by Joseph Jr. Mastel
The Smile consists of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and Tom Skinner of Sons of Kemet, who disbanded in 2022. Their latest album, Cutouts, was recorded during the same sessions as Wall of Eyes, which was released earlier this year. Sometimes, when bands do this, the follow-up album takes a massive dip in quality. However, this is not the case for Cutouts as it can stand alongside its predecessor as it is equally spectacular.
Cutouts feels like a small snapshot of Radiohead’s discography, especially Kid A, In Rainbows, Amnesiac, and A Moon Shaped Pool. It takes everything fans loved from those albums and combines them together to form meticulously crafted songs, many of which could easily be included among the year’s best songs, especially “Zero Sum,” “Eyes & Mouth,” and “Colours Fly”. Greenwood continues to prove why he is one of the greatest guitarists of all time, delivering some of the most riveting, highly original, and mesmerizing guitar riffs of the year. Throughout the record, his playing will have you listening in wonderment.
“Foreign Spies” opens the album in a marvelous way, giving off Kid A vibes. The track is stunning, led by Yorke's outstanding vocals and a majestic-sounding synth. “Instant Psalm” offers a complete change of direction, drawing similarities to A Moon Shaped Pool and Greenwood’s film scores. The soft acoustic guitar combined with the stunning strings gives the track a little bit of a melancholic tone. “Zero Sum” is immaculate as Greenwood goes absolutely insane on the track. The guitar riffs are so unique and electrifying, making you listen in awe to an unbelievable display of talent. Thom Yorke’s vocals and Skinner’s drumming are just as good. The horns add so much substance and make an already exhilarating track even more exhilarating. Similar to how Radiohead’s “Idioteque” had fans chanting “The ice age is coming!” at concerts, “Zero Sum” will have people shouting “Windows 95”.
The atmosphere of “Colours Fly” is off the charts. The jazz, ambient drone-like noise, psychedelic mashup, and interesting tempo make the track incredibly engrossing. “Eyes & Mouth” takes what “Zero Sum” does and elevates it even higher, which is wildly impressive considering “Zero Sum” is a brilliant track. From start to finish, it never lets up; the intensity constantly increasing, the guitar riffs getting nastier and more intoxicating, the rhythm getting perpetually groovier as Yorke’s vocals get more powerful. It might be the best interplay of guitar and piano heard all year. The comforting jazz-like piano chords mixed with the intriguing math-rock guitar riffs and drums are such a delight to the ears. “Don’t Get Me Started” takes a little while for things to pick up, but from the four minute mark onwards, the track is breathtaking. The piano and electronics are deeply ethereal, haunting, and gorgeously beautiful.
“Tiptoe” again feels reminiscent to Jonny Greenwood’s time working on film scores. It is a lot more minimalistic than the rest of the album. Ominous and eerie strings establish a dark, somewhat foreboding atmosphere. “The Slip” is so much fun, led by bouncy synths, punchy guitar riffs, and a captivating vocal performance by Yorke. The fun continues with “No Words” which features another magnetic guitar riff by Greenwood. Though neither are nearly as experimental as some other tracks on the record, they are still magnificent, each perfectly executed with a loose and funky edge. Overall, Cutouts is one of the year’s best, a brilliant album that should become a classic in the future.