A Light for Attracting Attention

Starting a thread for this album because I haven't seen many posts for it. I know it leaked, but I waited until release day.
I'll be honest Any Forumstants, I didn't think the boys were capable of performing like this anymore. This is an awesome project, one of my favorites of the year.
Even though this is supposed to be Jonny's project, Thom really shines on here. He sounds more energized than he's been since... 2008?
Releasing six singles really betrays how well this album flows. The sequencing of each track is perfect.
Finally, shout-out to Tom Skinner. He has a distinctly different style to Phil Selway that complements this looser style of music perfectly.
What do you all think?

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is it post punk influenced? is it just another thom yorke vocals with a royalty free chamber pop rock depressing background a la radiohead?

There are some post-punk tracks, particularly on the front half of the album. It sounds like Thom also brings out the old synthesizers he uses on ANIMA on a lot of the tracks.
There are some chamber pop-ish moments, but they're actually quite good, Free in the Knowledge in particular.

a hairdryer and waving the white flag album combo is pure hail to the thief era kino. No misses for me but skrting is a weak closer. Honestly think this album is better than the last two radiohead releases.

so sad how kendricks shitty album gets all the attention while this is basically ignored

thanks user, I didn't know this was a thing
i mean, i probably won't listen to it but i'm glad to know it exists

Because it's also shit, both are pseudo intellectual

It’s great. I had low expectations. I’ve only listened to 2-3 tracks before the leaks, mostly on radio (Panavision) and some on youtube (Skirting the Surface and The Smoke). The songs didn’t stand well on their own (loved Panavision though) but as an album, it’s almost perfect.

We all know what Thom’s work is like on his own, and Jonny as well. The two together as the Smile actually give a clearer view on what exactly is Radiohead. For the longest time many of listeners were convinced that Radiohead are pretty much Thom and Jonny but with this album, we now have the confirmation that Ed and Colin, especially Ed, have a very important role in Radiohead, more than ever.

This album is good, with some songs that are pure Radiohead material (Open the floodgates) but the others are quite distinctive. A little “thing” is missing from what Radiohead usually makes.

Why didn't they just release it as Radiohead?

The mixing is meticulous, dark, groovy and relentlessly engaging. The drumming is so jazzy. Heavy Hail To The Thief vibes but with some In Rainbows texture thrown in for good measure.

I see this as the natural evolution for Radiohead and I kinda hope we see another album from The Smile instead of another Radiohead album.

Thom said it was mostly a lockdown project in 2020, and basically everybody was either too busy with their own thing (Ed O’brien was promoting his own album), and/or were stuck elsewhere with lockdown. Thom and Jonny have been extremely productive since 2018-2019 so I really guess they didn’t want to waste time in 2020-2021. But virtually all of the band members pretty much confirmed that LP10 will happen at some point.

Why does the second part of Free in the Knowledge become Man in the Mirror though

the truth is that Ed and Phil prioritized their shitty solo work over Radiohead, so Thom and Jonny said ok we'll do it ourselves. it's a blessing because if the whole band was involved the project would have been overthought and dragged through the mud until all the fun was sucked out of it... and it probably would have released in 2023.

even as a big radiohead fan, i too was losing hope they could come up with much new, seeing AMSP was mostly old songs reworked. but holy shit guys this is so good... what an amazing album. anyone here has favourites yet?

Yeah, if the pandemic didn’t happen, I would imagine the band would have started to work on LP10 right after Ed’s promotion and small tour, so in 2020. But lockdown happened and slowed down everything. And I don’t see Thom not doing shit during 2 years, especially that he made Suspiria, Anima, and now this within just 3 years. Jonny as well, dude keeps making scores for movies.

this listens like a radiohead album, with songs slowly growing on you.
On my first impression i loved open the floodgates, always liked slow dreamy songs by radiohead such as go slowly, arpeggi and daydreaming.
Then yesterday I was loving thin thing.
And right now, a hairdryer. Very HTTT-sounding but in a very good way. I’d say it sounds exactly like a mix of HTTT and IR.

I feel like I'd like We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings more if it was live

I'm going to their concert next week, very hyped
Hopefully the live performance lives up the album

2nd AOTY so far behind Plosivs, great tunes with room for experimentation

I'm relistening to their live performance from back in January, and the songs feel different.

The crazy thing is that I was expecting Open The Floodgate since a soundcheck they did in 2006, I was radiohead obsessed back then. I was so disappointed it wasn't on In Rainbows and here it is in 2022

thin thing, the same and free in the knowledge for me. wdkwtb, pana-vision or skrting on the surface are also great. if they cut two or three tracks the album would have been close to perferct

One of the best openers in a while, that took me by surprise

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free in the knowledge is a bit too neil youngish for me

>Plosivs
Was the album that good? Might give it a listen