Thom Yorke

OK, I admit it: I’m a Radiohead fan. So, when I heard that Thom Yorke was doing a solo album I become pretty danged elated! A few months later here, it is: The Eraser.

Despite the fact that Mr. Yorke is the frontman of Radiohead, The Eraser has a very distinct sound. Think of it, if you’re a Radiohead fan, as a more electronic Kid A. If you’re not a Radiohead fan, you may simply think of it as an electronic album. I shall take the persona of the non-Radiohead fan, as I probably don’t need to coerce the fans into getting this.

If you’re not a big listener of electronic music, then I suggest you steer clear. If you are, then you’re in luck: The Eraser is filled with the whimsicals delights of looped samples as well as the ever-pleasurable sound of Yorke’s voice. While many electronic tunes simply tack on vocal work at the end (which is, for the most part, drowned out by the music), The Eraser positions Yorke’s vocals right at the forefront, and with good reason: there are some extremely fantastic lyrics amongst the tracks, including:

– “A self-fulfilling prophecy of endless possibilty, you roll in reams across the street” (from Analyse)
– “You cannot kickstart a dead horse, you just crush yourself and walk away, I don’t care what the future holds” (from Black Swan) and
– “But you just move the hands upon the clock, you throw coins in the wishing well” (from The Clock).

While I do enjoy the occasional bit of computer produced music, I have my limits. The Eraser, however, demonstrated that not all electronic music needs to be trashy.

Accomplished, elegant and listenable. Need I say more?

Downloads

From The Eraser
The Clock [Acoustic] – (Live music video, SWF, 13.7mb)