Earth

EOB

Earth

Debut solo album from the Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien with guest appearances from Laura Marling and Adrian Utley (Portishead)

ADM rating[?]

6.8

Label
Polydor
UK Release date
17/04/2020
US Release date
17/04/2020
  1. 8.0 |   Mojo

    A very fine, if long-gestated, debut. Print edition only

  2. 8.0 |   Q

    Well worth the wait. Print edition only

  3. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Roughly in the works since 2009, Earth is an accomplished record, full of care, love, style and finesse
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  4. 8.0 |   Clash

    The on-edge instrumentation has distinct echoes of his Radiohead days, proving that unlike many bandmates that split from their main gig, O’Brien is in no rush to shake off their signature, and instead brings it forward into his own work: always evolving, always maturing
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  5. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    It’ll probably be a while yet before his main band are back in action, so in the meantime, Earth should fill that gap
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  6. 8.0 |   NME

    This side-project is a winning mix of tender folk and blissed-out rave (with a track that wouldn't have sounded out of place on 'Hail to the Thief')
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  7. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    Moving, emotional and richly textured, Earth is an impressive solo debut from O'Brien, and delivers one of this year's more fully-formed albums
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  8. 7.5 |   Gig Soup

    Radiohead guitarist's debut solo album is what you'd expect from a Radiohead guitarist. Which is nothing like you'd expect, of course
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  9. 7.2 |   Northern Transmissions

    While Earth is O’Brien’s first major work away from Radiohead, the imprint left by his longtime band on this solo cycle is understandable
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  10. 7.0 |   Long Live Vinyl

    Merging minimal electronica, acoustic melancholy, ambient soundscapes and the odd foray into indie territory, O’Brien has made an honest and considered album that’s a reflection of his diverse tastes and where he believes we’re at as a planet
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  11. 7.0 |   Uncut

    Maybe Earth isn't packed with abstract intricacies to pore over like most of the other records he's been involved with, but it is fundamentally honest to its creator
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  12. 7.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Earth is mild, fond of itself and of its listener, and amiably unassuming; anything more, one suspects, is beyond its scope
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  13. 7.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    O’Brien puts his decades of experience in Radiohead to use in creating a diverse but not disconnected album
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  14. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    On his solo debut, the guitarist gracefully comes to the front of the stage — and delivers
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  15. 7.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    A suitably low-key debut offering that reflects the early days of Radiohead
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  16. 6.0 |   The FT

    This solo debut sets acoustic guitars against atmospheric backdrops
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  17. 6.0 |   Evening Standard

    Radiohead's master of atmosphere goes solo with mixed results
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  18. 5.7 |   Pitchfork

    Unlike his bandmates’ forays in electronica or contemporary classical, Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien’s solo debut looks fondly back at the kind of British rock his own group abandoned
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  19. 5.0 |   No Ripcord

    No amount of technical prowess can disguise O'Brien himself as a frontman, whose voice and personality is agreeable but never compelling. Because even if he feels it, it doesn't necessarily mean it's there
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  20. 5.0 |   DIY

    Too indirect and underplayed
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  21. 4.0 |   The Observer

    Ultimately, Earth, for all its ambition, will mainly be of interest to Radiohead completists, who are now just missing the bassist: over to you, Colin Greenwood
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