The Smile – ‘Wall Of Eyes’ album review: a result of breathtaking ingenuity
THE SKINNY: The Mexican poet Cesar A. Cruz once stated, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” The music of Thom Yorke and his partner in crime, Jonny Greenwood, has, for many years, served to comfort me, no matter how unsettling the themes might be. Perhaps I am a disturbed creep like many abiding fans of Radiohead and The Smile, but much comfort this duo provides is that of graceful artistic progression.
Never satisfied with the ground at their feet, Yorke and Greenwood are no strangers to the vanguard. Through each successive Radiohead album, the band leapt courageously into the unknown, bringing nuance to modern rock music and inspiration to all. As we acquaint ourselves with Wall of Eyes, The Smile’s second serving, it is satisfying to hear yet another fresh and inventive record in an age blighted by nostalgic banality.
Despite Philip Selway’s exciting Radiohead reunion discourse last year, Yorke and Greenwood have returned to the studio with former Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner. This second chapter retains The Smile’s core genes in a broadly rhythmic approach teeming with eclecticism. Skinner’s innovative percussion unshackles indie rock, providing colourful foundations from which Yorke and Greenwood construct immersive, often unsettling concepts and cinematic soundscapes.
Recorded between Oxford and Abbey Road Studios in London, Wall of Eyes introduces several lyrical concepts under an omnipresent tone of desolation. Much like the album artwork, created as usual by Yorke and Stanley Donwood, the music within is haunting, even in its colourful moments, driven by lyrical angst and insidious instrumental juxtaposition. Wall of Eyes is not a salient masterpiece of the Yorke-Greenwood canon but a more than worthy addition to the bulletproof saga. What happens next is anyone’s guess.
For fans of: single malt whisky on the rocks, expensive Hi-Fi systems and minimal social contact on a Sunday afternoon.
A concluding comment from Tom’s mother: “So ‘The Smile’ is an ironic band name then? The painful, pretty grimace might be more apt. A ‘deep’ album that drinks halves.”
Wall of Eyes track by track:
Release Date: 26th January | Producer: Sam Petts-Davies | Label: XL Recordings
‘Wall of Eyes’: Skinner sets a precedent for the album from the start with an unconventional beat. This rolling thunder is distant, allowing space for Yorke’s perky acoustic progression to glow. Meanwhile, the lyrics are self-deprecating and elusive: “Let us raise our glasses / To what we don’t deserve / What we’re not worthy of”. [4/5]
‘Teleharmonic’: This swirling orb of electronic intrigue is ‘Idioteque’ on tranquilisers but gradually builds towards an instrumental climax spurred by Skinner’s propulsive beat. Mysterious as ever, Yorke leans on William S. Burroughs for some fragmented verse of acute imagery captured through faltering, hopeless eyes. This one is a personal highlight. [5/5]
‘Read the Room’: The Smile offers yet another sultry rhythm in this art-punk gem. Impressively, the virtuosic trio navigates a series of tempo changes across its five-minute span. The most significant transition kicks in during the final two minutes and is liable to mobilise the headbangers among us. [5/5]
‘Under Our Pillows’: On the whole, Wall of Eyes is pleasingly original, but this one is particularly reminiscent of ‘The Opposite’ from A Light for Attracting Attention. Rhythmic and dense, the frenetic lead line is central to the sonic identity The Smile has built over the past few years. Like many songs on this album, ‘Under Our Pillows’ flits gracefully through several distinctive chapters. [4/5]
‘Friend of a Friend’: As heard previously in the debut album, The Smile impose a crucial balance upon Wall of Eyes with placating piano-driven parentheses. Towards the close, this kaleidoscopic beauty builds in stature with masterful string treatment courtesy of the London Contemporary Orchestra – a budget well spent. [4/5]
‘I Quit’: In yet another instrumental marvel, ‘I Quit’ hears the distant explosions of ‘Wall of Eyes’ return, this time a little closer to home. The scene is oppressive and overcast as Yorke acquiesces to an apocalyptic tone: “Wild ghosts / Wild feelings / Leaning windmills / A dead drop / This is the end of the trip / A new path out of the madness”. [5/5]
‘Bending Hectic’: In the penultimate offering, we encounter an epic eight-minute composition characterised by the titular motif. Unlike Vladimir Nabokov, who liked to “Bend Sinister”, The Smile uses repetitive string bends throughout this song to warp the pacing and evoke a surrealist dreamscape. The song develops handsomely so as not to overstay its welcome, reaching an intense orchestral glissando that puts that of The Beatles’ ‘A Day in the Life’ to shame. [4/5]
‘You Know Me!’: Yes, Mr Yorke, by now, we certainly know you, but you never fail to surprise us. This ethereal piano-driven conclusion takes the pace out of proceedings, with Skinner’s oblique percussion fading into the background. Meanwhile, Yorke’s timeless vocals take centre stage for a farewell bow alongside a final flourish from the London Contemporary Orchestra. [3.5/5]
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