Dual CD Review: "The Eraser" and "Numbers"
Thom Yorke's solo album hasn't officially been released yet, but upon purchase at Amazon, one gets access to a digital copy of the album, so I've been listening to that. The 101's latest came in the mail today, so I've been listening to that. First time I've ever submitted track names to iTunes instead of vice-versa...
Alright, I'll start with The Eraser because I listed it first. The album is themed on global warming, which may worry some, since, you know, politics is preachy. But Radiohead has been doing it well for a good while, so it shouldn't surprise that the theming doesn't cause any problems.
Now, global warming is some pretty ominous stuff, and the album's tone fits it well. It's got that same sort of feeling-of-impending-doom-sound that I think made Hail To The Thief what it was. The music itself fits into the same vein as Kid A and Amnesiac. One of the problems with solo albums (in my opinion) is that they often are very narrow in musical variability (e.g. If you like acoustic guitar and 21-piece string sets, you'll like Return of The Frog Queen. If you don't, you won't). The Eraser covers a decent range - all within the same electronic-rock setup, of course - and avoids the "which song number am I on?" that usually is a bad sign.
Overall, it's a solid album. It probably won't make my "5 Best of 2006" list, but, hey, it's better than Mr Beast. I don't really have any complaints or admonishments, it's just not totally phenomenal. So...8.102517/10. -ish. Favorite song? I might have to go with "Analyze," the piano works very well. Plus, it perfects the doomism that drives the album.
Alright, so now Numbers. The first three songs are, quite flatly, amazing. I had to smile at the outro on the title track, which could've come right off of Stereo. I've always liked The 101 because it sounds like the 90's radio rock I grew up on. The 101 EP played like what the Goo Goo Dolls should've sounded like. Numbers is a bit more complex than either of the previous two albums, but it sticks to the same formula. If I had to assign a tone to the album, I'd say it sounded like a summer day, which is good, because that's what it was when I first listened to it. Maybe I was biased.
Tracks 4-9 sound similar to the middle tracks on Green Street. This isn't bad, because there's enough variety between the two sets and within them that it doesn't feel like you're listening to Green Street. The last two tracks are decent, but "Domino," the final track, fails to live up to the closers on the previous two albums. I mean, c'mon, "Regret" is amazing.
So, overall, despite the brief review that I did complain a lot in, it's probably their best album yet. The EP probably had more "whoa" per square minute, but it was a lot shorter too. Overall, a 8.3/10 and my favorite song would be "Numbers." It just is amazing.
Alright, I'll start with The Eraser because I listed it first. The album is themed on global warming, which may worry some, since, you know, politics is preachy. But Radiohead has been doing it well for a good while, so it shouldn't surprise that the theming doesn't cause any problems.
Now, global warming is some pretty ominous stuff, and the album's tone fits it well. It's got that same sort of feeling-of-impending-doom-sound that I think made Hail To The Thief what it was. The music itself fits into the same vein as Kid A and Amnesiac. One of the problems with solo albums (in my opinion) is that they often are very narrow in musical variability (e.g. If you like acoustic guitar and 21-piece string sets, you'll like Return of The Frog Queen. If you don't, you won't). The Eraser covers a decent range - all within the same electronic-rock setup, of course - and avoids the "which song number am I on?" that usually is a bad sign.
Overall, it's a solid album. It probably won't make my "5 Best of 2006" list, but, hey, it's better than Mr Beast. I don't really have any complaints or admonishments, it's just not totally phenomenal. So...8.102517/10. -ish. Favorite song? I might have to go with "Analyze," the piano works very well. Plus, it perfects the doomism that drives the album.
Alright, so now Numbers. The first three songs are, quite flatly, amazing. I had to smile at the outro on the title track, which could've come right off of Stereo. I've always liked The 101 because it sounds like the 90's radio rock I grew up on. The 101 EP played like what the Goo Goo Dolls should've sounded like. Numbers is a bit more complex than either of the previous two albums, but it sticks to the same formula. If I had to assign a tone to the album, I'd say it sounded like a summer day, which is good, because that's what it was when I first listened to it. Maybe I was biased.
Tracks 4-9 sound similar to the middle tracks on Green Street. This isn't bad, because there's enough variety between the two sets and within them that it doesn't feel like you're listening to Green Street. The last two tracks are decent, but "Domino," the final track, fails to live up to the closers on the previous two albums. I mean, c'mon, "Regret" is amazing.
So, overall, despite the brief review that I did complain a lot in, it's probably their best album yet. The EP probably had more "whoa" per square minute, but it was a lot shorter too. Overall, a 8.3/10 and my favorite song would be "Numbers." It just is amazing.
posted by Jimmy at 4:29 PM
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