Rating: NNN
Atoms for Peace is not a supergroup. Sure, it features big names like Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and superstar producer Nigel Godrich, but make no mistake – this is Thom Yorke’s group. Named after a song on his 2006 solo debut, The Eraser, his new band picks up where that album left off. Yorke indulges his skewed, glitchy songcraft in ways that don’t always gel with the contributions of his bandmates in Radiohead. .
But Atoms for Peace’s debut isn’t just a solo retread under a new name. Instead, the other four members elevate Yorke’s songs beyond the chilly bleeps and bloops of The Eraser, fleshing out the skeletal productions with textures of Afrobeat, Latin pop, funk and warm instrumentation that often blur analog and synthetic. There’s no mistaking the album for anyone but Yorke’s, but despite his rep as a singular genius, he does play well with others.
Top track: Judge, Jury And Executioner
