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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

The Eraser
by Thom Yorke


8.2

based on 37 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 154 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

MUSIC:

Nigel Godrich produced this 9-song solo debut for the Radiohead frontman, which mainly sounds like--shockingly--a Radiohead album, albeit with much less guitar.

LABEL:	XL
RELEASE DATE:	11 July 2006
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Alternative, Rock, Electronic

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Stylus Magazine

The Eraser is a triumph.

Prefix Magazine

What makes it breathe, what allows it to flourish above its glitchy techno, its processed wizardry... what untangles it from a mess of circuitry and power strips and anti-virus pop-up warnings, is Yorke's incredible, distinctive voice.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

A claustrophobic sequel to Thief.

musicOMH.com

He's well able to marry insightful lyrics and memorable melody to a genre not always associated with such qualities.

New Musical Express

'Kid B'? Yeah, OK - but Radiohead will never make another album like it, and as a twin, it's every bit the equal.

Playlouder

'The Eraser' is Radiohead's fourth best album, and not bad considering it's the first one with only one man on it.

Dot Music

You must surely marvel at Thom Yorke's insistence to challenge his audience and his enemies.

Observer Music Monthly

Difficult, certainly, but not without its charms.

Q Magazine

It sounds as you would expect: a desolate dreamscape punctuated by nervous drum machines. In other words, it's a bit Kid A. [Aug 2006, p.110]

Uncut

What makes The Eraser great is Yorke's singing. [Aug 2006, p.82]

Mojo

The Eraser is less crabbed, cryptic or violently bitter than Hail To The Thief... and is often more satisfying for that. [Aug 2006, p.86]

All Music Guide

Intensely focused and steady.

Billboard

Anyone who found the alien sonic landscapes of "Kid A" a bit overwhelming will feel much more at home with these nine less fussy but primarily electronica-dominated compositions.

Delusions of Adequacy

The album doesn't make the point that Yorke doesn't need his bandmates to make a great record so much as it helps shed light on what each member of the band contributes to the overall equation.

BBC collective

The Eraser’s sound lies somewhere between the roiling beat soup of Amnesiac and a poppier sensibility.

NOW Magazine

The spare melodies and bleeps-and-loops approach result in chillingly direct songs.

Rolling Stone

The Eraser is full of moments when you wait for the band to kick in, and it doesn't happen.

Austin Chronicle

It's a vital addition.

ShakingThrough.net

The results are competent, if unsurprising.

Filter

It's hard to imagine that fans of Radiohead will be all that disappointed by The Eraser, and it's miles better than a dozen or so other solo projects that come to mind. [#21, p.93]

Urb

Perhaps an EP would have better-suited Yorke's solo aspirations. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.115]

Spin

These are the weirdest tracks Yorke has ever been a part of. [Aug 2006, p.75]

Drowned In Sound

While The Eraser might not be a genre-busting classic like Kid A or OK Computer it's a good, solid record nonetheless.

Tiny Mix Tapes

Nigel's production and arrangements leave very little room for the songs to breathe... However, the emphasis on Thom's lyrics illuminates The Eraser's strongest asset: its content.

Under The Radar

The resulting songs are considerably more understated than most anything in the Radiohead oeuvre, more dark electronic pop than dramatically layered art-rock. [#14]

The Guardian

It sounds exactly like you would expect a Thom Yorke solo album to sound: twitchy electronic beats, doomy washes of synthesizer, backing vocals that are invariably high, wordless and ghostly.

PopMatters

Slight, but carrying a fair amount of weight, The Eraser isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s much more than solo-project divergence.

cokemachineglow

The Eraser is not Radiohead good.

Almost Cool

Radiohead fans will obviously want to snag it up, but if you’re looking for melancholic electronic pop, there’s much better to be found.

E! Online

This could have been groundbreaking once upon a time, but there's nothing really new here and only a few songs ever rise above sheer novelty value.

Entertainment Weekly

One could imagine the dynamics, colors, and crescendos his bandmates might've added, and without them Yorke sounds hemmed in.

MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)

Such is the lure of his hypersensitivity that his admirers forgive and even applaud the extreme attenuation of this tastefully decorated click-and-loop.

Pitchfork

Where The Eraser sags is in the middle, with tracks 3-5 falling particularly flat. Like too many of Radiohead's new songs, they contain a single weak idea dragged on interminably.

Blender

Unfortunately, most of The Eraser is half-finished sketches, dressed up with a few of Nigel Godrich's subtle production tricks. [Aug 2006, p.105]

Alternative Press

Somewhat mirthless and at times downright android-sexy, The Eraser is what many Radiohead fans have come to expect from Yorke in recent years. [Sep 2006, p.228]

Village Voice

Yorke's voice... has rarely sounded better, although the context ultimately disappoints.

Slant Magazine

If anything, The Eraser more than proves that Yorke, no matter how intriguing or forward-thinking his ideas, needs the democracy of Radiohead to ground his more angular artistic impulses.

The average user rating for this album is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 154 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Reza M. gave it a9:
It's music from another planet. No one can sing or write songs like this in the earth.

Erik H gave it a6:
This album really isn't that good. Thom Yorke is not strong enough to carry an album without his bandmates. CMG nailed it when they wrote simply "The Eraser is not Radiohead good."

Max M. gave it a9:
Thom Yorke just keeps getting better and better. Some of the sound effects in songs like Harrowdown Hill and Black Swan sound really cheap like they came straight off of GarageBand or something, but otherwise, it is Thom Yorke at his best. I can't wait to see how demented the 2007 Radiohead album is gonna be.

dyzc _ gave it a9:
The Eraser is a one of a kind album. Its a very concentrated and focused sound. I believe this album fits the year 2006 and 2007, 2008, 2009.... For me, OK Computer is the best Radiohead album because the album 'in total', i think, is better. But the Eraser is a different sound. I hope Radiohead will continue this road...and then in this sound the best is yet to come....

Greg N. gave it a10:
Easily the best album of 2006.

Mike R gave it an8:
I think this album is a success. I think most of the songs are a creative accomplishment. I've been a radiohead fan for years and hearing The Eraser makes me feel like I'm getting a little more into the mind of Mr. Yorke. I think "Atoms for Peace" is absolutely gorgeous and Thom's voice has never sounded better. I do have a few problems. "Skip Divided" is a song that I could do without completely. Also, it seems like a few of these songs want to crescendo into something amazing but then just fall flat and it can be disappointing at times. Despite this, I enjoy the tracks thoroughly. I wanted to comment on a previous post. "Dan" mentioned that Amnesiac and Kid A were Thom's "Solo" albums. This is incorrect. Those were both efforts by Radiohead collectively.

pork skateborde gave it a6:
a pretty good record and nothing more. i expected it to be better. but we still get "the clock," "and it rained...," "atoms for peace," "the eraser" - all very good songs. it's certainly not kid a 2, though, so let's go ahead and stop with that.

The Eraser by Thom Yorke

The Eraser
by Thom Yorke