Earth - EOB: Review

-

Ed O'Brien


is a British guitarist who is releasing his debut solo album under the EOB name after serving as a member of Radiohead for over 25 years. Earth was written and recorded over a multi-year period as Ed toured with Radiohead in support of the bands record A Moon Shaped Pool, and the record was worked on by members of Wilco, Portishead and of course Radiohead.

Review By Lavender:
I, like everyone else on earth absolutely love Radiohead. Coming off A Moon Shaped Pool in 2016 I had a feeling it would be a while since we heard from the boys again but they have kept us fed in the mean time with solo projects. With both Johnny and Thom releasing film soundtracks, Thom releasing an excellent third studio album and Ed's debut here we have not been strapped for Radiohead side content. While Earth is a solid debut record by all means it evens out to about an equal number of hits and misses. 

The record had four singles and I was split down the middle, so lets handle the bad first. Brasil is a song that has some elements I really enjoy but at 8 and a half minutes long it well overstays its welcome. The first three minutes are a sparse ballad type passage that seems particularly irrelevant by the time you reach the end of the song. The track is mostly pleasant on the ears but never comes anywhere close to justifying its runtime and the space it takes up on the record. I was really upset to find that I didn't particularly enjoy the closing track Cloak Of The Night as it features Laura Marling but the immense talent on the track really doesn't add up to a whole lot. The vocals are so soft and restrained and the instrumental is so barely there that I think the song just sells both of its primary artists short. 

Getting into the record itself there are a few duds here. Deep Days is a drab indie folk tune that has hints of Depeche Mode particularly in the vocals. I just don't think the song is anywhere near interesting enough to justify a five minute runtime and I think it could have been filled out more with both songwriting and instrumental depth. The only other track I really didn't enjoy was Banksters an uppity rock track with some generic and ultimately meaningless social commentary in its lyrics. Plus but the halfway point of the song you've heard everything it has to offer. 

The middle two singles for the record I thought we're a lot better. Shangri-La is the most overtly Radiohead sounding song of the bunch and if you told me this was from the Hail To The Thief era I would totally believe you. The song has some driving rhythms and spacey lead vocals that make for a great tone setter to the record. Long Time Coming is one of the better ballads the album has to offer with some charming rustic guitar licks mixed very high up in the song and a short but rewarding structure. Olympik was the third single for the record and while it also jumps into the 8 minute range I think the song is much more effective. The consistently up-tempo flare keeps me on the edge of my seat and results in an exciting and engaging build, while I'm not sure that absolutely every moment was necessary I have no problem with the including of this track here. 

Surprisingly enough some of the most interesting tracks from the record turned out to be some of the most lowkey. Mass pairs some harrowing bassey crescendos with Ed's sparse vocalization and does have a few slower paced moments bu adds up to a pretty compelling song with a few surprises along the way. Sail On was the one moment that really caught me off guard as one of the most abstract songs of the bunch. Without a tight structure I still find the track immensely satisfying with the light string pulling in and out of the mix and the increasingly dejected chants of "Sail on, Like a summer breeze". It is one of the more unique moments on the record and is the song I found myself coming back to the most out of the tracklist. 

Earth is certainly not a bad start for an artist debuting after nearly 30 years as part of a band. The record isn't perfect but its flaws aren't disastrous and it provides a number of worthwhile moments along the way. While this likely won't be one of the most acclaimed or popular releases in indie music this year Ed certainly did enough to grab my attention whenever he comes around to releasing solo music again. 5.5/10

Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson:
Overall this is really simple but effective. I could've gone south really quick with the use of colors but I think it's a successful attempt at making an iconic cover. Even if the album sucked it would still be pretty just as a graphic piece of art. 5/10

For more veteran indie voices check out my review of Morrissey's I Am Not A Dog On A Chain here 

Popular posts from this blog

You Are The Morning - jasmine.4.t: Review

-
Image
jasmine.4.t is a British singer-songwriter who was announced last year as a new signee of the Phoebe Bridgers-led Saddest Factory record label. You Are The Morning  follows a trio of singles that dropped last year and features Phoebe Bridgers' entire group, boygenius, on production throughout the record as well as occasional backing vocals from the trio. I was extremely excited for the release of the album after loving all of the singles and this style of indie-folk and singer-songwriter music in general. Delightfully, Jasmine didn't disappoint. When I say my expectation were high for You Are The Morning  I mean it, because the album's three singles are an astounding bunch. Lead single "Skin On Skin" is a wonderfully written tune that's able to convey some unique sensations with the physical descriptions in its lyricism. It's also the moment where I first fell in love with Jasmine's subtle but beautiful singing and when the song rushes into its surpris...
More Reviews

ICONOCLASTS - Anna Von Hausswolff: Review

-
Image
Anna Von Hausswolff is a singer/songwriter who has always made waves for their distinctly intense and occasionally brooding style of music that makes prominent use of the pipe organ. Her peak of critical acclaim came on 2018's brooding yet expansive Dead Magic . Her 2020 follow-up was an entirely instrumental record, meaning ICONOCLASTS  had the chance to be a long-awaited return to form. Instead, the record presents a sound both brighter and more intimate than ever before, but finds a similar level of fascination in doing so.  The singles predicted this shift in style, but they were all so good that I never had the chance to even be suspicious about it. "Facing Atlas" is the first of the singles to pop up on the record, and it's a great way to begin the experiment. The song sounds more like something you'd hear on a Susanne Sundfor record than what I expect from Anna. The beauty of its angelic chimes matches really well with a chapel-sized performance from Anna. ...
More Reviews

Getting Killed - Geese: Review

-
Image
Review by Lavender: Geese are a NYC indie rock band that erupted onto the scene in 2023 with a breakthrough sophomore album,  3D Country. That record went on to become a major critical darling, and in 2024, the band's frontman, Cameron Winter, released a solo album that showed off a more intimate and singer-songwriter-influenced style. I was hoping that dynamic range would come together perfectly on the band's third album, which quickly became one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year for many indie fans. While I may not see the album as a slam-dunk masterpiece like some fans and critics have rushed to declare, it's undeniably great regardless.  A big reason for my excitement for this record was the trio of excellent singles released before it dropped. The second single, "Trinidad," is the first song in the tracklist, and what a ferocious start to the record it is. The more sparse elements of the instrumental don't really prepare you for the repe...
More Reviews