The smile – excerpts | Reviews

You know what, Tom Yorke Things have been a little brighter lately, haven't they? Back then, in Radioheadthat was him Such a grumpy guy. Now he makes really ecstatic music. In a band whose name is synonymous with joy. Good for him.

“Cutouts” — the third LP from Yorke, Radiohead alum Jonny Greenwood and jazz drummer Tom Skinner — opens with “Foreign Spies.” My word, it's pretty – a radiant overture, an uplifting tone to the record. Nice. Next, “Instant Psalm” is reminiscent of 1960s stoner pop. It's warm, it's psychedelic, it's glowing. By the way, where the hell does Thom Yorke get tunes of this caliber from in his day? Certainly witchcraft.

This band is having fun, that much is clear. It's a danceable album with an optimistic tone throughout. “Zero Sum” in particular is where everything starts to crack – enjoy the everlasting treat of Thom Yorke playing a snappy little so-and-so on an angry fucking bop. You love watching it.

The slow number “Tiptoe” is absolutely great. All the soundtrack experience Jonny – and more recently Thom – gained in Tinseltown is clearly paying off. Refined strings, piano gusts, syrupy vocals. Is the text admonishing “appeasers and enablers” a dig at the idiots fueling World War III as I write? From where I sit it feels like this.

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In terms of sound, the whole thing shines. “Don't Get Me Started,” in particular, captivatingly zigzags from headphone to headphone, meandering along dazedly as if it were jamming around in a fantastical hall of mirrors. “Colors Fly” plays chunky swamp rock with a Middle Eastern accent, and there’s a callback to the wildly screaming woodwinds “The National Anthem” on “Kid A.” You remember.

“Eyes And Mouth” showcases Tom Skinner’s relentless, imaginative energy. A fire burns in his belly. His grooves heat up and light a fire under the asses of the two old rockers in front. What fun this record must have been.

Closing melody “Bodies Laughing”, who played The Smile livethat I saw is played acoustically in a bone-rattling electric arrangement. And it's so much better for it. The eerie beauty of this venerable melody is given room to breathe and the deep vocal harmony sounds magnificent. Props to the producer Sam Petts Davieswho either keeps Nigel Godrichs Who can say that? Good for him too.

You can't blame Thom or Jonny for clearly not being in a hurry to release another Radiohead record. When “A Moon Shaped Pool” came out I remember BBC Radio 6 Music playing each track in sequence, reverently, as if it were sharing tablets from Mount Sinai. Way too much pressure, right, when The Smile sounds such a banger.

Cutouts, this album, dissolves into a nostalgic hum towards the end. Thom York's last rhyme? The wonderfully funny “Chain Reacting / Happy Slapping”. Do you hear that? He is in a good mood, makes positive music, at a lively pace. Rejoice!

9/10

Words: Andy Hill

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