Thom Yorke - The Eraser ADVANCE

Thom Yorke - The Eraser ADVANCE
Release: July 11, 2006 - XL Recordings
Having been immensely unimpressed with the last two Radiohead records (i must be the only one who thought Hail to the Thief was 90% crap), The Eraser comes as a breath of fresh air. What I expected was a guitar rock album, kind of like many of the live bootlegs floating around which feature Thom with only an acoustic guitar. I was expecting 'Killer Cars' and 'True Love Waits' but what has arrived is much different.
Instead of the singer-songwriter dribble out there which has been extremely and unfortunately influenced by Yorke (a la the Bends), The Eraser sounds like Kid A. The track, not the album. Thick electronic textures sound like they emminate from a woumb, not a drum machine. Thom's vocals sound a bit more interested than they have in years, and perhaps better. At the same time thick (like 'Pulk Pull Revolving Doors') and delicate (like Bjork's Vespertine), it seems like if you listen to it on your laptop you woud have a completely different experience than in your Hummer.
Familiar are Yorke's brooding and pessimistic lyrics, as well as melodies and basslines which could clearly pass as Radiohead's.
All in all, I'm extremely impressed and hopeful about what Thom Yorke is doing, which has not been the case since the monumental Kid A and its anemic little brother Amnesiac.

RIYL: Radiohead