'Earth' Review: Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien's solo album shines with organic brilliance and groovy bangers
For many alternative music fans worldwide, Rock & Roll Hall Of Famers Radiohead can easily be regarded as one of the most beloved bands of all time.
Known for their poignant soundscapes and poetic brilliance, the music of Radiohead wouldn't have sounded half as incredible if it wasn't for the monumental contributions of their symbiotic-twin guitarists, Jonny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien.
Although Greenwood, now an Oscar-nominated composer, made his maiden solo voyage in 2003, it took Ed O'Brien a little more time to find his feet and voice, as it were, in the solo music department.
But after over two years of recording, he's finally ready with his debut solo album, 'Earth', and will release it under his minimalist moniker, EOB, on April 17.
The nine-track full-length was helmed by popular producers Flood and Catherine Marks and includes contributions from music industry stalwarts like Omar Hakim, Colin Greenwood, Adam "Cecil" Bartlett, David Okumu, Nathan East, Richie Kennedy, Laura Marling, Adrian Utley and Glenn Kotche.
The opening track 'Shangri-La' is a winking, gleaming, funky joint, complete with percussive shakers and some falsetto vocals that sound incredibly similar to Ed's bandmate Thom Yorke.
In fact, it might actually give you a start to realize you're not listening to a Radiohead album, which shows just how much Ed has rubbed off on the band, and vice versa. "No more loneliness / Just you and me / All the swans / Spread their wings and fly" he sings. At two minutes in, the song swerves off course into an alternate rock lane.
"I didn't really know that I'd feel so cold / Until I found my Shangri-La," O'Brien declares over some Jonny Greenwood-esque guitar stabs. It's quite a lovely introduction to the EOB sound.
'Brasil' is a spectacular eight-minute epic, no doubt inspired by the sights and sounds of the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro. Ed O'Brien famously treated 2012 as a furlough year in Brazil and managed to experience the famed Rio Carnival firsthand with his family.
"It was the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced in terms of music," said a thrilled O'Brien, who marveled at "the beats, what they call the bateria, it’s like all these polyrhythms." 'Brasil' definitely feeds off those vibes, rising and swelling from a simple acoustic ballad into a groovy, thumping, electronic extravaganza.
'Deep Days' is led by a swaggering drum beat and jaunty acoustic guitar, somewhere in between a slowed down Bossanova pattern and a sped-up reggae rhythm. Amid cooing harmonies, O'Brien sings promises of fidelity to his collective band of compatriots, aka "the people on the edge of the night."
As the sauntering track continues, he reassures us, "Where you go, I will go / Where you stay, I will stay... When you rise, we will rise / If you fall, you can fall on me."
'Long Time Coming' is another slinky, stripped-down acoustic ballad, where Ed talks about a lonely city girl who is lost in every way. Will she ever find a life and love divine to make it go away?
It's been such a long time waiting for it all. There are some subtle atmospherics at the end of the track that enhances the wistfulness of this heartfelt, Jimmy Page-esque number.
'Mass' starts off with some percussively strummed guitar, before a lovely, soothing chord progression and melodies emerge. The harmonies urge the listener to "Stay, love" before a bass-heavy electronic layer is added to the mix, like a rumbling jet flying overhead.
The song then takes on an eerier, stranger tone as the once soothing melodies start to sound ominous in nature. However, the darkness soon departs, the song returns back to the simple, melodic guitar intro — it's an enchanting Möbius strip of a song that travels through some darkness before emerging back into the light again.
'Banksters' is an aggressively-charged song that was written as a response to the 2007–2008 financial crisis. The peppy electronica beat is interrupted by Ed's vocal as he complains about the current financial system that only seems to benefit the bankers.
"Who knows where we're going? Who knows where the flow is?" says EOB as he laments "Ponzi schemes and God We Trust." It really sounds a lot like a Radiohead song, what with its 'Bends'-era chord progression and thematic resemblance to 'Dollars & Cents'.
"Where did all the money go, you f**k?" seethes EOB, and we can almost imagine him grabbing a banker by the lapels and remonstrating with him.
He then issues a call to arms, a solution from the current financial climate — "I'm breaking free," he declares, and boy, would we love to join him in his quest for a world without a rigged monetary system.
'Sail On' is a gorgeous, shimmering track — "Sail on like a summer breeze / It's time to say goodbye to everything I know / Just one more voyage we all must undergo / See the light reaching out to me / No question that all that is will be."
The vibe of 'Sail On' is slightly reminiscent of Radiohead's gorgeous 'Pyramid Song', but without the head-spinning time signature of the latter. 'Sail On' is decidedly less complex in its approach, and leaves a lingering impression of peaceful satisfaction long after it's ended — this one's a dreamy, languid, floating number.
The track 'Olympik' is a lovely, twisting big-beat remix from the very get-go. It's sumptuous and dark, sinuous and brooding, like the best of Depeche Mode meets U2 — the producer Flood's fingerprints can definitely be heard all over this one, considering he worked with both those famous bands.
Interestingly, the phrase "pale blue dot" heard in the middle of the song was originally what EOB was going to call this new album — he had been inspired by the famous photograph taken from space that bears the same name.
However, due to copyright issues, he settled for the more straightforward title 'Earth', and we're really glad he did, it is perfectly suited for the organic brilliance of this record.
The closing number 'Cloak of the Night' sounds exactly like the Ye Olde English imagery that is evoked by its romantic title. This Nick Drake-y ballad is a short and sweet acoustic folk number, sung with the talented singer-songwriter Laura Marling.
"You and me all night long / You and me in this storm / Holding tight / I know what you need from me / Everything's clear to see / No fear, let love prevail / Darling, tonight' goes the melancholic yet sincere song, over a descending guitar pattern that reminds us of the old classic 'Time In A Bottle'.
It's a warm, gorgeous song and a fitting conclusion to this modern masterpiece.
All in all, this is a fantastic debut effort from EOB, and we're thrilled by his evident mastery and deft control over myriad soundscapes and textures. There's a good balance of light vs dark themes and complex vs unadorned production on this new record which dabbles with rock, folk, ambient psychedelia and big beat electronica.
It's a really strong debut and we can't wait to hear these amazing songs once Ed O'Brien is out on tour again.