballad, Atoms For Peace. Lyrically, Yorke proves once again that if nurtured correctly, teenage angst can flourish into full-blown paranoia. Feeling bad rarely sounded so good. Thom Yorke - The Eraser, released 09 July 06 on XL Recordings.
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comment by ladyatticus
Aug 29, 2006
Hard for someone like (and their is nobody) Thom to release an album. We all know it's going to be utterly brilliant, but some of us will no doubt want to be "smart' and find reasons why it shouldn't be called brilliant. The point is, this is an "electronic" album,and it is far more a successful study in laptopian exploits than the more "underground" artists. I listen to everything, you know, albums that people have recorded that just involve the sound of static etc, which are in themselves relevent, but i think Thom is too complex and spinning in his head to settle just for that one thing......I don't know what I'm saying... I guess I just am scared that he will cop a heap of meaningless shit for just doing his thing, which this time just happened to be on a laptop, because people might think it's a little bit cool to actually say something thom yorke did is less than great. What he does is good enough for the world.
comment by stimunion
Aug 22, 2006
the album is sonically 'simple' and very effective, stripped down funk-angles, hard, infectious beats, inventively melodic and topped off with strong and often beautiful vocals... my one issue is Yorke's lyrics, relentlessly negative and focussed on the darker side of human natures and the problems of the human world. Phil Selway once said that Yorke's lyrics were underrated and that he was possibly one of the greatest lyricists of our time... I disagree on the evidence of this, it is one thing to delve deeply into the human idioteque, but for me a great lyricist would do this while also showing the other sides... the greatness of people like Dylan and Robert Wyatt (to name a couple who spring to mind) is that they also reveal (at their best) wisdom and knowledge about our lives and potentials...
comment by badgirlswirlgirl
Jul 19, 2006
At first i wasn't sure how to take this album, but now its slowly growing on me and i enjoy it. I do feel i am out of my depth when listening to it and i have found that it is extremely hard to write about, simply because of the nature of the music.
comment by echo_unit
Jul 19, 2006
Rather a slight review from Chris Power. Slightly better review, but still short, by Chris Jones, at Rock & Alt. Also, an oddly subdued response from the 'add your comments' pundits, for such a long awaited and much anticipated solo debut. I'll start by stating the obvious - It's demo like. Is this a criticism? Not as such. It's just as a Radiohead fan, I was expecting something a little more, well, elaborate, from Mr. Yorke. However, the low-key-less-is-more ethic, may well prove to be the best choice for the time, especially as there's a new Radiohead release waiting in the wings. I think it's a grower and will sit well with the rest of the back catalogue, when we look back. As for a Mercury Prize nomination - Too little, too late. Best tracks: The Eraser, Black Swan & Harrowdown Hill (about the suicide of government advisor Dr David Kelly).
comment by alex3030
Jul 19, 2006
A lot of reviews (bar the one above ironically) have stated this LP is like 'Kid A' but its far closer to Amnesiac. the songs have the electronic backgrounds but the songs have melodies and the odd guitar and bass. For me Amnesiac is their best album since Ok Computer and I believe this effort to be better than Kid A & hail to the thief.
comment by fingerchimp
Jul 14, 2006
i heard analyse last night and it is oddly brilliant. i think yorke has always had a great talent for pinning a good melody hook to the most asymmetrical and dischordant of tunes. i look forward to pinching a copy of this off someone soon.
comment by martinART
Jul 13, 2006
This album is excellent and is hardly cobbled together. A joy to listen to, and rather underlines the depth of the band's and indeed Thom's talent. To see them play live is confirmation of just how good they are.
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