We're coming to a bend now, skidding 'round the hairpin
February 4, 2024 12:11 PM Subscribe
A week after its debut, The Smile (featuring Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood alongside drummer Tom Skinner and the London Contemporary Orchestra) has released their acclaimed sophomore album Wall of Eyes for free on YouTube, backing the record's subtle, languid, slow-burn melodies and towering crescendos with eclectic [music videos] and colorful collages: 1) Thom enjoys an unsettling night out with his selves on ["Wall of Eyes"] [lyrics] - 2) the undulating soundscapes of "Teleharmonic" [lyrics] - 3) jangling psychedelia contrasts with pockets of honey-sweetness on "Read the Room" [lyrics] - 4) silent ghosts usher in "Under Our Pillows" [lyrics] - 5) the lads perform a song about lockdowns and corruption to an unfiltered gaggle of artless children in ["Friend of a Friend"] [lyrics] - 6) the glitchy drifting landscapes of "I Quit" [lyrics] - 7) the gorgeously existential "to be or not to be" of "Bending Hectic" [lyrics] (or see the [fan video] based on the enigmatic animation of Vladimir Tarasov) - 8) ethereally beautiful closing ballad "You Know Me!" [lyrics]. More: lyrics and analysis - BBC interview with the band and Jonny - behind-the-scenes video - photos from the special edition
Consequence of Sound: The Smile Step Out of Radiohead’s Shadow with the Excellent Wall of Eyes
Consequence of Sound: The Smile Step Out of Radiohead’s Shadow with the Excellent Wall of Eyes
Wheres A Light for Attracting Attention was a shotgun blast of musical ideas, jumping from Anima-esque electronic soundscapes (“The Smoke,” “Open the Floodgates”) to groovy art rock (“The Opposite,” “Thin Thing”) to angsty rockers (“We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings”) to orchestra-backed tear-jerkers (“Free In the Knowledge”), Wall of Eyes hones in on a singular vision. The lads have put down their shotguns for snipers. And what’s in Wall of Eyes's crosshair? A swirling, vibrant world that distills the foundation of its predecessor down to the essentials before letting what’s left bloom and mutate into its own beast. Wall of Eyes is the sound of a more confident, collaborative The Smile, a version of the band willing to let their ideas ferment, even at the expense of immediacy.Vulture: We Should Appreciate The Smile While It’s Still Here
Wall of Eyes is a work of psychedelic retreat. Millennial and Gen X music nerds sometimes looked to Yorke and Greenwood for guidance in navigating the jittery 21st century. But now the duo just wants to chase cool riffs and see where they lead. That wasn’t always the case. In 2000, Yorke said he didn’t want to be in a rock band anymore, and Greenwood bristled at the very concept in 2017: “Even when we were starting out, it felt like everyone’s been in a band. Bands were already old hat. That felt true then, and more so today.” Since then, Radiohead has gotten diligent about archive management, rescuing legendary B-sides and maintaining a website without releasing any new music. Working with Skinner has excited old impulses; the new album is best enjoyed as another rare opportunity to swipe a road-tested rock institution’s brain trust for gymnastic power-trio exercises. The new songs tend to run longer this time, owing to an interest in slowly building structures to warp by surprise or to systematically destroy.GQ: There May Never Be Another Radiohead Album, and That’s OK
Where Radiohead takes careful restraint as a guiding principle, the Smile just goes for it: there’s plenty of gorgeous nuance here, but also the sort of giddy reach-for-the-cheap-seats climax that their other group wouldn’t dream of indulging. Perhaps there will be a new Radiohead album next year, or the year after. Phil Selway, at least, seems to think there’s gas left in their tank. But judging by the tone of the Smile’s BBC 6 interview, they’re just getting started. If they keep making albums as good as Wall of Eyes, Yorke and Greenwood can take as long as they want before getting the old band back together.The Smile previously on MeFi:
- the surprise 2021 Glastonbury reveal
- the 2022 debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention
- last year's Wall of Eyes announcement and early demos
“What if Radiohead, but not so much?”
posted by The River Ivel at 2:46 PM on February 4 [1 favorite]
posted by The River Ivel at 2:46 PM on February 4 [1 favorite]
I was underwhelmed on the first listen but by the fifth listen I was obsessed. It's a grower.
posted by nikodym at 3:28 PM on February 4 [2 favorites]
posted by nikodym at 3:28 PM on February 4 [2 favorites]
It's not Radiohead, which is just fine. I love that they're doing a side project - it seems to be somewhat freeing for them. And it's a beautiful album, all on its own.
posted by patternocker at 5:01 PM on February 4
posted by patternocker at 5:01 PM on February 4
Yeah this one is an all-timer, it's spare and ethereal and loose and free in a way no Radiohead album ever was. Friend of a Friend is a perfect song. I'll move heaven and earth to see them tour this.
posted by saladin at 5:07 PM on February 4 [1 favorite]
posted by saladin at 5:07 PM on February 4 [1 favorite]
It's definitely a grower.
ALFAA in retrospect felt kind of like a more artful redux of Hail to the Thief -- lengthy tracklist, a grab-bag of styles, vaguely political. Walk of Eyes, OTOH, is all vibes and atmosphere, with obscure, free-association lyrics that make the vocals feel more like an instrument than a driving force. It treads beautiful, evocative territory, but it's something you really have to marinate in (ideally with a good set of headphones).
It avoids the skittery, alien electronica of Thom's solo stuff, but admittedly doesn't quite reach the rarified conceptual heights of the mainline albums. But there are some really solid and memorable compositions here, and at this late date I think I'd rather have what Jonny called "90% as good twice as often" than have to wait the better part of a decade between official Radiohead releases.
posted by Rhaomi at 5:09 PM on February 4
ALFAA in retrospect felt kind of like a more artful redux of Hail to the Thief -- lengthy tracklist, a grab-bag of styles, vaguely political. Walk of Eyes, OTOH, is all vibes and atmosphere, with obscure, free-association lyrics that make the vocals feel more like an instrument than a driving force. It treads beautiful, evocative territory, but it's something you really have to marinate in (ideally with a good set of headphones).
It avoids the skittery, alien electronica of Thom's solo stuff, but admittedly doesn't quite reach the rarified conceptual heights of the mainline albums. But there are some really solid and memorable compositions here, and at this late date I think I'd rather have what Jonny called "90% as good twice as often" than have to wait the better part of a decade between official Radiohead releases.
posted by Rhaomi at 5:09 PM on February 4
The Smile Q&A by Edith Bowman: The Prince Charles Cinema & Paul Thomas Anderson Presents Wall of Eyes (January 18th, 2024)
posted by Rhaomi at 10:03 PM on February 4
posted by Rhaomi at 10:03 PM on February 4
Definitely a grower, yes. I highly recommend putting this on when alone on a late night drive.
posted by patternocker at 5:43 AM on February 5
posted by patternocker at 5:43 AM on February 5
That late-night drive accompaniment of The King of Limbs was how it earned a place among my favourites. Thanks for the recommendation, patternocker! (And thanks Rhaomi for the FPP.)
posted by k3ninho at 12:54 AM on February 6
posted by k3ninho at 12:54 AM on February 6
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"Do you like it? I find it really unsatisfying. Like radiohead and grizzly bear had a baby but it came out with no soul "
Phil Selway's album sounded great but the lyrics were so mind-bendingly trite. Which is fine if you have a voice like Whitney Houston but not if you have a voice like Bob Dylan.
posted by bookbook at 12:52 PM on February 4