For musicians that are lucky enough to build an audience, there often comes a time in which they grow bored of the project that garnered them attention and begin looking elsewhere for creative fulfilment.
For the members of the generation-defining band Radiohead, that is no different, as the quintet from Oxfordshire now spends their time developing a myriad of side-projects, containing everything from solo albums to scoring feature films as we now enter the eighth year of the group’s hiatus. Throughout their self-imposed break, all five members have been very vocal in admitting they had grown tired of a project that was started in a high-school rehearsal room, leading to frontman Thom Yorke and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Greenwood finding solace in their newest project, ‘The Smile’. Formed during the COVID-induced lockdowns of 2020, the legendary songwriting duo drafted in the versatile and dynamic jazz drummer Tom Skinner to round out their supergroup, releasing their critically acclaimed debut ‘A Light For Attracting Attention’ in the spring of 2022. ‘The Smile’ provided a creative outlet for Yorke and Greenwood to create music that whilst sharing similarities with Radiohead, wasn’t clouded by the expectation that comes with a Radiohead release. When not under the constraints of a stadium-sized rock band, the songwriting is given the opportunity to be a little less polished, leading to the trio exploring more sonically interesting places. After spending the summer popping up at festivals all around Europe, the Yorke and Greenwood partnership has clearly revitalised a creative spark, as ‘The Smile’ now return with their stunning follow-up ‘Wall of Eyes’.
While at first glance, the 8 song ‘Wall of Eyes’ may seem like a bitesize project, it would be easy to fool yourself into thinking the forty-five minute runtime was closer to four hours and forty-five minutes with how sonically expansive each song is. Produced by Sam Petts-Davies, ‘Wall of Eyes’ is a jittery and anxiety-inducing body of work filled to the brim with pulsating synths and unnerving string arrangements that filter in and out like a movie score. The title track, which also doubles as the album’s opener is soft and quaint, as a growing sense of unease builds over a samba-like rhythm. Yorke embodies that of a cult leader as he sings ‘Let us raise glasses / to what we don’t deserve’, as we get our first taste of the 55 year old’s ever gloomy lyricism. The 5/4 time signature paired with the backing vocals repeatedly counting up add to the eerie nature of the song, providing an introduction to an album that never lets you sit still. This is made readily apparent on both ‘Under Our Pillows’ and ‘Read The Room’, as repeated synth refrains bury Yorke’s vocals which ultimately creates a psychedelic infused atmosphere. The sonic world in which ‘Read The Room’ is presented in is especially impressive, as a three act structure allows for the trio’s musicianship to really take centre stage. Yet, the very strength of ‘Wall of Eye’ is also its greatest weakness, as that very same sonic world the trio creates can sometimes get lost in itself, sacrificing more digestible melodies for sprawling instrumental refrains.
Having said that, when the trio gets it right, the results are often stunning.
‘Bending Hectic’, one of the album’s highlights, begins with a plucky fingerpicking pattern and detuned guitars that sees Yorke daydreaming about the Italian mountainside. Whilst those initial themes might have you wondering if the famously self-deprecating frontman has gone soft, normal service is resumed with the story of a self-inflicted car crash. The horror-movie string arrangement that follows wouldn’t feel out of place in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’, galloping along a little too long for comfort before the band finally returns. Drummer Tom Skinner is finally let off his leash at the crescendo of the song, while Johnny Greenwood’s recent self-imposed neglect of using his guitar as a creative tool is momentarily paused, rolling back the clock with a terrific solo. Elsewhere, ‘Friend of a Friend’ recalls The Beatles ‘A Day in the Life’, highlighting some of Yorke’s talents as a songwriter when he isn’t hiding behind pulsating synths and avant-garde string arrangements. ‘So I guess I’ll stay / atleast till the disappointed have eaten themselves away’ is the pick of a number of self-deprecating lines Yorke has been come to known for. ‘You Know Me’, another piano led slow-burner has Yorke musing that he is ‘a boxer on the ropes’, as we are left to reflect on an album where it constantly feels like something sinister is happening out of frame. As the album ends with Yorke pleading ‘Don’t think you know me / Don’t think that I am everything you say’, the final lines feel incredibly fitting for a songwriter, that alongside Greenwood, you never know what they’re going to do next.
While Radiohead fans will pine for the day Yorke and Greenwood are on stage alongside their childhood friends, ‘The Smile’ has reinvigorated a songwriting duo that show no signs of slowing down.
It may not be Radiohead but if you whisper it, it might just be some of their best work yet.
Words by Romesh Cruse