Thom Yorke | "The Eraser"

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Alas, Poor Yorke
A revealing solo album from Radiohead's lead singer.

By Hua Hsu

Posted Wednesday, July 19, 2006, at 6:56 AM ET

In 1994, Radiohead released a single called "My Iron Lung"—it was the British band's first dispatch since their hit "Creep" had made them instantly famous the previous year. This new single didn't seem to deviate from the quiet-loud-quiet script of their breakthrough moment; in fact, despite its elegance and maturity, "My Iron Lung" offered itself up a bit too easily. An electric guitar line snaked its way around singer Thom Yorke's exhausted falsetto, just as it had on the hit that now threatened to box them in. There was the occasional splatter of loud guitar and a taut, hiss-stalked rhythm section—signifiers all too familiar to anyone who had heard "Creep" more than once. But 116 seconds in, the band made a choice. There was the slightest of pauses and then a brutal, all-negating ambush of noise. Beauty succumbed to power; Yorke's voice took on a demonic curl; and the band achieved the dread of their singer's "Creep"-denying, machine-questioning lyrics. Some 20 seconds later, with chords holstered and melody restored, a fact was confirmed: Radiohead was indeed a one-hit wonder. They were too smart to make the same mistake twice.

Para ler em Slate - Music Box

The Eraser
THOM YORKE

Thom Yorke may be de-emphasizing his solo debut by releasing it in the wake of Radiohead's first U.S. tour in three years, but "The Eraser" is no second-rate stopgap. Anyone who found the alien sonic landscapes of "Kid A" a bit overwhelming will feel much more at home with these nine less fussy but primarily electronica-dominated compositions, nurtured by longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. There's enough claustrophobic inscrutability ("The Clock," the mumbled "Skip Divided") to link the material to latter-day Radiohead, but standouts like the piano-heavy title song and the groovy "Black Swan" finally begin to hint at the man behind the usually unknowable exterior. Even better, there's a generous helping of great melodies ("Atoms for Peace," "Analyse"), which only makes one wonder: How many other songs like this is Yorke keeping to himself? —Jonathan Cohen

Para ler em Billboard.com - Reviews