So, Thom Yorke just dropped a surprise solo album, which, interestingly, is only available on vinyl and via a $6 BitTorrent bundle, an interesting choice which will likely, as intended, make way for smaller artists to make money off of their music at a much cheaper cost.
The first thing I've noticed is that there is a certain yin and yang to this record; in my opinion, "Interference" is the most bleak song that he's written in 14 years, yet, other parts of this album seem almost whimsical. This occurs specifically in the song titles "Truth Ray" and "Pink Section"--which I am convinced is a nod to the vagina--and also there is "Guess Again!", which offers up dark situations and then, in a tone that seemingly suggests that Thom is winking at the listener, says "Guess again!"
Musically, what stands out the most in this record is undoubtedly the percussion. It's fucking cool. Throughout the record, it stumbles in and out, at times manifesting in subtle flurries, and at other times hitting you with the full force of a blizzard. Past the percussion, the album is very cold and at times atmospheric. It's filled with drowned pianos and spacey synths and garbled vocal twitches that coalesce into a very polished whole. The song transitions are (save the transition from "Truth Ray" to "There Is No Ice (For My Drink)," which definitely gets fumbled a bit) incredibly smooth and well done--arguably Thom and Nigel's best since Kid A, which flowed perfectly from track to track. The album proves to be a more focused, direct, and well thought out experience than Amok, which Yorke released last year with his side-project Atoms For Peace. Comparisons to The Eraser can be made superficially, but the depth of these comparisons comes into question with tracks like "A Brain In A Bottle," which bear little similarity to its predecessor.
I'd like to touch on the lyrical content now. Though I am still making out words and phrases, what I have noticed is that lyrically the album rather notably different from Thom's past work--except for perhaps The Eraser, which also stood out for this reason. It's fairly quirkier in it's imagery, and is more personal in tone. Unlike the anthemic songs of his past like "Exit Music (For A Film)" where "we" or an unspecific "you" are the pronouns, or impersonal, subject-less songs like "The National Anthem," it feels like Thom is actually addressing someone, although it is unclear who.
Also notable is the cover, which is reminiscent of posters for old sci-fi movies, especially in the do-it-yourself typography which bears the name of its creator and the project's title. Make of this what you want, but I see it fitting, as the record itself bears a certain retro-futurism in its juxtaposition of drowned, old-world pianos with heavy bass and intense, electronic drums.
Overall, I think this is a very good record, and I would recommend it strongly if it's the type of thing you're into.
TLDR; Tomorrow's Modern Boxes is a double rainbow made up of the tears of a thousand sunsets.
The first thing I've noticed is that there is a certain yin and yang to this record; in my opinion, "Interference" is the most bleak song that he's written in 14 years, yet, other parts of this album seem almost whimsical. This occurs specifically in the song titles "Truth Ray" and "Pink Section"--which I am convinced is a nod to the vagina--and also there is "Guess Again!", which offers up dark situations and then, in a tone that seemingly suggests that Thom is winking at the listener, says "Guess again!"
Musically, what stands out the most in this record is undoubtedly the percussion. It's fucking cool. Throughout the record, it stumbles in and out, at times manifesting in subtle flurries, and at other times hitting you with the full force of a blizzard. Past the percussion, the album is very cold and at times atmospheric. It's filled with drowned pianos and spacey synths and garbled vocal twitches that coalesce into a very polished whole. The song transitions are (save the transition from "Truth Ray" to "There Is No Ice (For My Drink)," which definitely gets fumbled a bit) incredibly smooth and well done--arguably Thom and Nigel's best since Kid A, which flowed perfectly from track to track. The album proves to be a more focused, direct, and well thought out experience than Amok, which Yorke released last year with his side-project Atoms For Peace. Comparisons to The Eraser can be made superficially, but the depth of these comparisons comes into question with tracks like "A Brain In A Bottle," which bear little similarity to its predecessor.
I'd like to touch on the lyrical content now. Though I am still making out words and phrases, what I have noticed is that lyrically the album rather notably different from Thom's past work--except for perhaps The Eraser, which also stood out for this reason. It's fairly quirkier in it's imagery, and is more personal in tone. Unlike the anthemic songs of his past like "Exit Music (For A Film)" where "we" or an unspecific "you" are the pronouns, or impersonal, subject-less songs like "The National Anthem," it feels like Thom is actually addressing someone, although it is unclear who.
Also notable is the cover, which is reminiscent of posters for old sci-fi movies, especially in the do-it-yourself typography which bears the name of its creator and the project's title. Make of this what you want, but I see it fitting, as the record itself bears a certain retro-futurism in its juxtaposition of drowned, old-world pianos with heavy bass and intense, electronic drums.
Overall, I think this is a very good record, and I would recommend it strongly if it's the type of thing you're into.
TLDR; Tomorrow's Modern Boxes is a double rainbow made up of the tears of a thousand sunsets.
» We are all stuck at home.
» Goodbye and goodnight, Hello-Operator.
» Polly Y76b
» grand redesign
» hello everybody
» You alive?
» What Choo Lisnin Too III: The Revenge of the Sith
» AND THEN THERE WAS ONE