The Smile - Wall Of Eyes

When The Smile released their debut album ‘A Light for Attracting Attention’, it was hard to imagine that it could get any better than that. Yet somehow, it has. Finding unique paths through familiar Radiohead terrain, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood along with drummer Tom Skinner - musicians of the calibre that they are - have created what could only be described as a masterpiece with their new album ‘Wall of Eyes’.

The opening title-track introduces a sonic theme that seems to run throughout the record: a tension between beauty and chaos. The strings, acoustic guitar, and Yorke’s voice, all contrast to the ticking clock-like drums and thunderous sounds that reverberate throughout the track. ‘Teleharmonic’ is more electronic with exquisite harmonies and flutes, and intensity heightens in ‘Read the Room’ - in which Yorke’s vocals become more confronting as they simmer on top of Greenwood’s dissonant guitar before building to a crashing crescendo.

Greenwood’s signature jagged riffs are heard no clearer than in ‘Under Our Pillows’, a track in which Skinner’s drumming is also a particular highlight. It almost feels like two songs in one, with an ethereal switch-up halfway through which leads to an almost sci-fi, cinematic and incredibly unsettling string-led ending. ‘Friend of a Friend’ and ‘I Quit’ give us a brief break from the chaos with their lilting and sentimental melodies, but disorder is always bubbling away underneath - managing to break through in the former’s bridge before plateauing into beautiful strings.