The Smile - ‘Wall of Eyes’ review
The Smile by Sam Petts-Davies
Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and Tom Skinner have released their 2nd Album together as The Smile. Wall of Eyes is best described as an Art-Rock album, using music and lyrics to paint a mental picture for the listener. There are some quite unorthodox approaches to music in the tracks, but they are executed tastefully and intelligently – as you would expect from a trio comprising members of Radiohead and Sons of Kemet.
I found this album to have a particular theme in its soundscape which it kept coming back to in various tracks. The gentle and tranquil instrumental sections were almost dream-like, I was constantly closing my eyes and beginning to sink into them. However, during these sections, there was commonly at least one instrument in the texture (usually strings) that was playing on a different key or scale. These clashing notes gave me an uneasy sense that in this bliss dreamscape, I was hearing, something wasn’t right. Perhaps we’ve experienced that feeling before in dreams, when we’re comfortable, but can tell something’s off.
Another pleasing aspect of this album is how it approaches rhythm and changes it up in both drumming and guitar aspects. Songs like ‘Read the Room’ and ‘Under Our Pillows’ have these quirky, janky guitar leads which carry the rhythm in a unique way. Piano makes an appearance in the later half of the album with songs like ‘You Know Me!’ and ‘Friend Of A Friend’ being very keys-focused. There is a good balance of energy in this album too. Some songs keep a very mellow and relaxed atmosphere while others like to bounce between quicker, more lively sections and softer bridges to link them.
While you could consider all of these songs enjoyable and carefully written to their potential, there is one track that cements itself above the rest in terms of what art-rock should be considered as. ‘Bending Hectic’ is a song about driving. While the topic isn’t exactly thought-provoking, the execution of the track is. First off, the opening guitar lead uses string bending in coherence with the song title. Secondly, the paradiddles of the drums literally sound like an engine motor. Most importantly, about two-thirds into the track, Thom York sings that he’s ‘letting go of the wheel.’ As he does this, the tone of the song shifts instantly as strings menacingly screech higher and louder till a big, distorted guitar chord crashes into the bridge. This song is written outstandingly well when trying to convey an image and tell a story. It’s unsurprising it’s already one of the most popular songs on the album already.
Wall of Eyes may not be for everyone as it pushes the boundaries of typical songwriting quite a bit to create some questionable soundscapes. Art is all about how the audience perceives and interprets it. However, if you are a Radiohead fan (and you probably are if you have heard of ‘The Smile’), then there’s a strong chance you will enjoy tuning into these 8 songs and picking up on the details and quirks that can only be found in thorough-thought projects.
Wall of Eyes from The Smile is out now via XL Recordings you can catch the band on tour from March of this year.
