The Eraser, Thom Yorke's first album away from Radiohead, is intensely focused and steady. It doesn't have the dynamics -- the shifts of mood, tempo, volume -- held by any Radiohead album, and it's predominantly electronic, so it's bound to rankle many of the fans who thought Kid A was too unhinged from ock & roll. It's definitely not the kind of album you put on to get an instant shot of energy, and at the same time, it doesn't contain anything as sullen as "How to Disappear Completely." Since it is so balanced, it might initially seem unwavering, but the details that differentiate the songs become increasingly apparent with each successive listen. Despite a reliance on machine beats and synthetic textures, Yorke's untouched, upfront vocals and relatively straightforward lyrics should be enough to bring back some of the detractors; he would have no trouble taking these songs on the road with a piano and an acoustic guitar. "Black Swan," the standout, comes across as a less guitar-heavy and more subdued version of Amnesiac's "I Might Be Wrong." Peek beneath the surface and you'll see that there's a lot more seething involved: "You have tried your best to please everyone/But it just isn't happening/No, it just isn't happening/And it's f*cked up, f*cked up." The opener, the title track, asks the album's first set of probing questions, including "Are you only being nice because you want something?" Along with the thoroughly sweet "Atoms for Peace," it vies for the album's prettiest-sounding five minutes, elevating into a chorus of hovering sighs as Yorke projects lightly with a matter-of-fact tone, "The more I try to erase you, the more, the more, the more that you appear." On the explicitly political end is "Harrowdown Hill," anchored by a snapping bass riff and percussive accents that skitter and slide back and forth between the left and right channels. Yorke defeatedly states, "You will be dispensed with when you become inconvenient," and asks "Did I fall or was I pushed?" referring to Dr. David Kelly, a whistle-blowing U.N. weapons inspector whose death -- which took place following a sequence of events that led to a testimonial before a parliamentary committee -- was ruled a suicide. It's no shock that the album entails some heavy subject matter and sounds as close to a version of Radiohead minus four of its members as one can imagine. What distinguishes The Eraser from the Radiohead albums, beyond the aspects mentioned above, is its ability to function in the background or as light listening without the requirement of deep concentration. The constant stream of soft, intricately layered sounds, while not without a great deal of tension in most spots, can be very comforting. Yorke's assertion that the album isn't truly a solo release is accurate. Producer Nigel Godrich, whose relationship with Radiohead exceeds a decade, played a major role, contributing arrangements, "extra instruments," and enough influence to guide the album into its tight song-oriented structure. Without him, the well-executed album would've likely sounded a lot closer to the kind of stray-idea patchwork experiment that so many other long-boiling side projects resemble. And, to a somewhat lesser extent, Yorke needed his bandmates as well; some of the sounds were pulled and manipulated from a bank of the band's unused recordings.
Radiohead's Thom Yorke for Latitude festival show. Yorke will play on the Obelisk Arena at noon (BST) on Sunday July 19 - the final day of the Suffolk bash. The rare performance will precede Radiohead's headline slot at the Reading And Leeds Festivals, set for August 30 in Reading and Leeds on August 29. Latitude will be headlined by Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones and Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds ...
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This song came in the solo album by lead singer of radiohead Thom Yorke, you can also hear it in the motion picture "Scanner Darkly" by Waner Bros Independent.This song is a must have, just listen.. :-D
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9. Thom Yorke - Harrowdown Hill (from "The Eraser")This eerie track tells us about David Kelly, whom you may remember as the British chemical expert who related key details of the so-called September Dossier (about the false allegations of Iraqi WMDs) to the BBC in 2003. After said breach, a few weeks later Kelly was found in a wooded area of Harrowdown Hill, his wrists slit. See Wikipedia and ...
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i found this video on youtube that someone created with stock footage from the WWII era. it just works; watch for yourself.
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again this is my choice of albums released this year. to be honest its been a pretty poor year i think. it started out so well too. in reverse order
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So now, only a day after my post expressing my excitement over my MOG status rising from "below the radar" to "chill" to "smoking" in just a couple days, I find that my status is now "blazing," which seems to be the nirvana (the state, not the band) of the MOGosphere. Yesterday I was excited; today I'm maybe a bit perplexed. Did I earn this status, or was it handed to me because I'm really, rea...
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It's nice always having Sundays off from work. I love being able to sleep in, wake up without the assistance of an alarm, and chill out. Possibly recover from the night/nights before. Figure out what needs to get done within the next week. Check updates online for a while, then go out and have a cigarette so I definately get a good buzz from it. Just have some alone time while my parents are at...
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But no...my office computer doesn't read CDs any more.So now...instead of doing actual work...i have to try to find a way of entertaining myself for the rest of the day.(it wouldn't read Danger Doom either)Best album to listen to as you scrape ice off your car: Fire - Electric 6
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Let me start by saying that I am from an environmentally friendly city, I like Al Gore, try to recycle my beer bottles and own a bike. However, I am also a Radiohead fan that still has yet to see the band live and now may never see them because Thom is jumping back on his soapbox. It seems that Thom would like to reduce carbon emissions into the air and therefore is considering not touring if...
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7. EmpathizeI was teaching a class of young writing students the other week and one of them said this thing that really knocked me out. Something to the affect that great writing was about the writers feeling hurt, and us recognizing this capacity for hurting in them. Obviously you don’t want ashes and woe from everyone, but I thought this went to something deep about the value of empathy in ou.
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I eat music. I have an insatiable appetite and I have the music junkie's equivalent to Pratter Willy (sp?) - a serious mental illness that makes you never feel full. My ipod has officially reached capacity and I'm surely going to use up all of the agency's free space with all of the music I'm adding on work itunes.I didn't have this 'problem' 3-5 years ago. I had a strong desire to seek out lef...
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I was kinda bummed when I heard Analyse on the credits of the Prestige. The movie wasn't awesome, but the song is. Don't get me wrong, it was a good movie... but the song is a bit out of the shows league. And, it didn't really fit - time period wise. I listen to Thom Yorke way too much in my car. I'm waiting to get sick of it, but that time ain't coming soon.
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My friend and I want to cover a song or two from 'The Eraser' at a local pub near the end of the month. If you were in a bar, which song from 'The Eraser' would you most like to hear?The venue is the Alex P. Keaton in London, ON.Take care.
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I've already started thinking about the top 10 songs of the year.At this point Harrowdown Hill by Thom Yorke is taking the no. 1 spot.Who seems to be landing top of your list?As an aside, sorry for being gone for so long. Life has been hectic.
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Yesterday via Dead Air Space, Mr. Yorke had this to say: in celebration of nov 5th jonnys burthday amid bonfire and fireworks in the UK and the dawn of a new era in politics in the USA i humbly donate a remix of harrowdown hill that was finished ages ago during the band webcasts, a small reminder of the dark days [...]
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Adam Buxton test drives a selection of new names for Thom's solo re-branding. This is a post from the Adam and Joe blog at BBC 6 Music - http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/... .(Yawn.....is it time for tea yet?)
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Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke sent out a a rather quIRky meSSage to his TheEraser.com email list. In it he reminds us of the recently released series of remixes or "rmxs" of 3 tracks from ??The Eraser??(XL), his solo album released July 2006. Although the tracks are 'available for download' they are not free. Boomkat.com has priced all 3 tracks at a non negotiable £2.95. No ??In Rainbows?? free..
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Radiohead's Thom Yorke for Latitude festival show. Yorke will play on the Obelisk Arena at noon (BST) on Sunday July 19 - the final day of the Suffolk bash. The rare performance will precede Radiohead's headline slot at the Reading And Leeds Festivals, set for August 30 in Reading and Leeds on August 29. Latitude will be headlined by Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones and Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds ...
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Thom Yorke, frontman for Radiohead, will release remixes of songs from his solo album The eraser in January-February 2008. The releases come in the form of three different 12" records via XL Recordings. The collection includes a Modeselektor remix of "Skip Divided," a Surgeon remix of "The Clock," a remix of "Cymbal Rush" by The Field, 2 different takes on "Black Swan" by Christian Vogel, a r...
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This is something I feel very strongly about, and I think that Thom Yorke put it so well, and was, perhaps, not heard by enough people.Take a look at this link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_KellyOne quote I'd like to highlight: 'The Hutton Inquiry, a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death, ruled that he had committed suicide, and that Kelly had not said some of the quo...
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honestly, i think thom is just as conceded as kanye west, but that doesnt change the fact that he is probably one of the most gifted musicians of our time. heres an amazing live performance of him playing "cymbal rush" off his solo album "the eraser" a must own for the radiohead fan. i love it when the hihat kicks in!
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A wonderful monome demonstration from makingthenoise. The simple monome buttons play like a true instrument in his hands and the song sounds great. Good job! (Source) Reconstructing The Eraser with the monome from makingthenoise on Vimeo.
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nigel and tom are powerful combo. deep shit going on here. real deep.
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At the Echoplex - tickets go on sale at 12pm PST - Good Luck to all the locals. He's also playing 2 nights at the Orpheum Theater on Sunday and Monday if anyone is lucky enough to go to those shows. http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=2848604
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I had to end the relationship on Saturday. It had gone on too long, it had become too desperate, I felt more alone with him in my life than without. Sadly, it was the healthiest, most mentally-balanced relationship I've ever had. Still, despite all of the self-examination and determination, there was nothing I could do to make it right.He accused me of believing he was my father: I needed his a...
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Horrowdown HillThe Clock on Henry Rollins ShowCymbal Rush on Henry Rollins ShowAnalyse "Requiem for a Dream" Video ThingyTake that, World!
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HEY if you have been waiting breathlessly for The Eraser to come out, or if (like Messr. Hyman) you acquired an advance copy somehow and have been listening breathlessly ever since, or if you just want to hang out with a bunch of music-mega-geeks tonight1 -Drape your lil heinie in the appropriately "oh-really-i-didn't-notice-these-were-cool" jeans, comb your hair into a strange shape, and head ...
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Well. I just spent an hour writing a review for Thom's new album. It was thorough, witty and fair. It was one of my best reviews. I even had a plan to give out free dollar bills to everyone who read it. Then Mog ate it when I tried to upload a picture of the album cover. Now I'm too pissed off to rewrite it.I gave the album 3-1/2 out of 5 and you'll never know why.Thank you Mog.
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I eat music. I have an insatiable appetite and I have the music junkie's equivalent to Pratter Willy (sp?) - a serious mental illness that makes you never feel full. My ipod has officially reached capacity and I'm surely going to use up all of the agency's free space with all of the music I'm adding on work itunes.I didn't have this 'problem' 3-5 years ago. I had a strong desire to seek out lef...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 The Eraser |
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| 2 Analyse |
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| 3 The Clock |
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| 4 Black Swan |
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| 5 Skip Divided |
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| 6 Atoms for Peace |
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| 7 And It Rained All Night |
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| 8 Harrowdown Hill |
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| 9 Cymbal Rush |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "The Eraser")
