Review: The Eraser 7.3/10

Thom Yorke has made it clear in interviews that he gets uptight about The Eraser being dubbed a solo album and while its true that snippets from a few songs are by other members, this is pure Yorke. With electronic fiddlings and bleepy bloopy tweakings this album is a relative of Amnesiac, but lacks the heavy jazz presence brought by Johnny Greenwood. Yorke's pension for solo laptoppy projects is no secret with songs like "Worrywort"[Knives Out Single] and "I am Citizen Insane"[Com Lag] finding their release on b-side compilations and singles.
The album opens with the title track Eraser and pushes a cut up piano sample (based on something Greenwood wrote) through the whole song but by the end it has picked up some fuzz and other production. The vocals on this track aren't quite the typical Yorke we are used to and are much smoother. The lyrics are brutally honest and seem to directly involve Thom Yorke himself: "Please excuse me but I got to ask/are you only bein' nice because you want something?" later on he turns it on himself "I am only bein' nice/because I want someone something"
"The Clock" is a song that easily could have weaseled it's way onto Hail to the Thief, this is due largely to the fact that he uses some of the same drum samples. The music paints a bleak landscape as Yorke's vocals loom giving the song a very brooding feeling which can be found throughout the entire album. "Harrowdown Hill" (The First Single) is about a UN Weapons Inspector who committed suicide under strange circumstances at the song title. Yorke also makes his appreciation of Autechre known with "Atoms for Peace" which if heard on its own would have hinted at a Yorke/Autechre collaborative effort.
The Eraser ends with "Cymbal Rush", a song that Radiohead has been playing at some of their recent shows, although it sounds quite different. Think Idioteque revamped. Fast moving drums and Yorke being paranoid as usual. This song is however much more delicate than Idioteque. It has a soft piano part floating around in the background eerie Kid A era synth patterns which make a it a pretty good ender yet it can't hold its own against songs like The Tourist or Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Overall a decent album best heard on a rainy Sunday to go with your already-less-than-impressive mood. It sags a bit before and after the halfway mark but the beginning and end are worth the trouble. What this album proves is that Radiohead is greater than the sum of its parts.

-Dylan Reed