It’s been about seven and a half years since Radiohead released their last album, 2016’s “A Moon Shaped Pool.” The band last toured over five years ago, leaving many fans to wonder what would befall upon one of the most influential rock bands of all time. While several band members have become involved with various side projects, The Smile emerged in 2020, fronted by Radiohead’s mastermind Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood. Joining them is experimental jazz drummer Tom Skinner.
The band released their debut album in 2022, “A Light for Attracting Attention,” to a mostly positive, albeit mixed, reception. While many praised the band for carrying the Radiohead torch, others criticized the trio for its derivative sound.
The band released their sophomore album, “Wall of Eyes,” on Jan. 26, once again showcasing Yorke and Greenwood’s propensity for ethereal and melancholic sounds. Several cuts throughout the record feel like B-sides from albums like “Kid A” or “In Rainbows,” though there’s a slightly more experimental and post-punk influence here.
The album’s opener and title track, “Wall of Eyes,” features an acoustic guitar and drum ostinato that propels the song forward, with an orchestral accompaniment and spacey clanks and clatters slowly mixed in. The strings felt almost reminiscent of the Radiohead song “How to Disappear Completely,” a similarity that can be felt multiple times throughout this album. The song’s anxious 5/4 groove slowly fades into disjointed guitars and droning strings, leading the listener into the next song.
While the album’s opener feels very familiar, “Teleharmonic” sees the band take a much different approach to their sound. Skinner’s drumming shines on this cut, heavily influenced by Afro-Cuban jazz. Yorke’s vocals sound much different from what many are used to, forgoing his whisper-singing style in favor of a bold and strong tone. “Read the Room” borrows heavily from Krautrock, a progressive rock style that emerged in Germany during the early 1970s. Greenwood’s guitar work stands out on this track particularly, showcasing his ability to create cold, discordant melodies that are as intriguing as they are unnerving.
“Under Our Pillows” is on the longer side, clocking in at over six minutes, with a disjointed math rock feel. The 5/4 groove slowly morphs into more ethereal strings, harkening back to earlier in the album. The last two minutes of the song showcase the band’s technical ability to create dissonant, spacey soundscapes. “Under Our Pillows” ends with an eerie ambient passage, complete with metallic bells and whistles and droning strings.
“Friend of a Friend” is a piano-led ballad, and while being one of the more traditional rock songs on this album, it still carries the same aesthetics present on the rest of the record. The song is heavily influenced by the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life,” even containing an orchestral swell near the end of the song.
“I Quit” features reverb-drenched and delayed acoustic guitars with an orchestral accompaniment slowly mixed in as the track continues. Admittedly, it’s one of the more forgettable tracks on the album; but it’s still a fun listen that many will greatly enjoy. “Bending Hectic” is one of the most eccentric cuts, being just over eight minutes long, which is a rarity for the Radiohead camp. The song feels a lot like a Radiohead song, a slow crawl through arpeggiated guitars and strings. Yorke’s vocals shine through, sounding almost as good as anything off “OK Computer,” released nearly 30 years ago. The song ends with another orchestral swell that explodes into distorted guitars and Yorke’s distinctive wail.
The album’s closer, “You Know Me!” is one of the best songs. Focusing on just vocal and piano, with some electronic drums lightly placed in the background. It’s by far the most intimate song on the album, at times almost sounding like something off Black Country, New Road’s “Ants From Up There.”
The biggest problem with “Wall of Eyes” is also one of its strengths: It definitely separates itself from Radiohead artistically but never really goes anywhere with it. Every song has an avant-garde song structure but somehow sounds the same. When it works, it’s a beautifully melancholic moment, but sometimes it comes off as just forgettable. Undoubtedly, this record will be one of the year’s critical darlings that somehow gets zero Grammys.
3.5/5