Thom Yorke | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Few rock singers of the alternative era were as original or as instantly unforgettable as Thom Yorke, and his band, Radiohead, became one of the biggest acts of the 1990s and 2000s for their challenging and unpredictable music. Early on, Yorke rarely worked outside the band, but he steadily collaborated with a variety of artists, released a pair of low-key solo albums, and briefly led another band, the Afrobeat-inspired Atoms for Peace. Throughout, he worked closely with Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. Yorke was born on October 7, 1968, in Wellingborough, England. His left eye was paralyzed from birth and remained shut until the age of six. He underwent a total of five operations; the last operation was botched and he almost lost all sight in that eye. Only after wearing an eye patch for a year was he able to see, albeit slightly. His family moved often since his father worked as a chemical-engineering instruments salesman, and by his teens, he had turned to music as an inspiration, namely Elvis Costello, Queen, and the Beatles. After his family finally settled down in Oxford, Yorke was sent to an all-boys school, where he met future Radiohead guitarist Ed OBrien and bassist Colin Greenwood, soon after discovering such 80s alternative bands as the Smiths, R.E.M., and the Cure. The seeds of what became Radiohead were planted at this point, as the trio jammed with a drum machine before replacing it with another friend, drummer Phil Selway, and inviting Greenwoods younger multi-instrument playing brother Jonny to join up, too. The groups original name was On a Friday, before being changed to Radiohead, which theyd swiped from the title of a song on Talking Heads True Stories. By late 1991, the band was signed to Parlophone in the U.K. and Capitol in the U.S., as an EP, Drill, came and went without much fanfare. Released in 1993, the bands full-length debut, Pablo Honey, appeared to be suffering the same fate, until American radio/MTV made a surprise hit out of the Nirvana-esque alternative anthem "Creep." Radioheads fan base grew considerably over the course of their next two releases, 1995s The Bends and 1997s OK Computer, the latter being voted Greatest Album of All Time in the British magazine Q shortly after its release. One of the worlds top rock bands by this time, Radiohead attempted to alienate their newly found Top 40 audience with their next release, 2000s abstract Kid A, but instead found it debuting at the top of the U.S. charts (despite the absence of a video or single being released from the album). While Radiohead remained his top priority during the 90s, Yorke also found the time to guest on other bands recordings as well. Some of these cameo appearances included the songs "El President" by Drugstore (off the album White Magic for Lovers), a cover of Pink Floyds "Wish You Were Here" with Sparklehorse, "Rabbit in Your Headlights" by UNKLE (Psyence Fiction), Björks "Ive Seen It All" (Selmasongs), and PJ Harveys "This Mess Were In" (Stories from the Cities). Yorke also appeared as part of the ad hoc alternative supergroup Venus in Furs for the soundtrack to the 1998 glam rock film Velvet Goldmine, lending his vocals to the tracks "2HB," "Ladytron," and "Bitter-Sweet." In May 2006, Yorke announced an imminent solo album on Radioheads blog. The Eraser, made with extensive assistance from Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, was released on XL in July. It debuted inside the Top Ten in the U.K. and U.S. and was also nominated for Britains Mercury Prize and a Grammy Award in the category of Best Alternative Music Album. Radiohead also surprised fans with a new album when they announced the making of In Rainbows roughly a week before it was released in 2007. A few years later, Yorke formed the band Atoms for Peace, recruiting Godrich on keyboards and production, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass, Joey Waronker on drums, and Mauro Refosco on percussion. The band played several live dates around the U.S. during 2009 and 2010, and began recording for an album, Amok, that eventually appeared in 2013 (but not before another surprise Radiohead album, 2011s King of Limbs). Upon release, Amok performed well on charts across the world, although the members more pressing commitments meant that a successor was not immediately forthcoming. Yorke also provided vocals for tracks by Flying Lotus and Modeselektor, and collaborated on recordings with Burial, Four Tet, and SBTRKT. Yorkes second solo album arrived as a surprise, much like the first. Following a series of cryptic clues dispersed through social media, Yorke released Tomorrows Modern Boxes in September 2014. Initially, it was distributed through the torrent service BitTorrent, and then it was made available on vinyl. The eight-song set was another concise, subdued, yet tense set from the Radiohead frontman. In 2015, Yorke performed with audiovisual artist Tarik Barri and Godrich at the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan and the Latitude Festival in the U.K. 2016 saw Yorke and Radiohead surprise fans with their ninth LP, A Moon Shaped Pool after dropping cryptic hints across social media tied into elements featured in lead singles "Burn the Witch" and "Daydreaming." The band promoted the record with an international tour throughout 2016 and 2017. During the latter year it was announced that the songwriter would be composing his first film score for Luca Guadagninos remake of Dario Argentos 1977 horror classic Suspiria. Yorke revealed that during the writing process he had been inspired by various aspects of Krautrock as well as Vangelis score for Blade Runner. The movie and the soundtrack arrived in late 2018 with the album led by the track "Suspirium." | ||
 | Album: 1 of 8 Title: The Eraser Released: 2006-07-05 Tracks: 9 Duration: 41:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Eraser (04:55) 2 Analyse (04:02) 3 The Clock (04:13) 4 Black Swan (04:49) 5 Skip Divided (03:35) 6 Atoms for Peace (05:13) 7 And It Rained All Night (04:15) 8 Harrowdown Hill (04:38) 9 Cymbal Rush (05:15) |
| The Eraser : Allmusic album Review : The Eraser, Thom Yorkes first album away from Radiohead, is intensely focused and steady. It doesnt have the dynamics -- the shifts of mood, tempo, volume -- held by any Radiohead album, and its predominantly electronic, so its bound to rankle many of the fans who thought Kid A was too unhinged from rock & roll. Its definitely not the kind of album you put on to get an instant shot of energy, and at the same time, it doesnt 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, Yorkes 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 Amnesiacs "I Might Be Wrong." Peek beneath the surface and youll see that theres a lot more seething involved: "You have tried your best to please everyone/But it just isnt happening/No, it just isnt happening/And its f*cked up, f*cked up." The opener, the title track, asks the albums 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 albums 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. Its 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. Yorkes assertion that the album isnt 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 wouldve 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 bands unused recordings. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 8 Title: Spitting Feathers Released: 2006-11-22 Tracks: 7 Duration: 30:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Harrowdown Hill (04:38) 2 Harrowdown Hill (extended mix) (07:01) 3 Analyse (04:02) 4 A Rat’s Nest (03:35) 5 Iluvya (02:59) 6 The Drunkk Machine (04:06) 7 Jetstream (03:44) |
 | Album: 3 of 8 Title: The Eraser Rmxs Released: 2008-05-14 Tracks: 9 Duration: 53:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 And It Rained All Night (Burial remix) (04:13) 2 The Clock (Surgeon remix) (06:23) 3 Harrowdown Hill (The Bug remix) (05:15) 4 Skip Divided (Modeselektor remix) (05:38) 5 Atoms for Peace (Four Tet remix) (05:52) 6 Cymbal Rush (The Field Late Night Essen und Trinken remix) (08:06) 7 Black Swan (Christian Vogel Spare Parts remix) (06:02) 8 Analyse (Various remix) (04:10) 9 Black Swan (Vogel Bonus Beat Eraser remix) (07:49) |
| The Eraser Rmxs : Allmusic album Review : Collecting the remixes made available previously on 12" and through downloads, The Eraser Rmxs features eight of The Erasers nine songs -- no one takes a stab at "The Eraser" itself -- in alternate form, while Cristian Vogel gets two turns at "Black Swan." Vogels "Spare Parts Remix" teases out bristles and clanks, while his "Bonus Beat Eraser Mix" is centered around a contorting bassline funneled through hollow tubing. "It Rained All Night," the natural pick (title-wise, at least) for dubstepper Burial, didnt require much tweaking to sound almost exactly like a production off Untrue, with Yorkes voice made distant, wrapped around the same female voice heard in "Etched Headplate." The Field contributes another highlight, similarly converting "Cymbal Rush" into something that could pass as an original production -- racing ambient techno full of gentle palpitations. A fine companion to the album, and the similar artwork/layout (with a gold cover) is a nice extra touch. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 8 Title: Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes Released: 2014-09-26 Tracks: 8 Duration: 38:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 A Brain in a Bottle (04:40) 2 Guess Again! (04:23) 3 Interference (02:48) 4 The Mother Lode (06:07) 5 Truth Ray (05:13) 6 There Is No Ice (for My Drink) (07:00) 7 Pink Section (02:34) 8 Nose Grows Some (05:22) |
| Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes : Allmusic album Review : Like Radioheads In Rainbows before it, Thom Yorkes Tomorrows Modern Boxes initially made waves not for its music but for its distribution. Announced without warning and available as a paid "bundle" via BitTorrent -- it was not the first record distributed that way but it certainly was the most prominent -- Tomorrows Modern Boxes shared the same shock of the new as In Rainbows, and although its certainly written on a smaller scale than that 2007 record, it occupies a similar space within Yorkes extracurricular discography. In Rainbows represented an emotional thaw after the chilly, amorphous Hail to the Thief, whereas Tomorrows Modern Boxes warms up the icy exteriors of Eraser. Yorke never attempts to abandon his fixation on pre-EDM electronica -- at this point, his affection for turn-of-the-millennium intelligent dance music could almost qualify as classicist -- but theres a scuffed warmth to much of this album, with the warped waves of keyboards gently gliding into a rhythm later articulated by a loop. Such aural sleights of hand never call attention to themselves but neither does the album as a whole. Tomorrows Modern Boxes is deliberately underwhelming, an old-fashioned grower that doesnt startle upon first listen but rather slowly unfolds. Even then, the album is stubbornly subtle, with Yorke exploring the space between gaps, not the chasm itself. Less charitable listeners could call it mood music and they wouldnt be wrong, because Yorke and producer Nigel Godrich are so controlled, they offer variations of a theme instead of a wide palette. This is not dissimilar to Eraser, but instead of wallowing in alienation, Yorke has found comfort within it on Tomorrows Modern Boxes and the difference is palpable. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 8 Title: The UK Gold Released: 2015-02-25 Tracks: 12 Duration: 30:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Tap24 + Hiha24 (03:13) 2 Mosquito Beat Slow (01:12) 3 Embers (03:12) 4 Pin Loon Break Up (03:26) 5 Mono Jam One V2 (02:10) 6 Mission Creep (01:57) 7 Battle Box (03:30) 8 Passive Fist (03:01) 9 Bull Market (02:46) 10 As Pulse V7 Beat Edit (01:46) 11 Extra Slacker Keys (01:23) 12 Dead Editors (02:46) |
 | Album: 6 of 8 Title: Suspiria: Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film Released: 2018-10-26 Tracks: 25 Duration: 1:20:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 A Storm That Took Everything (01:46) 2 The Hooks (03:18) 3 Suspirium (03:21) 4 Belongings Thrown in a River (01:27) 5 Has Ended (04:56) 6 Klemperer Walks (01:38) 7 Open Again (02:49) 8 Sabbath Incantation (03:06) 9 The Inevitable Pull (01:36) 10 Olga’s Destruction (Volk Tape) (02:58) 11 The Conjuring of Anke (02:14) 12 A Light Green (01:48) 13 Unmade (04:27) 14 The Jumps (02:38) 1 Volk (06:24) 2 The Universe Is Indifferent (04:48) 3 The Balance of Things (01:08) 4 A Soft Hand Across Your Face (00:44) 5 Suspirium Finale (07:03) 6 A Choir of One (14:01) 7 Synthesizer Speaks (00:58) 8 The Room of Compartments (01:14) 9 An Audition (00:34) 10 Voiceless Terror (02:30) 11 The Epilogue (02:46) |
 | Album: 7 of 8 Title: Suspiria: Unreleased Material Released: 2019-02-22 Tracks: 7 Duration: 13:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Unmade Overtones (01:29) 2 Unused Spell (00:50) 3 A Conversation With Just Your Eyes (05:16) 4 The7th7th7th7thson (01:07) 5 Volk Spin Off v1 (02:20) 6 Volk Spin Off v2 (00:53) 7 Volk Spin Off v3 (01:46) |
 | Album: 8 of 8 Title: ANIMA Released: 2019-06-27 Tracks: 9 Duration: 47:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Traffic (05:17) 2 Last I Heard (…He Was Circling the Drain) (05:06) 3 Twist (07:03) 4 Dawn Chorus (05:23) 5 I Am a Very Rude Person (03:44) 6 Not the News (03:57) 7 The Axe (06:59) 8 Impossible Knots (04:19) 9 Runwayaway (05:56) |