THE SMILE: Wall Of Eyes (XL)
Verdict: Bold visions
ROBERTA FLACK: Lost Takes (Arc)
Verdict: Birth of a legend
They started out as a lockdown side project, but The Smile now seems to be the main event for Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood.
As members of Radiohead, singer Yorke and guitarist Greenwood were behind classics like The Bends and OK Computer, but their desire to return to everyday life soon seems to be fading.
Unlike their original band, which has gone quiet since 2016's A Moon Shaped Pool, The Smile are prolific. With Yorke and Greenwood, accompanied by jazz drummer extraordinaire Tom Skinner, they have recorded two studio LPs and two live LPs in the last 20 months. With the 2024 tour stretching from spring through summer, there's no reason to guess what its current focus is.
As with everything in the Radiohead environment, which can be difficult at times, the new Smile album “Wall Of Eyes” raises a question: Are there any good songs?
If you're looking for infectious tunes to hum along to on your commute, the answer is no. If you're happy to give these beautifully crafted pieces of music some time, it's a worthwhile listen.
Thom Yorke of The Smile performs at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on December 18, 2022 in San Francisco, California
Smile members Tom Skinner, Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke. As with everything in the Radiohead environment, which can be difficult at times, the new Smile album “Wall Of Eyes” raises a question: Are there any good songs?
The Smile: Wall Of Eyes. It's a step forward from the trio's 2022 debut, A Light For Attracting Attention, which featured contrasting musical ideas and works-in-progress from the Radiohead vaults
There's a sense that The Smile have been liberated without the expectations that surround Radiohead.
Fans of the latter will miss Ed O'Brien's backing vocals and Greenwood's brother Colin's flowing bass lines, but there's plenty of compensation: detours into acoustic Americana; the Latin swing of the title track; the strings of the London Contemporary Orchestra.
It's a step forward from the trio's 2022 debut, A Light For Attracting Attention, which featured contrasting musical ideas and works-in-progress from the Radiohead vaults.
Many of these eight songs have been tested live and the musicality has a natural, street-tested flow. On “Read The Room,” Greenwood reaffirms his position as one of our most imaginative rock musicians.
One constant is Yorke's dark, paranoid lyrics. He's not one of those people who sees the glass half full. “Don’t let them take me!” he pleads on Under Our Pillows. The title song alludes to a looming but ambiguous threat. “Are you still that one with the hollow eyes?” he asks in a ghostly falsetto.
The centerpiece, however, is Bending Hectic, an eight-minute melodrama that begins with folky guitar before transitioning into a gnarly rocker. Yorke's protagonist is driving through Italy in a “vintage sixties soft top” and approaches a hairpin bend on a mountain. He flirts with death before retreating from the brink. “Despite these slings, despite these arrows… I force myself to turn around.”
It is one of several tracks reflecting Yorke and Greenwood's soundtrack work. Yorke wrote the music for 2018's Suspiria and Greenwood received an Oscar nomination for Phantom Thread. These cinematic skills are the focus here.
So far there are no signs that Radiohead will give up any time soon. At the moment, however, it's The Smile who are shining.
Roberta Flack only retired from music in 2022 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, but the 86-year-old's legacy was already firmly established by then. Solo hits like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and her duets with the late Donny Hathaway make her an American soul great – and a new batch of early recordings will only reinforce that reputation.
Roberta Flack only retired from music in 2022 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, but the 86-year-old's legacy was already firmly established by then
Flack's rendition of the Motown classic Ain't No Mountain High Enough, a mix of jazz and R&B, was indicative of the star she had become
Solo hits like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and her duets with the late Donny Hathaway make her an American soul great – and a new batch of early recordings will only reinforce that reputation
Led by respected DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson, Lost Takes collects the 1968 demos that preceded Flack's debut album, First Take, which was released a year later and gave the singer a hit with her cover of Ewan MacColl's The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face .
These early tracks were included on a 2020 reissue of First Take, but are now available individually – and for the first time on vinyl.
Since Lost Takes relies on soulful subtlety rather than the gospel grit of Aretha Franklin, there is no overlap with her debut album. Flack shines on show tune “This Could Be The Start Of Something” before showing off her piano skills with “On The Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady.
Her rendition of the Motown classic Ain't No Mountain High Enough, a mix of jazz and R&B, was indicative of the star she had become.
Both albums are available today. The Smile start their tour at the Brighton Center on March 18th (ticketmaster.co.uk).
The best of the new releases…
By Tully Potter
James Arthur: Bitter Sweet Love (Columbia)
James Arthur: Bitter Sweet Love (Columbia). His bluesy sound is particularly evident in the aching ballad “A Year Ago,” while “Blindside” is reminiscent of fellow Northeasterner Sam Fender
Arthur was a welcome change from The X Factor's usual boybands and pop divas when he won in 2012 and has had a turbulent career. The singer, from Redcar, near Middlesbrough, lost his original record deal but bounced back in 2016 with chart-topper Say You Won't Let Go – and he keeps that momentum going with a rockier approach on this fifth album.
His bluesy sound is particularly evident in the aching ballad “A Year Ago,” while “Blindside” is reminiscent of fellow Northeasterner Sam Fender. If Fender is the Geordie Springsteen, perhaps Arthur is the “Boro Boss.”
Gruff Rhys: Sadness Sets Me Free (Rough Trade)
Gruff Rhys: Sadness sets me free (Rough Trade). Inspired by a Welsh holiday (“The beer was warm, the chips were wet”), “Bad Friend” promotes the idea that lousy friends are better than none at all, while the title track pays homage to Dolly Parton
The frontman of Super Furry Animals draws inspiration from 1970s pop, soul and country on a solo album that enriches melancholic songs about gentrification and heartbreak with lush arrangements.
Inspired by a Welsh holiday (“The beer was warm, the chips were wet”), “Bad Friend” promotes the idea that lousy friends are better than none at all, while the title track pays homage to Dolly Parton. Gruff's desire to write “pocket symphonies” can overwhelm him. But with backing vocals from Kate Stables, there's a warmth that's hard to ignore.
Tom Odell: Black Friday (Urok)
Tom Odell: Black Friday (Urok). “Somebody Else,” which opens with acoustic guitar, is a soulful pick-me-up track, but the addition of a string section – plus some superfluous instrumentals – spoils the impact of some decent songs
Former Brits Critics' Choice winner Odell released four albums of unspectacular piano pop and even composed the soundtrack to a John Lewis Christmas advert before surprising himself with the best record of his career with 2022's Best Day Of My Life. a reduced compilation of beguilingly beautiful pieces of melodies. This sequel lacks the raw emotional punch of its predecessor. “Somebody Else,” which opens with acoustic guitar, is a soulful pick-me-up track, but the addition of a string section – plus some superfluous instrumentals – spoils the impact of some decent songs.
Elisabeth Leonskaja: Piano Concertos by Schumann and Grieg (Warner Classics)
Elisabeth Leonskaja: Piano Concertos by Schumann and Grieg (Warner Classics). Leonskaja seems to get along SO well with Michael Sanderling and the Lucerne musicians; and the unobtrusively good shots capture a realistic perspective
Pianists are expected to no longer be able to play as well once they reach retirement age of 77, but Elisabeth Leonskaja is an exception.
Schumann and Grieg's A minor concertos have often been paired together since the early days of long-playing records in the 1950s and work well as a pair.
One could probably argue that the Georgian virtuoso is a little more powerful than the poetry, but that is remarkable in itself – and the two works can hold their own.
Leonskaja seems to get along SO well with Michael Sanderling and the Lucerne musicians; and the unobtrusively good shots capture a realistic perspective.
The Schumann was written for a great pianist, the composer's legendary wife Clara, and it was she who persuaded Robert to write three movements instead of just one.
Edvard Grieg was inspired by Schumann's example, but his piece is very different, with a fiery opening salvo and many melodic echoes of Norwegian folk music afterwards.
Monteverdi: Complete Madrigals (Naive)
Monteverdi: Complete Madrigals (Naive). The final CD, containing Book 1 and the amazing character pieces of Book 9, was completed in 2021; A total of 36 singers have been used over the years
This robust box contains 28 years of work by Rinaldo Alessandrini and his outstanding singer group Concerto Italiano. They took their time and produced many other projects along the way, but every now and then another one of Monteverdi's nine books of madrigals would be recorded.
The final CD, containing Book 1 and the amazing character pieces of Book 9, was completed in 2021; A total of 36 singers have been used over the years.
Various churches and beautiful buildings, including the Palazzo Farnese in Rome, were the venues for the sessions and the sound quality was surprisingly consistent.
If necessary, also pay attention to the level of singing and the mix of the ensemble. The music is sublime and ranges from warlike to amorous to simply decent.