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Thom Yorke “The Eraser” XL Recordings 4 paws

If there’s one thing Radiohead does consistently, it’s making music that blows people away. From the anthems of “The Bends” to the electronic beauty of “Kid A” and the diverse punch of 2003’s “Hail to the Thief,” the band many consider the world’s best doesn’t pull any stylistic punches. Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke’s solo debut “The Eraser,” on the other hand, is a more restrained affair. The album’s nine tracks stick with one sound and avoid the shifts in dynamics from track to track which make Radiohead albums so adventurous. Direct comparisons are unfair, of course, and while Yorke doesn’t quite match his band’s best work, he succeeds admirably in crafting an album with a distinctive identity. This is not a rock record by any traditional means; Yorke, working with longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, sticks to cut-up drum samples and electronic bleeps to anchor the songs, with electric guitars and keyboards making effective appearances. Much of it sounds reminiscent of Radiohead’s electronic period, with the tuneful “Atoms for Peace” aping the “Amnesiac” B-side “Worrywort,” and “Black Swan” a dead ringer for “I Might Be Wrong.” In this sense, the album is revealing as a look at what Yorke brings to his band, but the strength of the material makes it more than a mere curiosity. After the rushing harmonies of the standout title track, “Analyse” merges a creeping sense of paranoia with an evasively pretty opening, while “Skip Divided” finds Yorke lapsing back into the snarling lower register he used on Radiohead’s “Wolf at the Door.” “Harrowdown Hill” is a late highlight, with the singer sounding appropriately spooked when he sings, “Where’s the blood? / I’m coming home, I’m coming home / To make it all right, so dry your eyes.” Yorke’s performances are as haunting and powerful as ever, and the album’s foreboding tone gives it much of its weight. While the sonic similarities between the tracks makes “The Eraser” a misleadingly strong background listen, there’s a lot of complexity hiding under the wallpaper. A careful listen reveals layers of depth: start-stop bass lines, harmony vocals and a beatboxing sample (which makes an appearance on “The Clock”) are among a few of his successful experiments. Overall, “The Eraser” is a different kind of album for Yorke, but given the chance, it’s one that’s no less engrossing than the rest of his band’s impressive discography. – David Greenwald