THE SMILE

Thom Yorke is an artist who benefits from a certain aura. Not that the "Rock Critic" microcosm cries genius with each new appearance of the character?but not far off. The man who knew how to embody from the beginning of the 90s the successful mixture of the disillusioned revolt of Kurt Cobain and the charismatic but disturbing British elegance of Bowie , never compromised, tracing his path to integrated artist impervious to carrier currents. And yet, the group Radiohead, of which he is the singer, has achieved the feat of combining both massive public success and an ambitious artistic approach. But, no more Radiohead today, at least for now. So we find our Thom as a member of The Smile with his Radiohead sidekick Jonny Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner . So, is this set a way to record an excess of musical ideas, a laboratory for creativity, or a real group with a vision and its own identity? The Smile's second studio album, 'Wall Of Eyes' seems to tip the scales towards the third possibility.

A light and swaying acoustic guitar rhythm opens the eponymous track "Wall Of Eyes". It is around this rhythm that the group will develop its ideas, featuring a zig-zag harmonic progression and the support of strings trying to put everything back on the right path. Under a hypnotic and uniform aspect, the title presents a real complexity which seems to be the direction chosen on this record.

Arrival of the atmospheric electronic elements so characteristic of "Teleharmonic". Once again the group adopts an almost jazz attitude, based on great freedom of expression in a space of immense dimensions. Don't look for the verse-chorus-bridge format here, the codes are largely ignored.

A priori more traditional in format in the guitar-bass-drums vein, "Read The Room" combines an atypical rhythmic twist with a repetitive riff and freewheeling drums. I haven't mentioned it yet, but Thom Yorke 's voice is of course the element linking the whole, incredible in amplitude and expression, his forays into the bass in particular are remarkable.

In the same vein, "Under Our Pillows" is even more reminiscent of Radiohead, and Thom Yorke once again surprises with his ability to lay fluid and accessible singing over an ever-changing rhythm and harmony. The title gradually evolves towards a hypnotic turn which can recall certain psychedelic experiences from the time of Jimi Hendrix for example ("Third Stone from the sun").

"Friend Of A Friend" is one of the highlights of the record with its unusual start in low voice, joined by a piano and drums with a very rhythmic approach. The piece is also the subject of an orchestral crescendo which will of course recall "A day in the life", an inevitable reference on this kind of figure.

On the long lament "I Quit", a few electronic, percussive or orchestral elements seem to break the torpor of a development that is a bit too flat.

Second peak of the album (in my opinion), "Bending Hectic" is built in part around a vaporous guitar plan marked by a "bend" towards infinity adding tension to the velvety atmosphere. The title is enhanced by the orchestral arrangements, completely free drums, and singing that flies towards the stars (or rather towards the ground given the lyrics: "The ground is coming for me now"). The title ends in a saturated deluge that we didn't see coming.

The closing track "You Know Me!" sees the piano return as a central element accompanying Thom Yorke 's high-pitched vocals . This ensemble evolves towards almost Indian sounds with the support of the London Contemporary Orchestra, and thus closes this album on a new hypnotic note.

'Wall Of Eyes' is the testimony of a group, although recently formed, perfectly in control of the space it grants itself. He navigates freely between Rock, Jazz, Electro, Pop, and many other musical genres, to create a style of his own. Certainly, those nostalgic will find that the Himalayan peaks of Radiohead have not been reached, but The Smile drives home with this record the point of asserted independent creativity.

Review originally posted on www.progcritique.com.

The power trio that is basically Radiohead rebooted, THE SMILE gave Radiohead fans the next best thing and delivered a new band that features Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood. With Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner, THE SMILE was born in 2020 and although not officially the replacement for Radiohead which claims it is still a fully functioning band, it's more like an intermission to deliver the same exact style of space rock revival without the contractual nonsense that goes into being a successful famous band. After the band's debut "A Light For Attracting Attention," THE SMILE received critical appraise and Radiohead fans ate it up. After all Thom Yorke knows a good thing and how to market it.

The band returns two years later with its sophomore effort WALL OF EYES which means one thing for sure, THE SMILE is not a one off side project. This band has taken on a life of its own no matter what the future of Radiohead may be. Yet another album of mopey space rockers that feature Thom Yorke's distinct detached vocal style, Johnny Greenwood's signature guitar moves and a bunch of new sounds to distance itself just enough from the Radiohead project, THE SMILE has captured the hearts of not only alternative rock lovers but has wooed the more progressive side of the music world as well and for great reason: once again this band captures that perfect sound that lies in between indie pop and experimental progressive rock.

WALL OF EYES has been released in many formats to cover all grounds. The album features only eight tracks that add up to just over 45 minutes of playing time. The opening title track was released as the first single and features a distinct 5/4 time signature wrapped in a Brazilian samba style of guitar playing however despite that, it is the closest track to the classic Radiohead sound with other tracks taking on more guitar oriented styles including lengthy jamming. None of the tracks are particularly long ranging around the five minute mark or more but the eight minute "Bending Hectic" is the exception. This time around it seems that THE SMILE made more of an effort to distance itself from the parent Radiohead comparisons and good for these guys for doing so otherwise this band couldn't really warrant a continued project at least IMHO.

Another album, another diverse list of tracks with that offer just enough pop hooks to reel you in immediately but then fortified with all kinds of beautiful orchestrations, surreal counterpoints and of course all those classic Radiohead inspired electronic sound effects that offer moments of chaotic discord especially the endings. THE SMILE implements many familiar Radiohead sounds but also employs many ethnic influences, math rock, Krautrock inspired motorik, ambient drone and even a piano ballad in the form of "Friend Of A Friend" which has been compared to Randy Newman or the classic Beatles song "A Day In The Life" in the way it has a complex orchestration that allows various parts of the song to crescendo and then slip back to its original simplicity. The album is intelligently designed and the production is perfectly executed to add the proper support to any particular track without taking things too far into the stratosphere.

To sum it up succinctly, if you loved the first album then you'll love this one. It's close enough to the first that it exercises all the same elements yet differs in how it adds all the bells and whistles as well as allowing the songs themselves to expand in stylistic approach without losing an overarching album feel. Whether this appeals to you or not will really depend on how much you like or dislike Radiohead in the first place and how you feel about a side project that sounds more like Radiohead than not. For my tastes i don't mind the Radiohead proximity simply because it's a style that i don't really get tired of even though i would hardly consider Radiohead one of my most beloved musical entities. Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood are simply doing what they do best and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

It's been seven long years since the last proper Radiohead album but rabid fans can't seem to get enough of Britain's favorite space rock / art pop group with the band's lauded 1997 blockbuster "OK Computer" still considered by many to be the best album of all time right up there with The Beatles, Miles Davis, PInk Floyd and Kendrick Lamar. Of course to each his own and i honestly don't share the frothing at the mouth syndrome associated with that band but i do enjoy their music and respect the band's unique approach in how it reinvented space rock in the 1990s. There seemed to be no end in site with 2016's "A Moon Shaped Pool" which also scored big with no sign of burn out for this Oxfordshire based artist. So what next?

Well it turns out that the next Radiohead album is actually no Radiohead album at all! WTF? Well it seems Thom Yorke, main dude of the band has collaborated with Johnny Greenwood (also of R-head) to create this side project called THE SMILE. Damn, i was hoping for Radiomouith or something cooler sounding! Anyways, this duo who both have been with Radiohead since the beginning have joined forces along with drummer Tom Skinner, an avid avant-chamber-jazz percussionist who has participated in groups like Melt Yourself Down, Owigny Sigoma Band, Sons of Kemet and Zed-U. As a trio these three musicians have crafted what many are considering the next Radiohead album.

The debut release of THE SMILE is titled A LIGHT FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION and attention is has gotten indeed. At this point Thom Yorke could release an album covering polka songs and it would generate a spotlight but in the case of THE SMILE's so far only album, what we are actually treated to is something actually worthy of being considered the next chapter of Radiohead but of course we are all wondering if this side project is a one-off or is it the beginning of a new chapter where the other one has closed. Only time will tell but in the meantime A LIGHT FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION has basically captured the essence of a Radiohead release only with a much needed upgrade in the musicianship and with a bonafide jazz drummer on board, the goal has been achieved!

With 13 tracks that drift slightly past the 53-minute mark, A LIGHT FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION certainly captures the overall essence of classic Radiohead releases much more than any of Yorke's solo works or other side projects. Steeped in the same mopey detached keyboard-rich space rock that made the Headsters the favorite of hipsters worldwide, THE SMILE really does sound like they are simply upgrading "OK Computer" to the sounds of a quarter century in the future. The procession of mid-tempo electro-rockers that features Yorke's distinct falsetto and electronic backed grooves, THE SMILE successfully delivers an album's worth of tracks that all play off of each other quite well all the while sounding totally independent of each other.

While THE SMILE is officially a trio, this is a huge production with the addition of several guest musicians who play saxophone, flute, trombone, trumpet, tuba and double bass. If that wasn't enough the band also employs the entire London Contemporary Orchestra and its 12 musicians which add the string section of several violins, violas and cellos! The true wizardry of this production is from the producer himself however. Nigel Godrich (probably should change his name to OMF-ingGodrich) who is famous for his works with Radiohead as well as Beck Paul McCartney, U2 and countless others also joined ranks. Well no wonder this sounds just like that band i've already mentioned way too many times! Really makes me wonder if all the other band members were fired and if Yorke and Greenwood simply branched off.

Ah the music! That's what counts after all. This is album is a true surprise really. I wasn't expecting any R-head side project to come off so brilliantly. Each track stands on its own whether it's the bass heavy "The Smoke," the groovilisicous funky "Thin Thing" or the mopey acoustic guitar driven "Free In The Knowledge,"each song stands on its own and yet all flows together extremely effectively. What's also a plus with THE SMILE is that the band adds more influences from progressive rock giving the band more creds in the musicianship game.

Overall this is an excellent set of tracks on A LIGHT FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION. The pluses i've already noted but the minuses are the fact that, well, it sounds just like a Radiohead release! It really does in almost every way. It only sounds like the band got better over the decades. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Well that's obviously subjective. Personally i can't blame Yorke for cranking out what he does best even if he sounds a bit as if he's inhaled a helium balloon at times. Yeah this is 21st century art pop for the masses but there's nothing wrong with popularity and pop music when it's done properly and in the case of THE SMILE they pulled it off remarkably well. While there's no wow factor as on Radiohead's earliest releases that were utterly unique at the time, this one is certainly a competent 2.0 version of those classic years. Personally i love this one a lot even if it's not exactly a modern masterpiece of the ages. Hope to hear more from THE SMILE :) and hope they don't become a frown :(