Thom Yorke • The Eraser

94

The story goes that when Funkadelic were recording Maggot Brain, a drug-addled(a given, I know) George Clinton instructed Eddie Hazel to play "like your momma had just died". I wonder who told Thom Yorke those same words.

The Eraser is 9 tracks full of electronic blips, jittery drums, strings and the occasional guitar. The strings add texture to stuttering electronics, and Yorke's falsetto voice sounds like it was made for this music. The inspired programming and grim lyrics are not far removed from Radiohead's more recent works, making the album read like a collection of Kid A outtakes and demos, but that isn't a bad thing.

The pairing of Yorke's vocals with a synthetic backing is reminiscent of The Postal Service. But more like The Postal Service if their mommas had just died.