Exclusive First Listen: Thom Yorke’s
[UPDATE: We apologize for the lack of posts recently, we have been having issues with our hosting service. Regular updates should start up again on Monday, and we have plenty of great new music coming your way in the coming week, so please bear with us. Thanks for reading.]
Thom Yorke’s day job is, of course, fronting what is arguably the best band in the world. Obviously one could tire of such a chore, so his decision to distance himself temporarily from Radiohead and establish a new musical identity is not only understandable, it’s welcome. the eraser is the name of this new project, and though Yorke expressed a desire to keep the word ’solo’ out of it, the rest of his band is absent from this recording. Unless, of course, you include producer Nigel Godrich as a band member; the eraser seems to be more of a collaboration between Yorke and Godrich than anything else, veering more strongly towards the electronic than anything Radiohead’s done since Kid A. Indeed, at times the eraser is evocative of that masterpiece of an album, though I’m hesitant to make comparisons between Yorke’s new work, which I’ve now only heard twice all the way through, and what I believe to be one of the defining albums of a generation. The presence of Yorke’s otherworldly vocals and Godrich’s electronic production make such a comparison obvious and viable. The emergence of this album with relatively little warning (the first mention of it was made less than three weeks ago) helps to soften the news that Radiohead’s next studio albums release has been pushed back in to 2007.
Though I don’t feel this album can really measure up to any of Radiohead’s recent output, that’s not really the point. Yorke made the conscious decision to try something new here, and that is what Radiohead has been doing their whole career. The innovation is present, and that’s what makes this record exciting. Yorke is held to an absurdly high standard resulting from his remarkable consistency at producing diverse and incredible albums with Radiohead, and that standard carries over to his new work on the eraser. Thom Yorke meets those standards with his new album, which will surely make plenty of year-end best lists. It is difficult to remove the inherent bias one has listening to this record, as Yorke is already so established as a musician. It will forever remain a hypothetical what the reaction to this album would be were it a true debut from an unknown artist. Instead, Yorke has simply added a new chapter to the ongoing saga of Radiohead, the band that will define a generation of musicians, music critics and music lovers alike.
MP3: Thom Yorke, “Atoms for Peace” [link removed]
This is probably the most immediately accessible track on the eraser. Named after either a 1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower speech, the motto for the International Atomic Energy Agency, or something entirely different, this song definitely sees Yorke’s vocals at their best. The arrangement is more subdued than much of the album, giving Yorke’s voice center stage with fantastic results.
MP3: Thom Yorke, “Harrowdown Hill” [link removed]
Another immediate standout track, the song borrows its name from the place British Ministry of Defense employee David Kelly, who inadvertently caused a British political scandal through his discussion with a journalist regarding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, was found after committing suicide. The relatively straightforward production and vocal melody mask the eerie lyrics, highlighted by Yorke’s emoting what was likely going through Kelly’s head at the time, “I can’t take the pressure / No one cares if you live or die / They just want me gone / They want me gone.”
MP3: Thom Yorke, “Cymbal Rush” [link removed]
“Cymbal Rush” was the first song Radiohead enthusiasts heard from this album, as Radiohead played it in a live setting in early May. The closing track on the album, “Cymbal Rush” ends thing on an unexpectedly abrupt end, serving to both whet and strengthen the appetites of listeners for more new material from Yorke and Radiohead.
May 30th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
thank thank you!
May 30th, 2006 at 11:32 pm
OH EM GEE!
THANK YOU!
May 31st, 2006 at 3:06 am
be careful.
May 31st, 2006 at 5:33 am
That anonymous guy seems a bit threatening and ominous. I’d watch him if I were you.
I am not the same anonymous guy
I am another anonymous guy
May 31st, 2006 at 2:39 pm
“It will forever remain a hypothetical what the reaction to this album would be were it a true debut from an unknown artist.”
Err not really, in the present climate it would have sunk without trace..
But aren’t we glad it’s not eh!!
May 31st, 2006 at 3:18 pm
So good to hear Thom’s voice again. And the piano in Harrowdown Hill is amazing!
Thanks!
May 31st, 2006 at 3:56 pm
The whole album is available on usenet.
May 31st, 2006 at 6:12 pm
be careful.
im gonna rape you.
May 31st, 2006 at 8:22 pm
You really shouldn’t be offering these for download; streaming sample, sure, but not for people to download.
May 31st, 2006 at 10:18 pm
Lighten up, McFly
June 1st, 2006 at 12:45 pm
I’m going to buy the album when its released, as should you all, you thieving numpties! Its only right and nice to supprt little Thomy with his big project, especially when its this good. If we all download it nd don;t buy it, he’s hardly going to do another one, or the record company is going to say “Sorry Thom, I know Radiohead have a big fanbase, but they are a fanbase of thieves and therefore the release of your cd last time didn’t make monetary sense”
MP3 bloggers, pah!
June 1st, 2006 at 2:17 pm
thanks ,great songs.
www.polkadot.it
June 1st, 2006 at 2:20 pm
If you don’t want to download these songs you don’t have to. Some people do, so I’m giving them the opportunity to do so. I fully intend to buy the album when it comes out, and I strongly recommend everyone do the same. Lord knows Mr. Yorke needs the cash.
June 2nd, 2006 at 7:12 am
Why does Mr.Yorke need the cash? Is there some big ass law suit going on that I’m obvious to?
June 2nd, 2006 at 10:13 am
Mr Yorke needs the cash because he has a career as a musician. This mainly involves making music for people to listen to, but seeing as it is how he makes his living, he also needs people to pay for the music he produces…
duh… numpty….
June 2nd, 2006 at 7:20 pm
I just want to say thank you so much for posting those. It has made me so incredibly happy right now.
June 2nd, 2006 at 7:38 pm
Very cool. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
June 3rd, 2006 at 2:53 am
no more thom yorke songs? sad…
June 3rd, 2006 at 11:19 am
Wha? Where’d they go?
June 3rd, 2006 at 1:56 pm
Download the free mp3s and then order the album for GBP8.95 from Play.com.
Yours
Liquid_City
June 3rd, 2006 at 3:40 pm
Sorry, but I can´t download the tracks. Is there any problem? Anyway, It doesn´t matter, you do a good job.
Visit http://aletterforthestars.blogspot.com
June 3rd, 2006 at 4:05 pm
This whole thing goes to show that Radiohead fans are joyless bastards. If the album were good, people would buy it. But, it’s boring as hell. Sounds like it should have come out on Warp about 6 or 7 years ago. Whatever.
June 4th, 2006 at 2:15 am
doesn’t work for me either.
June 4th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
I am so happy I found your site. It appears we have more in common than knitting! I’ll let you know when I complete the “world renound” triple lindee patern!
June 5th, 2006 at 12:04 am
that sucks that the links were removed… why?
June 6th, 2006 at 2:48 am
The album is fucking good.
But posting a bunch of tracks from it to generate hits is pretty damned lame.
for all of you, but c’mon.
June 6th, 2006 at 2:48 am
They were likely removed because every single blog who posted them got a C&D about it.
June 8th, 2006 at 1:01 am
Lady Newell & Friends present LOUP with the collaboration of artists, designers and writers from Argentina and Britain. Inspired by the video for Radiohead’s A Wolf at the Door, LOUP features illustrations, clip and literature translated from English to Spanish.
Lady Newell & Friends presenta LOUP. Producción artística realizada por artistas visuales, diseñadores y escritores argentinos e ingleses. Consiste en la traducción literaria al español, ilustraciones y videoclip de A Wolf at the Door de Radiohead.
http://cablemodem.fibertel.com.ar/ladynewellandfriends/
ladynewellandfriends@gmail.com
June 9th, 2006 at 5:05 pm
cool man, like i got the uhh like songs off limewire all of them they are amazing…
June 10th, 2006 at 4:31 pm
simply amazing. the entire album. Your comments about it are also very relevant. Thanks!
i already listened the album, but OBVIOUSLY i will buy it on the release day here in brazil!!
all the songs are fantastic, a new kind of thom sometimes. It’s a very homogenic album, and in all the songs Thom repeats many sentences, like in “Analyse”: ‘It gets you down/It gets you down/You’re just playing a part/You’re just playing a part.’ Interesting.
well… such a pleasure to my ears. and surely an album to have a good space in History.
June 10th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
The Eraser is a very good album, it just takes a few listens. While it lacks the variation of most Radiohead albums, the songs are still really good.
June 12th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
I have album!!!
It’s soooo damn goood….
Specially Atoms for A Peace…
Don’t download from net!!!!
Buy the album….
You ask yourself why?
If you are real fan you’ll buy album….
And go to concert and wait to Thom sign the album….
BUY THE ALBUM!!!
May 6th, 2007 at 2:22 am
It’s funny how the saying “ignorance is bliss” comes to mind when listening to Radiohead haters. It seems they have plenty of time to attack a great band, when instead they can go to their own favorite bands website and hype them in anyway they wish. No they will go to Radiohead web sites and talk bad about them. I’ll just say “get a life and move on.”