Jonny Greenwood – BrooklynVegan

The Smile debut new song live; Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien & Philip Selway team up on new EOB album

Andrew Sacher — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:34:10 +0000

Radiohead offshoot The Smile are on tour now supporting their new album Wall of Eyes, and they’re already taking the opportunity to show off even more new music. (You may remember that they started playing Wall of Eyes songs live on the A Light for Attracting Attention tour too.) As Stereogum points out, they’ve played a new six-minute song called “Don’t Get Me Started” at three UK shows this past week, and fan-shot videos have surfaced. Judging by this footage, the song is on The Smile’s moody, atmospheric side, and it sounds pretty great. Check out videos below.

Meanwhile, as Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood remain busy with The Smile, their Radiohead bandmates Ed O’Brien and Philip Selway are also working on something together. Ed’s working on a new EOB album, and he revealed yesterday that Phil came by the studio to play on “a couple of songs.” “Just so good to hear you play on these songs,” Ed wrote, “the most soulful of drummers .. and so thankful for our old and deep friendship … as Sister Sledge once sang, We are family.” Philip replied, “Wonderful music and company. Beautiful day!”

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A post shared by Ed O'Brien (@eobofficial)

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Top photo: The Smile at Pitchfork Fest 2023 by James Richards IV. More here.

Indie Basement (1/26): the week in classic indie, college rock and more

Bill Pearis — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 16:00:59 +0000

This is more like it. At least as far as Indie Basement is concerned, this is the first big week of releases for 2024 (i realize there have only been four Fridays), with four albums out this week that I recommend. Those are by Ty Segall, The Smile, Gruff Rhys and The Umbrellas. To go along with those we also have terrific EPs from Finnoguns Wake (the new band from Shogun of Royal Headache) and Vanishing Twin. That is a complete breakfast (and dinner) right there.

Over in Notable Releases, Andrew also gives The Smile a spin, along with new records from Alkaline Trio, Benny the Butcher, Torres, and more.

This was another huge weeks for announcements, including new albums from Arab Strap, Klaus Johann Grobe, Fat White Family, Liam Gallagher & John Squire, Elbow, Shannon & The Clams, The Reds Pinks & Purples, Corridor, and Melts; and tour announcements from CSS (first US tour in a decade) and Lush’s Miki Berenyi and Lol Tolhurst x Budgie. Plus: Matador is reissuing Butthole Surfers albums.

Head below for this week’s reviews…

Ty Segall – Three Bells (Drag City)
The 15th solo album from this psych-rock wunderkind keeps his hot streak going

Ty Segall has said that he’s consciously trying to take his foot off the gas a little when it comes to his output, which in the past has seen multiple albums a year from a variety of projects, from solo to Fuzz, GOGGS and beyond. Three Bells is the pysch-rock multi-instrumentalist wunderkind’s 15th album under his own name in just about as many years, and is his first since 2022’s acoustic “Hello, Hi.” But it’s also a 65-minute double album, so in some ways he’s keeping up his prolific reputation. Quality control is definitely pretty high here, and the vibe is a mix of the gleaming synthetic perfection of Harmonizer, the boundary-stretching of First Taste, and the gonzo energy of Freedom’s Goblin (also a double LP), along with a few new moves. Ty experimented with using the same chord shapes across multiple songs, and that gives the album a subconscious cohesiveness without ever feeling samey, whether it’s outer space jams (“Void”), proggy proto-metal grooves (“Hi Dee Dee”) or hooky pop songs (“In My Room”). He also co-wrote a third of the album with his wife, Denée, which brings new melodic and lyrical elements to the table. (She contributed to Harmonizer as well, and together they make music as The C.I.A.) Three Bells has the creative boundary-pushing you associate with a double, but manages to go down like a tight, single-LP. It’s also clear this wasn’t two albums worth of songs randomly collected on one. Ty shouldn’t worry about oversaturating the market with records, especially with the hit-rate consistency he’s maintained.

Three Bells by Ty Segall

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Gruff Rhys – Sadness Sets Me Free (Rough Trade)
The 25th album from Rhys is one of this most personal, quietest and unique

Sadness Sets Me Free is the 25th album that Gruff Rhys made, when counting solo works, records with Super Furry Animals, Neon Neon, soundtracks and more. For this one, Gruff and his band — Osian Gwynedd (piano), Huw V Williams (double bass) and Kliph Scurlock (drums) — recorded the majority of it in a three-day session in Paris in March 2022, with strings and backing vocals by This is the Kit‘s Kate Stables added later. “At this point I quite like working with serendipity,” Rhys says of the album. “Not in a cosmic way, [but] I try and leave things open to chance encounters and chance geography…I’m always looking for ways to make a different-sounding record.” Sadness Sets Me Free is one of Rhys’ prettiest, most melancholic records, heavy on acoustic guitar, piano and strings, with a strong element of both ’70s country and tropicalia. Gruff is one of those rare artists who consistently manages to do something new every time while only ever sounding like himself. The way he writes songs, the chords and melodies he favors, haven’t really changed over the years — this album’s “Celestial Candyfloss” could’ve fit, with a different arrangement, on SFA’s 1996 debut, and “Silver Linings (Lead Balloon)” could be a cousin to “Northern Lights” from 1999’s Guerilla. Yet both feel like they could really only be here, and his inquisitive, thoughtful, and empathetic lyrical style is as warm as the music, while embracing those darker thoughts. When Gruff sings “I left my dreams in a rental car” on “Silver Lining,” you know how he feels.

Sadness Sets Me Free by Gruff Rhys

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The Smile – Wall of Eyes (XL)
The second album in less than two years from Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner is a more subdued affair than their debut, but is a grower

The Smile, aka Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner, did a magical thing in 2022: they reignited my interest in Radiohead. Perhaps they also reignited Yorke and Greenwood, too, as The Smile’s debut album was to these ears the most engaged they’d sounded since maybe In Rainbows, and seeing them live in 2023 made it clear they were having fun. At that show they played a handful of songs that are now on The Smile’s second album, Wall of Eyes, which is a much subtler but no less sophisticated record than the first. This is also the first album from Yorke and Greenwood to not feature Nigel Godrich in some capacity since Radiohead’s debut, but hard to tell if that has anything to do with that. Nothing here calls attention to itself the way “Thing Thing,” “You Will Never Work in Television Again” or “The Smoke” did, but these eight songs hang together better as a whole and grow on you. The most immediate number is probably “Bending Hectic,” which has a misnomer of a title though the strings get very intense (shades of Jonny’s film composition works) before the afterburners kick in for a Big Rock Finish. It’s the only song that might have you looking up from the book you’re reading — the slow-rising “Friend of a Friend” is great too, actually — but the rest of the album is engaging “back to mine” music, and Skinner’s syncopated drumming style pulls everything together in new directions. Wall of Eyes is also a “late night” album that deserves to be played loud. Go ahead, wake the neighbors.

For more thoughts on Wall of Eyes, read Andrew’s review in Notable Releases.

Wall Of Eyes by The Smile

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The Umbrellas – Fairweather Friend (Slumberland)
Second album from this San Francisco indie-pop group hits all the right notes, even when they’re a little out of tune

San Francisco’s The Umbrellas embrace 40 years of shambolic indiepop, the kind made by fanzine-reading, striped-shirt-and-cardigan-wearing folks who mix big hooks and catchy choruses with warbly guitars and dream of visiting the Glasgow library for a Stephen Pastel sighting. They are clearly students of the genre, and tip their hat to some of the janglemasters of the form, including The Pastels, The Wedding Present, Comet Gain, Beat Happening, Orange Juice and others. Fairweather Friend is the band’s second album and a big sonic leap from their debut, with the production giving the kind of oomph you could tell the band have live, not to mention more nuanced arrangements (strings, keyboards, harmonies). The songs were great on that first album but everything felt a little flat. The Umbrellas also play to their strengths here as well, namely the vocal interplay between Matt Ferrera and Morgan Stanley. More than anything, Fairweather Friend sounds like a band that know they’ve got the songs, know they can really play, and are having a great time doing so without overthinking it. To paraphrase the album’s first song (and Orange Juice), three cheers to The Umbrellas!

Fairweather Friend by The Umbrellas

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Finnoguns Wake – Stay Young (What’s Your Rupture)
Former Royal Headache vocalist Shogun heads in new sonic directions with his latest band

Shogun has one of those instantly identifiable voices, a dude who belts it out with every kilowatt of personal energy he has at his disposal. It was the guiding force in his band Royal Headache and his subsequent (short-lived) group Shogun & The Sheets, and it still is with his new thing, Finnoguns Wake. This one’s a little different though, as the band is a collaboration with Finn Berzin, who is a couple decades Shogun’s junior, who also writes and sings lead. (The band name is a portmanteau of their names, not to mention a nod to James Joyce.) The two bonded over music, everything from Husker Du to Oasis, and judging by their debut EP it was kismet that brought them together. As much as I loved Royal Headache (especially live), the music Finnoguns Wake make is a much better fit with Shogun’s pipes. Their hazy, anthemic brand of post-punk really soars with his voice, especially on opener “Blue Skies” which might be the best song Shogun has been apart of. (In this context, he sounds closer to The Sound’s Adrian Borland or Cleaners From Venus’ Martin Newell.) “Strawberry Avalanche,” Shogun’s other spotlight song, is pretty great too, leaning into those shared Oasis influences hard. Finn is no slouch either, bringing a slightly lower key vocal quality to “So Nice” and “Lovers All” which makes for a nice contrast. Listening, I have two questions: when will Finnoguns Wake play North America, and what happens when Shogun and Finn sing together? I hope we find out both soon.

Stay Young by Finnoguns Wake

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Vanishing Twin – Life Drummer (Sub Pop)
This London-based group prove “anything can be a drum” on this new 7″ from the Sub Pop Singles club

God bless the Sub Pop Singles Club which allows the label to put out records by artists they love but didn’t sign, and also gives those artists a little room to stretch their wings. One of the two January releases in the club is this 7″ from London’s Vanishing Twin, featuring three new songs that take them in new, experimental directions. Life Drummer‘s title track has them exploring “new rhythmic worlds where anything can be a drum,” and they take that idea literally. Vanishing Twin have an incredible drummer, Valentina Magaletti, who could make just about anything sound good and her rhythms here hit hard for a killer, quirky groove while singer Cathy Lucas reads off a litany of potential instruments: “garbage can, plastic bucket, empty jars, bottles of all descriptions.” I’m not sure if all those (and more) were used here, but I wouldn’t doubt it. (The lyrics were adapted from a chapter in W.A. Mathieu’s The Listening Book titled, yes, “Life Drummer.”) The other two songs — “Inarisan” and “Non Guardare” — are not as immediate but are just as interesting and creative rhythmically. Is this a sneak peak at their next album or a flight of fancy? In any case I’m glad it, and the Sub Pop singles club, exists.

Life Drummer by Vanishing Twin

Looking for more? Browse the Indie Basement archives.

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The Smile announce new LP ‘Wall of Eyes,’ share title track (watch Paul Thomas Anderson-directed video)

Amanda Hatfield — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 12:26:25 +0000

The Smile (Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and former Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner) have announced their second album. Wall of Eyes, the follow-up to their excellent 2022 debut, A Light for Attracting Attention, is due out January 26 via XL Recordings. This time around they worked with producer Sam Petts-Davies instead of Nigel Godrich, and the album features string arrangements by the London Contemporary Orchestra. See the cover art and tracklist below.

The album features “Bending Hectic,” which they released back in June, and they’re now sharing the beautiful, eerie title track, and an accompanying video directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Watch that below.

The Smile will be on tour in the UK and Europe in March of 2024. See all dates below.

THE SMILE – WALL OF EYES TRACKLIST
Teleharmonic
Read The Room
Under Our Pillows
Friend Of A Friend
I Quit
Bending Hectic
You Know Me!

THE SMILE: 2024 TOUR DATES
Wed 13th March: Copenhagen – K.B. Hallen
Fri 15th March: Brussels – Forest National
Sat 16th March: Amsterdam – AFAS Live
Mon 18th March: Brighton – Brighton Centre
Tue 19th March: Manchester – O2 Apollo
Wed 20th March: Glasgow – SEC Armadillo
Fri 22nd March: Birmingham – O2 Academy
Sat 23rd March: London – Alexandra Palace

The Smile entranced at Forest Hills Stadium (pics, setlist, video)

Bill Pearis — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 17:21:23 +0000

photo by P Squared

Perhaps due to having seen Meeting People Is Easy too many times (and not attending anything Radiohead related in a long time), but “fun” is not a word I associate with Thom Yorke. But he was clearly having a blast at The Smile‘s show on Friday night at Forest Hills Stadium, grooving to their music and frequently encouraging the crowd to go wild. It may be the thrill of the new: the trio, which also includes Thom’s Radiohead bandmate Jonny Greenwood and former Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner, have been on a blaze of creative activity over the last two years. “We’re a new band,” Yorke told the crowd, “So we’ve got lots of new songs.” In addition to playing almost all of their excellent debut album, The Smile devoted a third of their Forest Hills set to new material, all of which was good and included their just-released single “Bending Hectic.” Will we get their second album this year?

While not drastically different from Radiohead, The Smile have their own pared-down vibe and part of the appeal is getting to see Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood cook in different ways. Skinner brings a syncopated style to the table which in turn seems to have inspired both Yorke and Greenwood, who both have the most fun in The Smile playing bass. Greenwood in particular, when he locks in with Skinner, is a real treat, though Thom gets The Smile’s best bassline in “The Smoke,” which is clearly the fan favorite and was one of the Friday’s highlights. I doubt I was the only person to leave the show with that bassline on a loop their head.

Saxophonist and composer Robert Stillman, who is opening on this tour (and did so last year), joined The Smile for nearly half the songs of the set, including show-opener “Pana-vision,” new songs “Teleharmonic” and “Colours Fly,” “The Smoke,” and “You Will Never Work in Television Again.” He adds a lot to The Smile, but his opening set is maybe not the best choice for a bit outdoor show like this. But it was an all-around lovely evening and Forest Hills Stadium, which is big but not too big, is always a fun place to see a show.

Check out photos of the whole night by P Squared, along with the setlist and a few fan-shot videos, below.

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared

Robert Stillman at Forest Hills Stadium

photo by P Squared