XL Vinyl & CDs

Review: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner (Sons Of Kemet) finally deliver on their much-hyped The Smile project, blending the anxious and synaptic tones of Radiohead's anthemic indie-electro with the bluer party tones of UK jazz. The new album features a slew of tracks with swelling strings recorded by the full brass section of the London Contemporary Orchestra, as well as a band of jazz players like Theon and Nathaniel Cross and Robert Stillman.

Review: Cutouts continues the three strong supergroup's exploration of diverse sonic landscapes, the new ten-track project reaffirming The Smile's commitment to pushing musical boundaries. The trioicomprised of Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood alongside drummer Tom Skinnericrafted Cutouts in Oxford and Abbey Road Studios, with production by Sam Petts-Davies. Preceded by the singles 'Foreign Spies' and 'Zero Sum,' the album promises a blend of styles, from jazz and Krautrock to progressive rock, all while maintaining a raw, experimental edge distinct from their work with Radiohead. The Smile have already captivated audiences with these tracks during their recent UK and European tours and as with their previous releases, Cutouts merges complex musical influences into a cohesive and intriguing sonic experience.

Review: Given their Radiohead connections Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood make up two thirds of the band), there's always been an enormous amount of interest in The Smile - a lockdown-born project that has plenty of potential. Wall of Eyes, the trio's second album, is certainly impressive. For proof, check the moody, suspenseful and slowly unfurling title track (all pulsing, low-slung semi-acoustic grooves, eyes-closed vocals, dense electronic textures and soundtrack strings), the heady, subtly jazz-flecked wall of sound that is 'Friend of a Friend' (listen out for the music concrete-style sound collage sitting in the background of the White Album era Beatles-esque 'Friend of a Friend'), and the lo-fi, string-laden headiness of the largely beat-free 'Bending Heretic', whose cut-glass horror strings and Nine Inch Nails style guitars are impressively intense at times.