file under FOR TOURISTS

HIGH BROW
RED HOT !!!
SOLO HEAD

the sasha frere-jones interview online is interesting. he talks about british pop, americans view of brit imports and what u.s. music catches on across the pond. he calls coldplay "gaseous" but admits to weeping during "clocks." weak. he says the chili peppers are the shit over there now, which is probably good for a certain band.




sasha frere-jones


along those lines, thom yorke's first (solo, solo, solo, solo) album, the eraser, comes out july 11. i was directed to a bootleg. and, being the scum that i am, i gave it a listen.

the following are spoiler, unedit thoughts:

the opener and title track is cool. starts with a looped piano bit and decayed bass. thom sings about regret; on the chorus he chants "the more that you try to erase me, the more that i appear." it's a ripping, incredible track that cuts from break to break so naturally it's hard to believe that there are so many changes in the arrangement. and the lyrics, and thom's outro harmonies, really cut into the otherwise stoic beats. it's the best song on the album. however ...

... it softens up.

the album sounds like, well, radiohead without the other four. maybe you'll think of songs like "backdrifts," off hail to the thief, or the b-side "worrywort." the 10th and final song, "cymbal rush" has the exact same outro-progression as "there there." (both are fucking great songs).

i won't argue that it's not a good album. i may even like it more than anything i've heard from radiohead in a while.

i can't help be influenced, however, by the fact that radiohead ebay tickets are going for ridiculously astronomical prices. music should never "be" like this, regardless of who's to blame.