The third album in as many years from the Smile, the side project of Radiohead bandmates Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, Cutouts was born out of the same sessions that yielded last January’s Wall of Eyes. The strategy isn’t unlike that of Radiohead’s Kid A and Amnesiac, companion albums released less than a year apart. Yorke and Greenwood are restlessly prolific artists, so attempts to understand their contemporary output by comparing it to what they did a quarter of a century ago might seem like a fool’s errand. But those albums provide a case study for how a band can navigate their creative ambition in a more conceptual way than simply dropping a bloated double or triple album.
Like Amnesiac, Cutouts initially feels like a more challenging listen than Wall of Eyes, prioritizing atmosphere and mood over traditional songcraft. The album opens with two steadfastly dirge-like tracks that, if nothing else, certainly establish a mood. “Foreign Spies” is a somber ode to a “beautiful world paved with gold” come undone by humanity’s hubris—“We are melting…Falling over, zip-tied,” Yorke sings over a mournful synth arpeggio—while “Instant Psalm” dispenses with electronics for a more earthy feel. The latter channels the tension of Led Zeppelin’s “Friends,” albeit with the same sluggish tempo evocative of the sadness that’s become a trademark of Yorke’s more straightforward compositions.
The Smile’s first two albums ran the gamut of the different musical styles that Yorke and Greenwood had explored throughout their careers, but here they find some new avenues to tread. “Colours Fly” reflects Greenwood’s growing immersion in Middle Eastern music, beginning with Eastern scales played on guitar before unfurling into a blur of woodwind and disembodied vocals redolent of the title track from David Bowie’s Blackstar. (Bowie’s influence can also be felt on “Tiptoe,” which is transformed by the two-chord refrain of Greenwood’s string arrangement into something that could have been on the side two of “Heroes”.)
Like the Smile’s past albums, Cutouts maintains a healthy balance between its numerous styles—and between feeling like a Thom Yorke solo project and the work of a proper band in the way that Atoms for Peace’s Amok never did. “Eyes & Mouth” hurtles forward on the force of Greenwood’s scalar stepwise guitar and drummer Tom Skinner’s runs on his toms and hi-hats, with piano chords and Yorke’s harmonies providing a solid foundation to all the chaos.
On the other end of the spectrum, “Bodies Laughing” is strikingly beautiful in the vein of Radiohead’s “Present Tense” from 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool. It has an irregular structure and a shifting harmony that never quite resolves. Like the Smile’s output as a whole, the song unfurls in such a way—through well-placed key changes and the subtle introductions of new instrumentation—that makes its progression feel all but inevitable.
Since 2001, we've brought you uncompromising, candid takes on the world of film, music, television, video games, theater, and more. Independently owned and operated publications like Slant have been hit hard in recent years, but we’re committed to keeping our content free and accessible—meaning no paywalls or fees.
If you like what we do, please consider subscribing to our Patreon or making a donation.
