The Sophian

Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: Arts

Media Credit: cnn.com Thom Yorke's breakout solo album "The Eraser" provides a cryptic listen.

In the infinite landscape of heart-wrenching ballads and lovelorn lead singers, Thom Yorke of Radiohead has long been the tallest mountain. His voice, such a perfect balance to Radiohead's anguishing melodies and towering, floundering synth-noises, poignantly speaks to the hearts of listeners around the world. In his new - and first - solo album, "The Eraser" (XL records, released July 2006), Mr. Yorke uses almost 20 years' worth of accumulated electronica - sound bytes and assorted noises: "bloops" - to express his fears, cynicism, and personal torment. "The Eraser" is not, however, just another vehicle for a whiney, femmey, Brit-rock/pop drone to air his dirty laundry. As Will Hermes of National Public Radio would have it, Thom Yorke's latest compilation is a "soul record for the 21st century."

At first listen, this album is bleak and forlorn in inevitable comparison to previous Radiohead releases. The melodies of these tracks are skinny, full of separate strands and sometimes nonexistent; inaccessible compared to the catchy singability of songs like "Karma Police" or "Creep." It takes a certain amount of persistence to crack into the psyche of these songs, and, as a result, into the psyche of Thom Yorke. I suggest starting with "Black Swan," a surprisingly bouncy, cryptic, sarcastic but loveable song. Once you listen a few times, you won't be able to get enough. After that, head to "And it Rained All Night," full of the electronic click-clack-bloops that made Radiohead famous.

The songs on this album are undeniably dark and somewhat cynical, filled with lyrics like, "You better get on the train / 'Cause this is f---ed up," or "I got to ask / are you only being nice because you want something?" But those kernels of frustration speak to the listener who wants a reflection of her own unstable emotional landscape: that's what Hermes meant when he called it our soul record. Thanks, Thom.

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