Wall of Eyes

I’m a huge fan of Radiohead and now this album makes me a fan of The Smile

I haven’t been wrapped in a sonic blanket by an album like this in a long time. Been a fan since the beginning. And the Smile especially captures the idea heavy Thom/Johnny dynamic I long for. This is just SO refined, and gorgeous, front to back. What an enormous evolution. Please, please make more. Or at least I hope it continues to be fun to do so. This album is a masterpiece.

Truly a masterpiece ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this album is beautiful written just like anything thom and johhny touches turn to gold

The album’s a wonderful listen, although they’ve lost their playfulness like with their first album, they do make up for it with a much more matured sound. 10/10. Would recommend to new listeners!

Another great release from Thom and Jonny

Pristine!

Glad to see that The Smile wasn't just a one album side peoject! An absolutely lush and beautifully produced follow up to A Light for Attracting Attention! I'm already looking forward to a possible third album from the group! 5/5, would strongly recommend!

These fellas are a force for creativity. Love this album.

I'm sure it takes a few listens, but I just gave it all two uninterrupted spins and... it's ok. There are RARELY times when I'm not completely in awe of Thom Yorke's compositions, but this is one of them (the other ones being King of Limbs and Atoms for Peace). Don't get me wrong, there's some beautiful stuff on here. But it's relatively boring and flatlined for the most part. It sounds like a bunch of demos that were just being born, but released in a rush. Very little variety, and quite rambling. There should be 6 or 7 more songs on here to break up the monotony. "Bending Hectic" is by FAR the most interesting track on this, because it actually goes somewhere. "Read the Room" also shakes things up a (little) bit. But for example, "I Quit" literally does nothing for 5.5 minutes. Absolutely nothing. Listen to the first 30 seconds and then fast forward to near the end... it's the same thing. No chord changes, no bump in intensity, nothing. I found myself tuning out, to later regain focus and think, "...wait, this song is still going?" Compare that to almost any Radiohead record, or anything else Thom has done. Bummer of a feeling. As a contrast: A month+ ago, Peter Gabriel released his first new album in 21 years... and it's incredible. Inventive, with many low key songs. But gorgeously constructed and cut straight to the heart/gut. Don't under-estimate the power of melody. Something Thom has ignored here. We'll see with this one, but after two full listens I don't think anything's gonna jump out and wow me suddenly. I threw on the first Smile record to compare, and it was like a breath of fresh air. This one is sadly stale, and desperately screams for a re-focus and a Radiohead reunion.