The Eraser - Thom Yorke
  • Band Name: Thom Yorke
  • Record Label: XL
  • Release Date: Jul 11, 2006
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 37
  2. Negative: 0 out of 37
  1. 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.
  2. A claustrophobic sequel to Thief.
  3. 'Kid B'? Yeah, OK - but Radiohead will never make another album like it, and as a twin, it's every bit the equal.
  4. You must surely marvel at Thom Yorke's insistence to challenge his audience and his enemies.
  5. 'The Eraser' is Radiohead's fourth best album, and not bad considering it's the first one with only one man on it.
  6. 80
    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]
  7. 80
    What makes The Eraser great is Yorke's singing. [Aug 2006, p.82]
  8. 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]
  9. The Eraser is full of moments when you wait for the band to kick in, and it doesn't happen.
  10. He's well able to marry insightful lyrics and memorable melody to a genre not always associated with such qualities.
  11. The Eraser's sound lies somewhere between the roiling beat soup of Amnesiac and a poppier sensibility.
  12. The spare melodies and bleeps-and-loops approach result in chillingly direct songs.
  13. Difficult, certainly, but not without its charms.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. The results are competent, if unsurprising.
  17. 72
    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]
  18. The resulting songs are considerably more understated than most anything in the Radiohead oeuvre, more dark electronic pop than dramatically layered art-rock. [#14]
  19. While The Eraser might not be a genre-busting classic like Kid A or OK Computer it's a good, solid record nonetheless.
  20. 70
    Perhaps an EP would have better-suited Yorke's solo aspirations. [Jul/Aug 2006, p.115]
  21. 70
    These are the weirdest tracks Yorke has ever been a part of. [Aug 2006, p.75]
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. Slight, but carrying a fair amount of weight, The Eraser isn't a masterpiece, but it's much more than solo-project divergence.
  25. The Eraser is not Radiohead good.
  26. 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.
  27. One could imagine the dynamics, colors, and crescendos his bandmates might've added, and without them Yorke sounds hemmed in.
  28. 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.
  29. Such is the lure of his hypersensitivity that his admirers forgive and even applaud the extreme attenuation of this tastefully decorated click-and-loop.
  30. 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.
  31. 60
    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]
  32. 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]
  33. 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.
  34. Yorke's voice... has rarely sounded better, although the context ultimately disappoints.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 171 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 6 out of 117
  1. Thom Yorke, a beautiful lyricist, the beating heart of Radiohead now with a solo album. At first I was worried, it felt a little too cold, slightly hard to approach, however when you look into it deeper, feel the music, you feel the emotion behind every song and every word sounds so beautiful. Lyrics like poetry, with the buzz of synths to guide you through. But i find comfort within the cold dark electronic beauty of The Eraser. My only wish would be that it was longer. Full Review »
  2. j30
    8
    The Eraser sounds much better than an afterthought, as reported prior to Thom Yorke's solo release. Although the album does come across cold and distant, there's a art behind the mysteriousness about it that makes you want more. Full Review »
  3. One word, Black Swan. This one song is a gleaming triumph in a field of techno experimental electronic beats. I am a huge Radiohead fan but Thom Yorke's latest effort only produces one great song, but its so good it brings the whole album up to a six where it would have been a five without it. In fact, don't buy the album, just go on YouTube and listen to Black Swan, but unless you are a fan of techno, steer clear of this album. Full Review »