ALBUM REVIEWS
It does not feel like a stretch to suggest that The Smile are one of the finest and most inventive rock bands on the planet right now. This should come as little surprise: two of its members, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, are key architects of Radiohead, while Tom Skinner has had success as the drummer of jazz troupe Sons Of Kemet. They are restless, connected and technically fabulous all across their second album ‘Wall Of Eyes’.
What started off as a ‘side-project’ to Radiohead now feels paramount to Yorke and Greenwood’s musical identity. It’s been eight years since the band’s last record ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ – which felt like an ending in a way – with each member dabbling in solo projects, film scores and remixes. Teasers for a reunion, of which there have been many, are yet to come to fruition. This summer, meanwhile, The Smile will play arenas and headline festivals, and have worked with Paul Thomas Anderson on a new string of music videos. You have to wonder if they enjoy this fresh canvas, unbeholden to the ‘day-job”s history and baggage.
On 2022’s ‘A Light For Attracting Attention’ their sonic identity was consolidated, a skittish marriage between wonky electronics and the occasional rock rager. ‘Wall Of Eyes’ is similarly expansive in its vision, but also restrained, carefully selecting moments where the intensity needs upping. Its opening title track packs a thump similar to Radiohead’s 2003 single ‘There, There’ but it instead opts for lush orchestration as opposed to the latter’s crackling ending; ‘Friend of A Friend’ is light on its feet and surprisingly intimate.
‘Bending Heretic’ – easily their strongest composition yet – embodies this new mindset: the trio leave space for each other, but aren’t afraid to step into it, either. It begins with Greenwood’s exploratory guitar riff, one that nudges the song forward despite its spangly form, while Yorke paints a vivid picture of a “‘60s soft top” inching through the “Italian mountainside”. They – and the listener with them – eventually slip off at a hairpin turn and the music meets the impending doom: at the five-minute mark, a graceful farewell gives way to sheer panic, as taut Psycho-esque strings swell and eventually crash at the moment of impact. “The ground is coming for me now,” Yorke warns, but blame is shared: “We’ve gone over the edge / If you’ve got something to say, say it now.”
It is a moment of sheer brilliance, one among many on ‘Wall Of Eyes’. Where previously the comparisons to their Radiohead catalogue could warp expectations, the breadth of the material on offer here suggest that it could, eventually, flip that dynamic right on its head.
ALBUM REVIEWS
2024 has been a big year for Lip Critic, who are well on their way to becoming one of the next great New York bands. The quartet – comprising Bret Kaser, Connor Kleitz, Daniel Eberle and Ilan Natter – have spent the past half-decade building a loyal and sizeable hometown following that has, in recent months, caught the attention of music fans across the other side of the Atlantic.
Lip Critic make music that is both freewheeling and fun – with a thrillingly dark, Frankenstein-esque edge to their sound and aesthetic. They have played alongside rappers, hardcore bands and dance acts – and toured with IDLES and Geese – with NME describing their live show as “a pulsating rush of energy” in a five-star review last November. “You never know what sound is going to pop up next – our focus is to not get pinned down into a set of aesthetics, but to stay nimble” Kaser previously told us.
Opener ‘It’s The Magic’ bursts into life with a set of heavy 808s followed by contrasting rhythms. “I told them take their grace / And send it where it came / Only the generous get to live another day,” Kaser sings, evoking a sense of danger. ‘The Heart’ follows, diving headfirst dives into skittish, almost anxiety-inducing drum patterns – it’s wild and brilliantly unnerving.
’Bork Pelly (featuring Gösh and ID.Sus)’ is a perfect fusion of The Prodigy and ’90s hip-hop influences. ‘Death Lurking’ (featuring Izzy Da Fonseca), meanwhile, offers a change of pace, an atmospheric number that builds into a skippy beat fit for headbanging.
Throughout ‘Hex Dealer’, Lip Critic prove why they are the band of the moment. A full-on, disruptive force emerging from their city’s underground scene – their music rides high on a bolt of infectious energy.
