Wall of Eyes
The Smile, a trio featuring Radiohead prime movers Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood along with ex-Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner, sounds more like a proper band than a side project on their second album. Sure, they’re a proper band that unavoidably sounds a *lot* like Radiohead, but with some notable distinctions—much leaner arrangements, bass parts by Greenwood and Yorke with a very different character from what Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood might have laid down, and a formal fixation on conveying tension in their melodies and rhythms. Their debut, *A Light for Attracting Attention*, was full of tight, wrenching grooves and guitar parts that sounded as though the strings were coiling into knots. This time around they head in the opposite direction, loosening up to the point that the music often feels extremely light and airy. The guitar in the first half of “Bending Hectic” is so delicate and minimal that it sounds like it could get blown away with a slight breeze, while the warm and lightly jazzy “Friend of a Friend” feels like it’s helplessly pushed and pulled along by strong, unpredictable winds. The loping rhythm and twitchy riffs in “Read the Room” are surrounded by so much negative space that it sounds eerily hollow, like Yorke is singing through the skeletal remains of a ’70s metal song. There are some surprises along the way, too. A few songs veer into floaty lullaby sections, and more than half include orchestral tangents that recall Greenwood’s film score work for Paul Thomas Anderson and Jane Campion. The most unexpected moment comes at the climax of “Bending Hectic,” which bursts into heavy grunge guitar, stomping percussion, and soaring vocals. Most anyone would have assumed Yorke and Greenwood had abandoned this type of catharsis sometime during the Clinton administration, but as it turns out they were just waiting for the right time to deploy it.
Channeling jazz, kosmische, and prog, the Radiohead offshoot’s second album burrows deeper into their strangely enchanting appeal.
The second album from Radiohead members Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood features some of their best work since 'In Rainbows'
Still no sign of that elusive new Radiohead album, but it's hard to feel short-changed with a side project this brilliant
The Smile's second LP is an addendum within Radiohead’s already iconic institution with sweeping, symphonic directions. Read our review.
For the most part this album is exactly what a side project should be – all the ideas too weird to fit anywhere else.
What began as a side-project is responsible for some of the best music Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood have made in years
The second studio album from The Smile – Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner – is a kaleidoscopic, mind-altering pronouncement.
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At this stage, it would be a disservice to merely dub The Smile a “Radiohead side project.”
Thom Yorke has always struggled with the standard cycles placed on artists by the music industry. Write, record, release – repeat, ad infinitum. He’s
With strings and psychedelia added to the mix, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood’s ever-evolving side project feels as dynamic now as their day job
The Smile – Wall of Eyes album revuew: The trio solidify their own unique and coherent musical identity
The skeletal beats of The Smile's ‘Wall of Eyes’ seem to inspire a more minimalist approach to songwriting.
The Smile's second record jettisons the post-punk energy of their debut in favor of a cohesive statement that's glacially paced and texturally dense.
Wall of Eyes by The Smile album review by Leslie Chu for Northern Transmissions. The UK trios LP comes out on January 26th via XL Recordings
Despite all the lyrical disquiet, there is a lovely sense of ease to the Smile’s second album – and some of the best music Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood have put their names to in at least a decade
The Smile - Wall of Eyes review: “I quit, my head is lit” - Thom Yorke, 2024
Thom Yorke's side project The Smile offers what Radiohead never could: something minimalist, decompressing, and sweet
The alt.supergroup’s second album is a looser-sounding affair, with sombre echoes of Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool
Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner match Radiohead for challenges, surprises and beauty on second long player