Albums to watch

A Light For Attracting Attention

The Smile

A Light For Attracting Attention

Debut collaboration between Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner

ADM rating[?]

8.3

Label
XL
UK Release date
13/05/2022
US Release date
13/05/2022
  1. 10.0 |   The Irish Times

    The Smile have released the best album of 2022 so far
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  2. 9.0 |   Northern Transmissions

    A magnificent record by once in a generation musicians. It’s an album to make you more than smile
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  3. 9.0 |   XS Noize

    A Light for Attracting Attention amplifies that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring for the entity that is Radiohead. But regardless of the future path of Radiohead, The Smile has much to attract attention and is worthy of any serious music aficionado’s consideration
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  4. 9.0 |   Clash

    The gang is still here, in 2022, in their bloody element, vindicated. Duty-bound to release yet another exquisite evocation of the human condition and uplift our weary spirits with a smile
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  5. 9.0 |   Uncut

    Feels more like a refreshment, refinement or even fulfilment of Radiohead core principals, rather than an extracurricular dalliance. Print edition only

  6. 8.6 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    A delicately-crafted work fusing experimentalism and sheer sonic beauty, A Light For Attracting Attention stands proudly on its own merits as a top-tier piece of art rock, connections to a certain critically and publicly acclaimed band aside
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  7. 8.6 |   Pitchfork

    The debut from Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and drummer Tom Skinner’s new group is instantly, unmistakably the best album yet by a Radiohead side project
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  8. 8.5 |   Under The Radar

    The Smile’s looser creative approach offers a new light and welcoming side to Yorke and Greenwood, all while showcasing the enduring creative chemistry behind two of their generation’s most celebrated musicians
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  9. 8.5 |   Spectrum Culture

    After over a decade of focused projects, each technically interesting but lacking the full Radiohead cohesivity, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood along with drummer Tom Skinner and producer Nigel Godrich have finally borne the fruits of the skills they honed through the 2010s in one dazzling project
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  10. 8.3 |   Beats Per Minute

    You can hear Yorke chopping it up on the bass or bobbing away on the piano, bouncing ideas off his lifetime collaborator – who’s having fun focusing on the guitar again – while Skinner slides in with intelligent, understated drums
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  11. 8.3 |   Paste Magazine

    A versatile beacon for Yorke and Greenwood’s groovier side, and a remarkably assured debut that—let’s be honest—doesn’t really feel like a debut at all. Looking forward to hearing more from these fresh-faced newcomers
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  12. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Radiohead’s songwriting nucleus team with jazz drummer Tom Skinner on ‘A Light for Attracting Attention,’ a lower-stakes, jammy album with some of their most straightforward songs in years
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  13. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    The Radiohead side project most likely to be mistaken for Radiohead brings together Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood with Sons Of Kemet’s Tom Skinner
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  14. 8.0 |   All Music

    Diehards should be quite pleased with this release: an utterly satisfying set of songs that stands tall on its own, yet could easily climb the ranks against any of Radiohead's late-era efforts
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  15. 8.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Whether you’re chomping at the bit for a new Radiohead album, or simply want to listen to some wonderfully executed and experimental alternative rock, this is a record worthy of your time
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  16. 8.0 |   Vinyl Chapters

    Deftly and with great poise and imagination, the captivating music on A Light For Attracting Attention ushers the listener with an uncluttered, organic warmth and electrifying passages of juxtaposition whilst obeying its own private rules
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  17. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    The Smile aren’t a full-on syncretism of Radiohead and Sons of Kemet, but A Light for Attracting Attention proves that it needn’t be
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  18. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    It's too familiar-sounding to be revelatory, but six years on from A Moon Shaped Pool — the longest-ever break between Radiohead albums — it's a pleasure to hear Yorke and Greenwood's talent undiminished as they hit the sweet spot of their sound
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  19. 8.0 |   DIY

    It all feels remarkably familiar, but given the record’s pedigree, that’s far from a bad thing
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  20. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood team with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner for a debut that may not be head-spinningly different, but is still exceptional
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  21. 8.0 |   NME

    Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Sons Of Kemet’s Tom Skinner cut loose on this curious and energetic supergroup romp
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  22. 8.0 |   The FT

    Radiohead’s stalwart fixer Nigel Godrich is the producer. A supporting ensemble of top UK jazz talent appears on several tracks, including trumpeter Byron Wallen. A string section from the London Contemporary Orchestra also features
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  23. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Occasionally, they favour the billowy and formless- Waving A Whit Flag goes nowhere, albeit moodily - but their best tracks showcase Yorke's song most transparently; Panavision and Free In the Knowledge are two of his loveliest in years. Print edition only

  24. 8.0 |   Record Collector

    Far more than an indulgent side project, A Light For Attracting Attention deserves to be taken on its own merits as a daring, invigorating and often very moving piece of work in its own right
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