While Radiohead work on album seven, it seems that Thom decided to take a little time away for himself. When I think of a solo album, I automatically think acoustic and minimal. Solo work almost always has a more intimate feel, a stronger connection between the singer-songwriter and the listener. It should come to no surprise that The Eraser is a very minimal album, at least for Radiohead standards. Instead of an old acoustic guitar we get steady electronic beeps, bleeps, bumps, and thumps. There is no Johnny Greenwood here, which can easily be declared as the albums biggest opponent. Hearing Thom York's deformed angel-like voice comes with so much baggage. This is not a Radiohead record. It may be true that the power of Radiohead is not on this record,but the heart still is.

    The Eraser consists of nine tracks of paranoia and politics. The album starts off with the excellent title track. "The more you try to erase me,  the more that I appear" Yorke sings. Yorke's vocals are clear and foggy at the same time. Something that makes Thom such an unusual vocalist in the first place. The quality of Thom lyrics come trembling from his lips. The music, which isn't much more then a few piano keys and electronic beats, feels more like background music. It's clear that Thom's voice/lyrics are the centerpoint. This focus on Thom's vocal talent and songwriting flows throughout the album. The music only distracts on a few tracks. Mainly when it's just too minimal. Strangely, all of these three tracks are one after another, making for a rather boring middle portion of the record. A bit of boredom starts on "Black Swan" continues to the "Skip Divided" and finally comes to an end on "Atoms for Peace". Out of these tracks only "Skip Divided" comes off as the true failure. It's the most experimental track and just doesn't fit as well with the rest of the record. "I'm a dog, I'm a dog, I'm a  lapdog" mumbles Yorke while a strange voice moans softly in the background. Thankfully, the strongest part of the album follows. "And it rained all night" has a rubberband beat with Yorke sounding as sincere as ever.   The Eraser's most radio-friendly track (go figures, it's the current single)" "Harrowdown Hill" is next. The punchy bass line builds throughout the song to a quick jam out ending. This makes it the most musical song on the album. The Eraser closes with Cymbal Rush, which just happens to glitch as well as a Kid A track.

    The main problem with The Eraser is that it's not Kid A. Kid A was an album that was formulated at the beginning of Electronic Rock. The Eraser isn't ahead of it's time, and when compared to other current electronic groups, it may be a little behind the times. Most Electro-heads will probably consider The Eraser a bit washed out and simple, and it is. What's not simple is Thom himself. Regardless of what music is being played behind him, this is a true solo record by an incredible singer-songwriter. Thom's haunting and melancholic vocals cannot be duplicated like electronic beats can. It is this very reason that The Eraser mostly succeeds, and is still recommended for all Radiohead fans. Just remember, this isn't a Radiohead record. Wait till next year.

8.4/10.0