The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention
Alternative – Released May 13, 2022 – 13 songs, 53 mins
REID
Review #69! Nice. What better way than to dig into a side project from our Radiohead overlords, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. Teaming up with top record producer and recording engineer, Nigel Godrich and a lucky son of a bitch named Tom on drums. All jokes aside, Thom, Jonny and Nigel have a long history of success built on meticulously perfecting their every move. Mr. Skinner is a seasoned collaborator and would simply not be in this company if he didn’t belong.
The Smile is an odd name and you just know there’s a hidden meaning. It isn’t as simple as Lundi’s ear-to-ear reaction when a sad song comes on. It’s in reference to a poem by Ted Hughes by the same name. Very deep, harrowing stuff. It’s open to interpretation like most descriptive literature but it certainly quenches Thom and Jonny’s enduring creative thirst for the end. Combined with the album title’s subtle hint at communication with other lifeforms, the duo seem content to lean on two subjects they’ve tastefully exploited for 30+ years in Radiohead. Is it a sign of things to come on the album? The answer is yes and no.
A Light for Attracting Attention is very much a Radiohead record and you won’t catch us complaining at TSR. In fact, Skrting On The Surface is an old, unfinished song and it’s quite possible it isn’t the only one. Free in the Knowledge is a classic, wonderful ballad from Thom and it sounds like A Hairdryer was written in the Hail to the Thief (2003) and In Rainbows (2007) period. At the end of the day, it’s next to impossible to listen to a record with Thom, Jonny and Nigel’s exquisite complexity and attention to detail and not think of their past work.
Comparable to past work or not, The Smile pack an incredible amount into the 53-minutes. The men behind the music have an untapped arsenal of creativity and deliver song after song. They have so many weapons. You Will Never Work in Television Again is a raucous rock song. The Opposite, The Smoke and We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings have an injection of groove with Skinner’s drumming leading the effort. Speech Bubbles and Open the Floodgates are meant for quiet moments alone where you can shut the brain off, drift off somewhere else and appreciate the intricacies of the music and Thom’s soothing vocals. Pana-Vision is something straight out of a Jason Bourne thriller as the haunting piano paves the way only to be supported by the pleasing horns. This one is found on the final season of Peaky Blinders, a show that has used Radiohead’s music multiple times in the past. I’m looking forward to seeing how they worked it in. From start to finish, Thom and Jonny’s mesmerizing keyboard and synthesizer work is simply incredible. They use every opportunity to add orchestrated elements to amplify each song heightening the overall quality to a point most artists can only dream of.
Like much of the crew member’s past work, A Light for Attracting Attention is an acquired taste. Once you settle in and get over the hump, you’re in for a layered, otherworldly experience. It may be The Smile’s debut but the individuals are setting a new standard for longevity. They’re not just still around, they’re thriving.
Overall Rating – 9.0/10
Favourite Song – Open the Floodgates
LUNDI
The dreaded musical side project. The list of failures is much longer than the successes. Even when it’s good it’s hard to be distanced from the original project. Cautious optimism is always the best approach and you’ll want to prepare to be let down. The exception to that rule however might just be Radiohead front man Thom Yorke as he’s received critical acclaim for his own solo work and with supergroup Atoms for Peace. Had he found the key to ultimate music success? Well he’s back for a third effort to find out and brought along Radiohead pal Jonny Greenwood and Sons Of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner for the ride as they form The Smile. Their debut album A Light for Attracting Attention dropped May 2022 and spoiler alert: it not only sets a new bar for side projects, it’s damn right incredible on its own.
Thom Yorke leads the way and sounds rejuvenated on Attracting Attention. His range is as strong as ever and his lyrics are filled with wit, cheeky to a point, and a massive 180 from the existential dread and sadness that fills every Radiohead album. His off stage presence has often taken this sarcastic mold but The Smile is the first time it’s really ever come through musically. The morbidity of life and it’s constant evolving issues are all packaged neatly here but delivered more with a smirk than ever before. It feels like an album of acceptance for Thom.
His Radiohead bandmate Jonny Greenwood was not to be outdone though and in fact is the star of The Smile. JG’s movie score history has vaulted his skill set that much further and the composition of Attracting Attention is elite. Greenwood is in the pocket when he provides a simplistic guitar riff and toys with the synthesizer, generating sounds that no one else in music duplicates. He hates the attention and never shows off, but he is undoubtedly one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
To this writers dismay, the 3rd member of The Smile is not CR78 and The Smile are not a Radiohead cover band. Tom Skinner is no slouch though and holds his own next to the musical genius of Thom and Jonny. His work on the drum kit is electric which seems to be the desired effect for this offshoot. The drumming is the most drastic musical component variance from RH with Skinner packing a little more punch on his snare and operating at a much faster pace. There is no chemistry lacking between these three despite forming just a year prior.
The only negative with this album is just how long it takes to click. It is an album that needs to grow on the listener. This album would have been much lower just 4-6 listens prior. Give The Smile an opportunity. They will not disappoint.
A Light for Attracting Attention is an absolute treat for Radiohead fanatics. A spectacular attention to detail and exemplary musicianship on full display. The Smile do more than scratch the itch as a side project, they provide a stand alone album that gets better with every listen.
Overall Rating: 8.8/10
Favourite Track: Thin Thing
ROZ
After a slight COVID-19 related break here at Too Sweet Reviews, we’re finally back in business. What better way to start off than with the debut studio album of Radiohead offshoot The Smile - we did recently give Radiohead's In Rainbows a perfect TSR 10/10, after all. A band comprised of members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, longtime producer Nigel Godrich in the comfy chair and Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner on the drums, this COVID-19 era outfit is about to answer the one question in the back of my mind: Will this pet project aim to be Radiohead Lite or will Thom & co. be pushing into new territory?
Spoiler alert: We haven't entered new territory at all for these rock legends. That being said, we have been comfortably seated front and center while these fine gentlemen put on an absolute masterclass. The Same hits the listener with mesmerizing synth chord progressions that match the even more hypnotizing vocal inflections of Mr. Yorke. The Smoke reigns the listener in using unorthodox reverb techniques, tasteful brass arrangements and a catchy guitar melody. Speech Bubbles soothing melodic aura and absolutely beautiful chorus section make it stand above and beyond the rest. Thin Thing's chaotic arpeggiation, hard stereo field panning and tricky delay modulation effects come together to create an otherworldly type of sound. Getting some major In Rainbows vibes overall on this album, and we all know how we felt about that one.
It’s literally impossible not to hold the newly formed supergroup up against its predecessor - that is just a simple fact. When you hear Thom’s signature vocal cadence and singing style push through any song, your brain can’t help itself but to instantly think about the behemoth that is Radiohead. A Light For Attracting Attention does not seem to make any sort of attempt to stray too far from these signature sounds, either; a bad thing? Definitely not. While I may not truly understand the reason why this wasn’t simply pivoted into an actual Radiohead release (record label issues? Band infighting? I’ve stayed off the tabloids this time), it’s hard not to appreciate how well crafted this effort is. It also can’t be stressed enough how this album was put together in a mid-pandemic world; with Thom Yorke writing the lyrics in his home during lockdown and streaming his vocal performance to Godrich's studio while his kids were in school. Talk about loving the artform! That right there is what precisely separates these guys from the rest. Too damn sweet.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Favourite Song: Speech Bubbles