ANIMA

Thom Yorke´s ANIMA (2019) a nine track release will appeal instantly to any Radiohead head.

Not being a Radiohead head myself or a "Yorker" I can look at it all from an objective distance and find its merits and as far as it seems recurrent flaws.

So yes this is his best solo output up to now but in the general context of contemporary electronic music I could hardly set it as masterpiece of this expansive and vast universe but a gem in his solo discography it is without doubt.

The Radiohead reference is for real though taken to contemporary electronic music stylings, which include Dub Step, Drum & Bass, IDM, Hip Hop and all the etcs. you can come up with and of course with a first class studio production (which actually is a must with these kind of contemporary electronic music loved/hated mainstream productions).

When he blends in the bizarre RH idiom with these styles the music sounds great but when he dwells into the cliches of these styles as if discovering America things can get messy.

So maybe some hard core RH fan who has never followed these electronic music stylings will be listening and maybe thinking Thom is working novel wonders, but to anyone outside the RH circle and also the general Prog one, but close to these contemporary electronic music styles would hardly be impressed with the full album as such and maybe, as I, only with half of it.

(Even though, I only tolerate Thom Yorke´s boyyish vocal range just because I admit his great talents as composer also have to admit he´s not that good or original when he "borrows" it. )

Anyway, anyone who went nuts with Kid A or Ok Computer will adore this album, the rest should give it a spin cause what is worth listening is thrilling but what´s not would not compensate the price of the full album.

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