Side projects or solo efforts can be a breath of fresh air, allowing a singular creative streak to take shape where a group effort may have shut down that particular direction.
Thom Yorke doesn’t seem to have a sense of the conventional. His storied career as frontman for Radiohead has been punctuated by spontaneous forays into art-pop, minimalist electronic, and more recently, elements of dubstep and drum and bass. They’ve all worked to make the Radiohead listening experience one that constantly redefines itself, never playing to expectations.
As Yorke prepares to release his first set of new material with side project Atoms for Peace, the question becomes whether this same knack for ingenuity will carry over from his work with Radiohead. Yorke’s 2006 solo release, The Eraser, featured the electronic tinge that his band’s last few releases had taken on, but lacked the sonic burst that made those albums so endearing. Where Kid A and Amnesiac reached for a cathartic release with their use of programmed beats and manipulated loops, The Eraser simply used electronic instrumentation to move songs along rather than bring them to life.
Following the somewhat lackluster release of The Eraser, Yorke began assembling a band in order to prove the legitimacy of this new direction. He hoped to escape the perception held by many that he was honing a sound Radiohead was ready to move away from.
In early 2009, Yorke brought together acclaimed Radiohead collaborator and producer Nigel Godrich, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and renowned multi-instrumentalists Mauro Refosco and Joey Waronker to form Atoms For Peace. Originally, the musicians were assembled as a backing band to perform material from The Eraser. However, over time they slowly started to form into a cohesive group, and are now set to release their debut album early next year.
With the group’s first single, “Default,” set to be released on 12” vinyl on Nov. 19, it’s evident this is more than a simple side project. Containing obvious influences from Radiohead’s last release, The King of Limbs, the track builds on the band’s experimentation with post-dubstep elements and programmed loops. While the track doesn’t sound all that different from the aesthetic Yorke worked with on The Eraser, the production quality and collaborative effort are certainly noticeable upon first listen. Containing a synth line straight out of Kid A’s playbook and Thom Yorke’s ever-ominous vocal delivery, “Default” is an excellent indicator of what’s to be expected on the group’s debut.
While few details have been released regarding Atoms For Peace’s debut other than the album title Amok, it’s evident what direction the group will go in. This jazzy, beat-heavy electronic sound Yorke has become enamored with is almost certainly a course he doesn’t want to veer away from anytime soon. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Working with the same musicians for so long can only offer so much collaborative effort before one’s opinion becomes drowned. Having the opportunity to bring these ideas to a new group should allow Yorke to have the time and space to fully flesh out this sound.
Atoms For Peace may release one album and call it a day. They may take time away from any new Radiohead material. Where they will go from this release, no one knows for certain. Side projects or solo efforts can be a breath of fresh air, allowing a singular creative streak to take shape where a group effort may have shut down that particular direction. Atoms For Peace seems to only solidify Thom Yorke’s passion for ingenuity and creative drive, a trait that any Radiohead fan should certainly be excited over.
Atoms For Peace will release their single, “Default,” on 12” vinyl next Tuesday, Nov. 19. Their debut album, Amok, will be released in early 2013 on XL Records.
