The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention: REVIEW

The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention (XL)

Thom Yorke’s ability to create stellar bodies of work decades into his career is nothing short of remarkable. His new project the Smile, alongside fellow Radiohead member Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner (with Nigel Godrich at the helm), shows he can also make a brilliant LP with a whole new band — one that stands out as an exuberant, masterfully constructed art rock album. Across 53 minutes, we basically hear the full range of musical hats Yorke is capable of wearing: driving, garage rock-y post-punk (“You Will Never Work in Television Again”), stirring acoustic ballads (“Free in the Knowledge”), piano dirges (“Open the Floodgates”), funk (“The Smoke”), minimalist electronic music (“The Same,” “Waving a White Flag”) and even Afrobeat (“The Opposite”). Even if it can sound too much like a Radiohead album (“Thin Thing” and closer “Skirting on the Surface” feel somewhat like In Rainbows outtakes), A Light for Attracting Attention is nonetheless a gorgeous, pristine collection of tunes further cementing Yorke’s legacy as one of our generation’s artistic giants. 9/10 Trial Track: “You Will Never Work in Television Again”

This review was originally published in the June issue of Cult MTL.

For more on the Smile, please visit the band’s website.

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