The Smile: A Light For Attracting Attention (2LP, indie exclusive, yellow vinyl) [XL RECORDINGS]

Why you'll love it

This indie exclusive 2LP set on yellow vinyl comes in a soft-touch gatefold with printed inner sleeves. The album reached No. 5 in the UK, and Spin, Uncut and Rough Trade all named it one of the best albums of the year.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Yellow vinyl
• Indie exclusive
• Gatefold jacket
• Printed inner sleeves
• Lyrics included

About the album

Lockdown gave a lot of people a sourdough starter. It gave Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood a new band. With drummer Tom Skinner, formerly of Sons of Kemet, they worked through the COVID-19 lockdowns and made a surprise debut in a performance streamed by Glastonbury Festival in May 2021, before anyone knew there was an album coming.

They recorded it in London with longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Yorke singing while he and Greenwood swapped guitar, bass and keyboards. Skinner's jazz-trained drumming gives the songs a loose, springy feel: "You Will Never Work in Television Again" is a scrappy blast, "The Smoke" rides a supple bass groove, "Pana-Vision" and "Free in the Knowledge" lean toward strings and quiet, and "Thin Thing" and "Skrting on the Surface" twist and coil. Six singles trailed the album, and Yorke made the map-inspired artwork with Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood.

It picked up a Libera Awards nomination for Record of the Year, and the tour that followed produced a live album from Montreux. They played their first shows for an audience in London in January 2022 and took the songs around the world from May. As side projects go, it has rather outgrown the description.

Also at Kops: more The Smile on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On XL Recordings (cat# XL1196LPE), the 2022 album.