Wall Of Eyes - The Smile: Review

Review by Lav:

The Smile is a supergroup consisting of Radiohead's Thom Yorke & Johnny Greenwood alongside drummer Tom Skinner who is most well known for working with Shabaka Hutchings' band Sons Of Kemet. Another important inclusion was that of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. For album two Godrich has been replaced by Sam Petts-Davies, whose work I enjoyed significantly on the newest Warpaint album Radiate Like This. I enjoyed The Smile's first album a lot and was even more excited for the projects second album after hearing the singles. 

Let's start talking about Wall Of Eyer by discussing the second half of the album. That's where you'll find the astonishingly good lead single Bending Hectic, which might still be my favorite Smile song to date. The way it wanders through a beautiful and poignant first half willing to introduce instrumentation for spare brief moments masterfully holds me on the edge of my seat. The song is even better within the context of the album where its eruption in the final minute feels like the entire album has been building to that point. I also loved the last single Friend Of A Friend. Thom Yorke gives a killer performance as both a vocalist and lyricist. The instrumental also includes the fluttering little rushes at just the right moment to add drama to the song's chorus and it's just beautiful. 

Those tracks are flanked by I Quit, one of my favorite deep cuts. It blew me away the first time I heard it mostly because it makes the progression of the song such an evolving and dynamic experience. Hearing the refrains shift in and out backed by creaking vintage-sounding keys, ambient tones, and string orchestration. Despite all of that the song remains poignantly subtle and reserved. I also enjoy the closing track You Know Me! which is one of the record's most stripped-down moments. It's yet another lyrical highlight making great use of repetition. Every time Thom calls out "You Know Me" he starts to sound more and more confident in everything. 

I also enjoyed the middle single Wall Of Eyes which opens the album. It's a gentle opener that feels like it could be swaying at first but has a compulsive eeriness as it goes on. The counting to five that underpins the entire second half of the song and the dreamy discordant keys all blend together to make an unsettling finale that serves as a great way for the record to introduce itself. Teleharmonic is another track that's deceptively involved. The dissonant electronics backing Thom's vocals eventually get matching drums that make for an omnipresent platform over top of which the song explores its vast space. 

Under Out Pillows kicks off with an oddly timed little guitar lick that I think sounds great. To be completely honest I can't tell exactly what the lyrics are getting at as a whole but they do conjure up some really interesting individual moments across the first few minutes. That's followed by a long instrumental passage where the band doesn't feel the need to pack every single moment with constant flashy intrigue. The only thing I wish was that they took a little more care to how the different portions of the song break down and transition into each other.

The one song I'm not crazy about is Read The Room which I know isn't going to go over well. Mostly it's the vocals with Thom Yorke delivering a snarling punky angsty sound that I haven't heard from him in a long time. Unfortunately, even though I know he's capable of it I'm not crazy about the performance here. I like the song much more when he dials his vocals back though the lyrics have their moments and the instrumental is sneakily complex. 

On Wall Of Eyes, The Smile live up to expectations. With a change of producer, they also deliver a change in direction and sound. The delivery of sparse landscapes, subtle electronic textures, and subtle but impactful lyrical portraits feel like the band throwing it back to decades before their existence. With that shift, they deliver something slightly more obtuse than their first outing but one that uses that space to craft even more high-impact moments. Wall Of Eyes is a sophomore album that builds on the promise of the original while expanding its vision. Despite some nitpicks, I enjoy the album quite a bit and it's probably my favorite new release of 2024 so far. 8/10

For more The Smile, check out my review of their debut A Light For Attracting Attention