Can't live without music. Rock, Pop, Electronic, Alternative, Independent, etc, as long as it's good...
Can't live without music. Rock, Pop, Electronic, Alternative, Independent, etc, as long as it's good! I love reading, sports and photography as well! I'm portuguese, so sorry for my not so perfect English.
Member since:19.07.2006
Reviews:34
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"The Eraser" is Thom Yorke's, Radiohead's frontman, first solo album. Though the album was produced along with Radiohead's producer Nigel Godrich and has the participation of his band partner Jonny Greenwood in some piano chords, this is much more than a Radiohead thing.
I must start to present it as a electronic record. Of course that's the path Radiohead started do explore since "Kid A", but in this album that's not a peculiarity, not just a thing you should notice, that's the whole thing! So the tendency is to compare this record to "Kid A", that was mostly an electronic experience that crushed all "Ok Computer" successor expectations. In my very personal opinion, if I would compare it to any Radiohead album, I would compare it to "Amnesiac", not "kid A".
But that's not the relevant thing. What you need to know is that this is purely electronic, there's not a single rock sign. No drums, no
guitars. So this is not a thing for everyone to like! Take notice. But though electronic, this is not the danceable type of electronic music, it's more like a chilly one, with nice synthetic soundscapes and Thom's voice making all the difference! That's what special about this record, his lyrics and his seductive voice giving sense to simple rhythms and electronic beats.
It's the perfect album to listen when you don't want to thing about anything. There are types of music that make you sing, dance, think or cry, but this is the perfect record to make you just be. No thinking, no worries (though some disturbing lyrics), just listening to the music and relax. It's my present favourite soundtrack in my way to work everyday.
The album is short, 9 tracks in 41 minutes, but is perfect to listen in loop.
But not only the music is unusual, also the packaging made out of a cardboard that when opened, it stretches across quite a few pages, with a painting of buildings floating away in the water. The cover was done by Stanley Donwood that depicts King Canute trying and failing to command the ocean Simple and nice at the same time. No lyrics are given or any other significant text.
Track listing:
1- The Eraser 2- Analyse 3- The Clock 4- Black Swan 5- Skip Divided 6- Atoms For Peace 7 And It Rained All Night 8- Harrowdown Hill 9- Cymbal Rush
The Eraser- The record title, begins "please excuse me but I've got to ask,/ are you only being nice/ because you want something?" and with piano chords (by Jonny Greenwood, a Radiohead member) playing repeatedly until the end. "The more you try to erase me/ the more the more the more that I appear". Nice one to begin, give you the clues to what this album sounds.
Analyse- Another one with a piano underneath the beats and synthesizer effects. The message is really about analysing, no second intentions: "There's no time/To analyse/ To think things through/ To make sense"
The Clock- Completely electronic song. There's a sound like a buzz marking the rhythm and Thom's voice composing the rest. This would sound nice in a terror movie.
Black Swan- One of my favourites, the origin of this music goes back to 2000, during "kid A" sessions. Thom ended it up now, nicely! A beat and a story about being a black swan, when everyone wants you to be a pretty white swan. "You have tried your best to please everyone/But it just isn't happening/No, it just isn't happening/And it's fucked up, fucked up".
Skip Divided- Thom doing the singing and mumbling in the backvocals, at the same time. "You're a fool" these words will stick rapidly to your memory.
Atoms for Peace- This was the title of a speech given by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is also the motto of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It's the first song in a softer mood, though the words are saying: "so many lies, so many lies…" Political message
And it Rained all Night- Good song, pure electronic again.
Harrowdown Hill- Another one with a political bold intention: Harrowdown Hill in Oxfordshire is notable for being the place where the body of Dr David Kelly was found in 2003. His evidence had raised questions about Saddam Hussein's possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction. One of the first songs to remain in your head, it's sad and the question will remain: "Did I fall or was I pushed?"
Cymbal Rush- The perfect closing music, soft moody tranquil kind of song. Well choosen the placement at the end.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
"Dont call it solo," says Thom Yorke ofThe Eraser, "It doesnt sound right". Here, then, is ... more
the first hmm, lets say one-man record from the vocalist of Radiohead, an excursion in electronic beats and synthetic textures hailed by many critics as a retur...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
All hail the whiz-kid! Genius at work! This is a CD ofunparalleled beauty and a musical ... more
marvel! You can bet that thoseheadlines have already been written - before anyone actually tookthe time to play this album. Because this is a solo offering fromthe ...
"Dont call it solo," says Thom Yorke of The Eraser, "It doesnt sound right". Here, then, ... more
is the first hmm, lets say one-man record from the vocalist of Radiohead, an excursion in electronic beats and synthetic textures hailed by many critics as a retu...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Poignant vocals, emotive exposition, critically-applauded, intricate experimentalism. Disadvantages: I struggle to think of any - at a push, shortage of new tracks.
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