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For anyone who might not know, Thom Yorke is the lead singer of Radiohead who, at their peak, were being hailed as the successors to U2. Such lofty praise came in 1997 with the release of their musical triumph, Ok Computer. Since then they’ve continued to produce groundbreaking albums, but nothing to match their earlier high standards.
This is Yorke’s first solo album and, on the strength of it, I hope he does more. Recorded in what I’d call Lo-Hi, i.e., it sounds like he did it on a tape recorder in his garage, the low-tech approach nonetheless suits the album. There’s an almost ambient feel to a lot of the songs, making it the kind of record best listened to late at night in darkened rooms. Drum loops, sparse piano harmonies, and rolling bass lines take care of most of the music, leaving plenty of room for Yorke to stretch his vocal chords. Haunting is a word that comes to mind when trying to describe his voice, but there’s also a fair bit of wailing too.
The ambient approach adds heaps of atmosphere; however, it also means a lack of anything definite. Though there’s passion, it’s obscure – you won’t be whistling any of these tunes. But at the same time the sound is infectious, it creeps up on you. Probably the best way to look at the album is as one long song made up of different movements. This means it’s hard to name any stand-out tracks, but “Black Swan” is good, and reminded me of bits of “Paranoid Android” from Ok Computer. “Atoms For Peace” works well too, even if it does sound like he made it up as he was going along. The most definite tune here (and my favourite) has to be “Harrowdown Hill,” with its funky bass line and simple organ riff.
Also to Yorke’s credit has to be the album’s brevity. The truly self-indulgent artiste would have gone for a whole CD’s worth of unrestrained musical expression, but the nine songs on this album are over and done with in forty minutes, an effect that actually leaves you wanting more. Though, as a solo artist, I don’t think Yorke’s output will be better than Radiohead’s in terms of sales, song-wise he’s shown himself here to be the band’s most valuable asset. And if they do ever implode, at least we know he’ll be all right for a day job.
