Wall of Eyes

The Smile are composed of the Radiohead members Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke with the drummer Tom Skinner.{{cite web |last=Geraghty |first=Hollie |date=13 November 2023 |title=The Smile announce new album Wall of Eyes and UK and European tour |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-smile-announce-new-album-wall-of-eyes-and-uk-and-european-tour-buy-tickets-3537563 |access-date=13 November 2023 |website=NME}} While on tour for their first album, A Light for Attracting Attention (2022), they performed many new songs, including several future Wall of Eyes tracks.{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=2023-11-13 |title=Radiohead Side Project the Smile Return With New Album 'Wall of Eyes' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-smile-new-album-wall-of-eyes-paul-thomas-anderson-video-1234875865/ |access-date=2023-11-14 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}

Whereas most of Yorke's previous work, including the previous Smile album, was produced by Nigel Godrich, Wall of Eyes was produced and mixed by Sam Petts-Davies. Petts-Davies previously produced Yorke's 2018 soundtrack Suspiria.

The Smile recorded Wall of Eyes in Greenwood's home studio in Oxfordshire and in Abbey Road Studios, London.{{Cite web |date=4 October 2024 |title=BBC Radio 6 Music - New Music Fix, the Smile chat about new album Cutouts |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00234kg |access-date=2024-10-04 |publisher=BBC |language=en-GB}}{{cite web |last=Lindert |first=Hattie |date=13 November 2023 |title=The Smile announce new album Wall of Eyes, share video for new songdirected by Paul Thomas Anderson |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/the-smile-announce-new-album-wall-of-eyes-share-video-for-new-song-directed-by-paul-thomas-anderson/ |access-date=13 November 2023 |website=Pitchfork}} Yorke said that Abbey Road was the best studio in London, and lamented that it had a "touristy" element because of its association with the Beatles. The strings were performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra.{{Cite web |date=4 October 2024 |title=BBC Radio 6 Music - New Music Fix, the Smile chat about new album Cutouts |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00234kg |access-date=2024-10-04 |publisher=BBC |language=en-GB}}

In March 2023, the Smile confirmed that they were seven weeks into recording.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Abby |date=2023-06-16 |title=Johnny Greenwood says the Smile "have a big backlog of ideas" |url=https://consequence.net/2023/06/jonny-greenwood-smile-big-backlog-ideas/ |access-date=2023-06-16 |website=Consequence |language=en-US}} In June, Greenwood said the album was about working within the limits of a three-person band, and that they were still working through a backlog of ideas generated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to BrooklynVegan, Wall of Eyes is more improvisational than A Light For Attracting Attention.{{Cite web |last=Sacher |first=Andrew |date=1 July 2024 |title=Our 40 favourite albums of 2024 so far |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/our-40-favorite-albums-of-2024-so-far/ |website=BrooklynVegan}} Stereogum wrote that it was "less explosive". The opening track, "Wall of Eyes", features strummed acoustic guitar, strings and a samba-like rhythm in 5/4 time.{{Cite web |last=Krueger |first=Jonah |date=2023-11-17 |title=The Smile's "Wall of Eyes" Is Our Song of the Week |url=https://consequence.net/2023/11/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-song-of-the-week/ |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=Consequence |language=en-US}} Stereogum described it as "light, lilting, insular" and "soft and graceful, with a growing sense of unease and discordance".{{Cite web |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=2023-11-13 |title=The Smile announce new album Wall of Eyes, Share Paul Thomas Anderson-directed video for title track |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2242502/the-smile-wall-of-eyes/music/ |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=Stereogum |language=en}} "Teleharmonic" combines "celestial vocals, soulful bass, rippling synth, and tumbling drums".{{Cite web |last=DeVille |first=Chris |date=2024-01-01 |title=Premature Evaluation: The Smile Wall of Eyes |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2246233/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-review/reviews/premature-evaluation/ |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=Stereogum |language=en}} "Read the Room" is a "math-rock odyssey" with a motorik drum beat.{{cite web |last1=Empire |first1=Kitty |author1-link=Kitty Empire |title=The Smile: Wall of Eyes review – agile, tuneful second album |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/jan/20/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-review-radiohead-jonny-greenwood-thom-yorke-tom-skinner-sons-of-kemet |website=The Guardian |access-date=26 January 2024 |date=20 January 2024}} "Under our Pillows" culminates in an ambient drone.{{cite magazine |last1=Dolan |first1=Jon |title=The Smile Are More Than a Radiohead Side Hustle |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-review-1234952183/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=26 January 2024 |date=23 January 2024}} Stereogum likened the piano song "Friend of a Friend" to the work of Randy Newman and Ben Folds, and likened the strings to the 1967 Beatles song "A Day in the Life". "Bending Hectic" begins with detuned guitar and builds to a crescendo, with lyrics describing a car crash, a familiar subject for Yorke.{{Cite web |last=DeVille |first=Chris |date=2023-06-20 |title=The Smile share new single 'Bending Hectic': Listen |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2227470/the-smile-bending-hectic/music/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Oinonen |first1=Janne |title=The Smile Wall of Eyes |url=https://www.loudandquiet.com/reviews/the-smile-wall-of-eyes/ |website=Loud and Quiet |access-date=26 January 2024 |date=21 January 2024}}

The download for the 2009 Radiohead song "These Are My Twisted Words" contained a text file containing the phrase "Wall of Ice", triggering speculation that it was the title of an upcoming Radiohead EP.{{Cite web |last=Montgomery |first=James |date=17 August 2009 |title=Radiohead Put Wall Of Ice EP Rumors To Rest, For Now |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/pu5hsd/radiohead-put-wall-of-ice-ep-rumors-to-rest-for-now |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113133848/https://www.mtv.com/news/pu5hsd/radiohead-put-wall-of-ice-ep-rumors-to-rest-for-now |archive-date=2023-11-13 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=MTV |language=en}} The phrase "wall of eyes" later appeared in promotional materials for Radiohead's 2011 album The King of Limbs.{{cite web |last=Hudson |first=Alex |date=13 November 2023 |title=The Smile Announce Sophomore Album Wall of Eyes, Share Title Track |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/the_smile_announce_sophomore_album_wall_of_eyes_share_title_track |access-date=13 November 2023 |website=Exclaim!}} Responding to suggestions that the Wall of Eyes lyrics indicated that Radiohead had broken up, Greenwood said: "No, we would never write songs about ourselves, like that. There's a lot of history of bands doing it, and it just makes you shiver with embarrassment sometimes when you read those lyrics."{{Cite web |last=Ahad |first=Nick |date=30 January 2024 |title=Front Row — Jonny Greenwood of the Smile, the Artes Mundi prize winner |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001vsg0 |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=BBC Sounds |language=en-GB}}

File:The_Smile_Brighton_March_2024.png, March 2024]]

The Smile contributed a version of "Teleharmonic" to a 2022 episode of the television drama Peaky Blinders.{{Cite web |last=St. Clair |first=Josh |date=2022-06-30 |title=The 'Peaky Blinders' Season 6 Soundtrack Is a Gothic Rock Opera |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/peaky-blinders-season-6-soundtrack-040000232.html |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=Esquire |language=en-US |via=Yahoo Life}} The first Wall of Eyes single, "Bending Hectic", was released on 20 June 2023.{{cite web |last=Sacher |first=Andrew |date=20 June 2023 |title=The Smile release new single 'Bending Hectic' |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/the-smile-release-new-single-bending-hectic/ |access-date=13 November 2023 |website=BrooklynVegan}} Wall of Eyes was announced on 13 November, alongside the second single, "Wall of Eyes". The "Wall of Eyes" music video was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and filmed at the Mildmay Club in London in October. It has Yorke wandering through London, drinking alone in a pub, staring at a wall of eyeballs and sitting among dozens of versions of himself.{{Cite web |last=Bergeson |first=Samantha |date=2023-11-13 |title=Paul Thomas Anderson Directs Thom Yorke in Trippy 'Wall of Eyes' Music Video — Watch |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/paul-thomas-anderson-thom-yorke-wall-of-eyes-music-video-1234925781/ |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}} The third single, "Friend of a Friend", was released on 9 January 2024.

From 19 January, the Smile held a series of screenings titled Wall of Eyes, on Film at independent cinemas around the world. The events included listening parties in surround sound; footage from the recording sessions; the premiere of Anderson's video for "Friend of a Friend"; and screenings of Anderson's previous videos with the Smile, Yorke and Radiohead.{{Cite web |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=2024-01-09 |title=The Smile Share New Song 'Friend of a Friend', Announce Global Movie Theater Screenings |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/the-smile-share-new-song-friend-of-a-friend-announce-global-movie-theater-screenings/ |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Trendell |first=Andrew |date=2024-01-19 |title=The Smile dismiss the Beatles' influence and share advice for struggling creatives |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-smile-interview-the-beatles-abbey-road-advice-creative-thom-yorke-jonny-greenwood-3573942 |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} The band members made a surprise appearance at the Prince Charles Cinema in London and answered questions from the audience.

Wall of Eyes was released on 26 January 2024.{{cite magazine |last=Richards |first=Will |date=13 November 2023 |title=The Smile announce new album Wall of Eyes with Paul Thomas Anderson-directed video |url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/the-smile-radiohead-new-album-wall-of-eyes-paul-thomas-anderson-34246/ |access-date=13 November 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone UK}} It was the UK's highest-selling vinyl in the week of its release.{{Cite web |date= |title=Official Vinyl Albums Chart |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/vinyl-albums-chart/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Official Charts Company}} The Smile began a European tour in March, including a performance at 6 Music Festival in Manchester with the London Contemporary Orchestra.{{Cite web |last=Harrison |first=Scoop |date=2024-03-10 |title=The Smile Perform with London Contemporary Orchestra: Setlist + Video |url=https://consequence.net/2024/03/the-smile-perform-concert-with-london-contemporary-orchestra-setlist-video/ |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Consequence of Sound |language=en-US}} Their August tour was canceled after Greenwood was temporarily hospitalised with a serious infection.{{Cite web |last=Youngs |first=Ian |date=2024-07-12 |title=Jonny Greenwood: Radiohead guitarist treated in intensive care |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dmp5x758xo |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}} A second album recorded during the Wall of Eyes sessions, Cutouts, was released on October 4th.{{Cite web |last=Vito |first=Jo |date=2024-08-28 |title=The Smile Announce New Album Cutouts, Release Two Songs |url=https://consequence.net/2024/08/the-smile-new-album-cutouts-zero-foreign-spies-zero-sumsum-stream/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Consequence |language=en-US}}

{{Album reviews

| ADM = 8.5/10{{Cite web |title=Wall of Eyes by The Smile (reviews) |url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/13837/The-Smile-Wall-Of-Eyes.aspx |access-date=January 27, 2024 |publisher=AnyDecentMusic?}}

| MC = 83/100{{cite web |title=Wall of Eyes by The Smile Reviews and Tracks |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/wall-of-eyes/the-smile |website=Metacritic |access-date=22 February 2024}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web |last=Yeung |first=Neil Z. |title=The Smile – Wall of Eyes Album Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/wall-of-eyes-mw0004143291 |website=AllMusic |access-date=25 January 2024}}

| rev2 = Evening Standard

| rev2score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web|last=Smyth|first=David|title=The Smile - Wall of Eyes album review: An experimental triumph |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-album-review-jonny-greenwood-thom-yorke-radiohead-b1134778.html|date=January 25, 2024|access-date=January 26, 2024|work=Evening Standard}}

| rev3 = Exclaim!

| rev3score = 6/10{{cite magazine |last=Djurdjic |first=Marko |date=24 January 2024 |title=The Smile's Wall of Eyes Feels Like a Comedown |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-album-review |magazine=Exclaim! |access-date=25 January 2024}}

| rev4 = The Guardian

| rev4score = {{rating|4|5}}

| rev5 = The Independent

| rev5score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Helen |date=25 January 2024 |title=The Smile: Wall of Eyes album review |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-radiohead-b2484698.html |website=The Independent |access-date=27 January 2024}}

| rev6 = The Irish Times

| rev6score = {{rating|5|5}}

| rev7 = NME

| rev7score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Thomas |date=23 January 2024 |title=The Smile – Wall of Eyes review: a masterclass in pushing rock forward |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-review-lyrics-3573993 |website=NME |access-date=25 January 2024}}

| rev8 = Pitchfork

| rev8score = 8.5/10{{cite web |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=25 January 2024 |title=The Smile: Wall of Eyes album review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-smile-wall-of-eyes/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=25 January 2024}}

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |last1=Dolan |first1=Jon |title=The Smile Are More Than a Radiohead Side Hustle |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-review-1234952183/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=26 January 2024 |date=23 January 2024}}

| rev10 = Uncut

| rev10score = 9/10{{Cite journal |last=Wallace |first=Wyndham |date=February 2024 |title=The Smile — Wall of Eyes |journal=Uncut}}

}}

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Wall of Eyes received "universal acclaim". The Irish Times wrote that it had a "remarkable, sombre majesty" reminiscent of the 2016 Radiohead album A Moon Shaped Pool, and that Yorke and Greenwood had "delivered yet another classic".{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/review/2024/01/18/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-another-classic-from-thom-yorke-jonny-greenwood-and-tom-skinner/|title=The Smile: Wall of Eyes – Another classic from Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner|last=Sweeney|first=Eammon|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=18 January 2024|access-date=19 January 2024}} The Guardian chief music critic, Alexis Petridis, chose it as his album of the week, writing that it was "imaginative and viscerally thrilling, one of the best things Yorke and Greenwood have put their names to in at least a decade".{{Cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |author-link=Alexis Petridis |date=2024-01-18 |title=The Smile: Wall of Eyes review – inventive Radiohead side project risks eclipsing the real thing |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/jan/18/the-smile-wall-of-eyes-review-radiohead-xl-recordings |access-date=2024-01-19 |newspaper=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

In Pitchfork, Jazz Monroe named Wall of Eyes the week's "best new music", writing that Yorke and Greenwood sounded more relaxed and had allowed their songwriting to absorb more influences. Consequence picked "Wall of Eyes" as their song of the week, describing it as "dizzyingly danceable and easily enjoyable ... the sound of three boundless musicians with enough ideas to span several lifetimes". In July, BrooklynVegan named Wall of Eyes one of their favourite albums of the year so far, writing: "It's a treat to hear music that doesn't sound so obsessed over from people who just exude talent ... As much as the more moody, ethereal songs sound like Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood at their finest, it's even more thrilling to hear the ways Wall of Eyes push them out of their usual comfort zones."

In Stereogum, Chris DeVille wrote that Wall of Eyes "stands out for the way its songs resemble the outgrowth of a living organism rather than compositions pieced together". He described the Smile as a "fun phase" for Yorke and Greenwood, but expressed hope for a return for Radiohead and said the Smile demonstrated what the other Radiohead members contribute.

{{Track listing

| headline = Wall of Eyes track listing

| all_writing = Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner.

| title1 = Wall of Eyes

| length1 = 5:05

| title2 = Teleharmonic

| length2 = 5:10

| title3 = Read the Room

| length3 = 5:14

| title4 = Under Our Pillows

| length4 = 6:14

| title5 = Friend of a Friend

| length5 = 4:35

| title6 = I Quit

| length6 = 5:32

| title7 = Bending Hectic

| length7 = 8:03

| title8 = You Know Me!

| length8 = 5:22

| total_length = 45:16

}}

Credits adapted from album liner notes.{{Cite AV media notes|title=A Light for Attracting Attention|author=The Smile|year=2022|type=liner notes|publisher=XL Recordings|id=FXL1196LP|location=London, England}}

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The Smile

• Jonny Greenwood – guitars, bass, piano, synthesisers, orchestral arrangements, cello, Max MSP
• Tom Skinner – drums, synthesisers, percussion
• Thom Yorke – voice, guitars, bass, piano, synthesisers, lyrics

Production

• Sam Petts-Davies – production, engineering, mixing
• Oli Middleton – engineering
• Tom Bailey – orchestral engineering
• Pete Clements – studio tech
• Joe Wyatt – Abbey Road recording, assistant engineering
• Tom Ashpitel – Abbey Road recording
• Greg Calbi – mastering

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Additional musicians

• London Contemporary Orchestra, led by Eloisa-Fleur Thom
• Hugh Brunt – conducting
• Robert Stillman – clarinet, saxophone
• Pete Wareham – flute

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{{The Smile}}

Category:2024 albums

Category:The Smile albums

Category:XL Recordings albums