Thom Yorke - Anima

I skimmed the Radiohead subbredit thread and someone was claiming to hear their breakup in his last solo album, and this new one is her eulogy. I closed the tab.

I think the designer forgot the final “L”? To go with the Def Leppard cover I mean?

this is great

So far the back half of the record sounds more distinctive. The Axe, the dub bassline on the second to last track, and the last track is great.

I loved the sound of Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, and generally like it when there's more Thom piano and guitar mixed in. This is really heavy on the modular, which for some reason I assume is more Nigel's sound? Sounds a lot more like the Atoms for Peace record than anything else.

it's like a deeply broken techno record with thom singing over it. think it's p easily and immediately his best since the eraser

I have just enjoyed the film (on Netflix )especially as it's about 15 minutes long which is as much as I can take of Yorke's voice. Also as it features some pretty good lighting in what appears to be a big concrete cave but which turns out to be (I think) a place called Carrières de Lumières in the south of France, which looks incredible.

Music video is great which isn’t really surprising considering the people involved.

Dawn Chorus synths are gorgeous as hell and they sound as played by a human not a machine (actually I think most of this album achieved this effect rather well) but I don’t care for the spoken voice much.
Not the news and Impossible Knots sound really nice on a good pair of headphones.

Overall I think this might be his best solo album and one of Nigel’s best productions with Thom. Their work together usually sounds too sterile and lifeless for my taste. There’s an Atoms for Peace full concert on youtube which sounds miles better than the album versions, Flea is a highlight and I wish we got those sounds on the actual album.

video is siiiiiick

Manbun Yorke has a Momus vibe to him

The church of manbun is such a holy place to be

Twist is really and abundantly a Boards of Canada song

that employs its last two transcendental minutes to addendum a "no i'm not"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv8dy1W1VxY

i like this a lot, altho it is a bit long

It's definitely more of a pop record than Suspiria, which I enjoyed. His stuff is usually pretty good and am glad to have it around to listen to once in awhile.

It's a decent album but I'm definitely finding his voice weaker and reedier these days. Compare to the excellent vocal performances on The Eraser.

Liked this album a lot, especially "Not the News".

Above video has its audio stretched out or something to avoid an auto takedown, I guess. Don't judge the voice on that!

He does put on a few different voices as he did with Eraser, though maybe not with the same gusto here. For me the tunes just ain't there - though somewhat ironically Dawn Chorus, which is the most 'mood piece' of them all, is the one that's stuck with me the most.

So this is great

It sounds to me like Yorke listened to Syro a lot before going into the studio for this

Tbh his voice started to show a certain weariness since Hail to the Thief. That was the first album in which his higher sustained notes started to lose their shine, they kind of vibrate making it sound a bit whiny here and there. He has recurred to sing in a mostly lower tone since then or doesn’t sustain the higher notes as much.

A propos of nothing, Yorke's Desert Island track selection:

Maurice Ravel – “Le jardin féerique”
Scott Walker – “It's Raining Today”
Talking Heads – “Born Under Punches”
Squarepusher & Aphex Twin – “Freeman Hardy & Willis Acid”
Neil Young – “'After the Gold Rush”
R.E.M. – “Talk About the Passion”
Sidney Bechet – “Blue Horizon”
Nina Simone – “Lilac Wine”

damn thom yorke and i have the same favorite REM song

i was surprised that "talk about the passion" didn't feature in the rem poll as it is by far my fave from murmur.

BREAKING: thom yorke potentially LIED about his favorite REM song in the Desert Island track selections posted just above. BREAKING: in the video clip below, he says his favorite REM song is "South Central Rain". BREAKING: yorke claims that his favorite REM song is "always changing". should we believe him now? how many different "favorite" REM songs does he have?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_qM2ggk4es

why does he refuse to talk about the passion???

You guys are supposed to wait until twilight before scratching for scandals.

i really like this record btw, i keep rewatching the excellent netflix film and then coming back to the album and finding a lot to love

for some reason i have difficulty describing it but it's like yorke finally synthesized all of his influences from dance music into something that actually ominously bangs

On REM I think he also said “Be Mine” was his favorite and he even covered it with REM. There’s a rehearsal video on youtube which makes me wish they had recorded it in the studio:

https://youtu.be/r2VAHF2o0TA

listen to anima.

then go back and listen to tomorrow's modern boxes.

it's a lot better than you remember it now, isn't it?

TMB is my favorite after The Eraser

it's a good point that the rush to call Anima his best was just weirdly wide and fast.

not to say that anima isn't super dope, because it is. it's just a really dense album and i didn't actually enjoy it until like the fifth listen.

still think eraser is his best non-band work. quickly followed by amok.

The two Radiohead related albums I enjoy post Amnesiac is King of Limbs and Amok.

I enjoy most of his work with and without Radiohead but I’ve found I don’t come back to it as often.

Amok is great. Up there with my favourite Radiohead.

only band i've probably listened to more in the last decade is king krule.

I'd just like to say I Am a Very Rude Person is a great little song.

Also I've got tickets to see him at the Eventim Appollo in June. Has anyone seen his live show?

I saw him in Berkeley’s Greek (outdoor amphitheater) last month and my wife (who isn’t a huge fan of his solo work) and I both enjoyed it immensely. Set list was perfect, light show was cool, and I really enjoyed the transitions between songs.