Today marks the birthday of Thom Yorke, also known as the lead vocalist Radiohead, the most famous rock, metal, classical, alternative infusion band from the early 90's through today.
A few short weeks ago, Thom released a solo album titled Tomorrow's Modern Boxes which was released with great controversy. This album was in fact released through BitTorrent, a popular online music downloading website often best known for hosting illegally published music for free download. A short twist, you actually have to pay for the album. Charging what seemed to be the too good to be true cost of $5.99, I was disappointed to see that the track list only containing 8 tracks, but I was thoroughly rewarding upon listening to it. Fear not if you don't use BitTorrent, it should be released on Vinyl and CD for purchase within the coming months.
Originally planned to be an EP release with three tracks, it was later expanded to an entire studio album. The release came to a complete surprise for his followers, no promotional anything or any information was given prior to the internet release. However, he must of done something right, with 2 million downloads since it's release September 26.
Tomorrow's Modern Boxes contains many unexpected gems. The basis of the album is built on complicated intertwined synthesized lines. Radiohead is definitely famous for this, but usually with "real" instruments. His vocals remain as good as ever, sliding up to the high register with ease on nearly every track. This album definitely is a branch off from the usual sound of Radiohead, but it's not a bad thing.
The second track, titled Guess Again, is definitely one of my favorite tracks. The intro includes an ever so famous catchy piano intro, and the sultry entry of his voice happens right after. The electronic back beats and rhythms create a nice contrast from the smooth piano line. My favorite lyrics from this song are as follows:
As one door shuts
Another opens
Guess again!Do you think your mind blows up?
Do you think your mind blows up?
Guess again ......
Overall, I just really like this song.
The fourth song on this album is another one of my favorites, titled The Mother Lode. A rhythmically driven beat and uptempo keep this song driving. The "melody" so to speak is passed between a series of synthesizers, going back and forth throughout the entire song. With large instrumental breaks, this song is good for driving around, relaxing with friends, ect.
Also, this album comes with an unusual album cover as expected, considering the fact that Radiohead always has one.
Overall, this is a very good album. Different than Thom's previous releases, but in a good way.
Namaste,
Carly
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