Thom Yorke…The Eraser…7/10
Thom Yorke is quoted in Billboard Magazine saying The Eraser was “”fun and quick to do,”” which basically explains the entire album. Yorke, who created the entire album on a laptop, pulls much influence from his beloved Radiohead. Electronic beats that flow throughout Yorke’s first solo attempt are very reminiscent of Radiohead’s Kid A. “”The Eraser”” is by far the best song on the album with its smooth, groovy beat and repetitive pangs of what sounds like piano. With lyrics, “”The more you try to erase me, the more, the more/The more that I appear,”” Yorke creates a perfect song to showcase his finely tuned vocals. Lucious, spooky, swanky breathing accompanied by droning beats change up the pace in “”Skip Divided.”” The album seems to be the embodiment of Yorke’s loneliness as many of the songs loom like a dark cloud that threatens to bring a storm.
Nicole Santa Cruz
Muse…Black Holes and Revelations…7/10
Don’t let the opener of Black Holes and Revelations, the latest release from Muse, fool you. The first track, “”Take a Bow,”” is not really representative of the rest of the album; it sounds like a bizarre mix of techno and something from the Twilight Zone. Pretty scary stuff. Not to worry though, the album gets better in the rest of the 10 tracks.
Take the next track, “”Starlight,”” which gives off more of a Keane vibe than the soundtrack of a freaky Disneyland ride on crack. “”Supermassive Black Hole”” is the most mainstream and best song on the album because of its simple dance beat.
Mixing it up a couple of tracks later, “”Soldier’s Poem,”” has harmonized vocals reminiscent of Queen (Muse is British, after all). “”City of Delusion”” is one of those hard-rocking build-up songs that uses non-mainstream instruments for a band like Muse, such as brass and strings.
And while some bands just stagger off with a weaker song on the last track of an album, Muse goes out with a bang with “”Knights of Cydonia.”” Yet again, this one, sounds like Queen vocals and guitar riffs.
The album keeps your attention the whole way through. With the exception of a few songs, however, unless you’re really into Muse, it’s not one of those albums that can be listened to over and over again. It gets monotonous.
Amy Wieseneck
