release date: Feb. 25, 2013
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]
producer: Nigel Godrich
label: XL Recordings - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Before Your Very Eyes" - 2. "Default" - 3. "Ingenue" - 7. "Judge, Jury and Executioner" - 9. "Amok"
Studio album debut by project-band Atoms for Peace consisting of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke on vocals and guitar, and that band's most frequently used producer Nigel Godrich on programming, Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea on bass, Joey Waronker of Beck and R.E.M. on drums, and with Mauro Refosco of Forro in the Dark (and David Byrne backing band) on percussion.
According to various magazines the band intended a sound and style, which took its inspiration in African funk, and drum and percussion-based music as exemplified by Fela Kuti; however, to me, this mostly falls in a much closer relation to the works by Radiohead and Thom Yorke with a supplement of a more advanced rhythm section... at times. More than the mutual work of a super-group, it mostly turns out as a [Radiohead] Yorke and Godrich project with what is quite familiar to that. Now, it's not bad - it's just really really close to the solo debut album Eraser by Yorke and e.g. Amnesiac by Radiohead, and in that way I don't feel it brings much new to the table. "Ingenue" is THE highlight here and the rest somewhat appears a bit anonymous.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Slant 3,5 / 5, Sputnikmusic 3 / 5 stars ]
