The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention Review

Facetious lies and grimacing wonder is the aim of The Smile, not the light and loose flicker of approval and humanity. A Light for Attracting Attention feels, from the get-go, like a larger-than-life project for an isolated Thom Yorke who whittled away the lockdown hours writing up riffs which better suited an ambient sinister tone than the usual run of Radiohead wonders. He still deploys these new tracks with masterclass guitarist and Radiohead alumni Jonny Greenwood – a healthy break where trusted hands are guiding the formation and production. Nigel Godrich is inevitably credited here, and it is through his damnable and masterful mixing process, which gives Yorke and Greenwood a playground filled with opportunity and tactful notes of what makes A Light for Attracting Attention such a monumental piece of work.  

Accompanied by drummer Tom Skinner, a session musician who has left his mark on the grunge and alternative scene for some time, The Smile is well-equipped for these flurries of wild art-rock. Opener The Same holds faithful to a creepy, dark and cold rhythm which is cast aside for a funk-like jazz approach on follow-up track The Opposite. A neat switch in pace and tone, absolutely, it is something The Smile can deploy here time and again. Highly strung gothic paranoia fades in and out of the gentler, piano-led Pana-vision. A sense of sincere sorrow and regret filters through, this sense of a necessity to hate an individual without truly knowing why or how long it will last. There are those who are unforgiven through their actions on others rather than the self, and for The Smile, it provides perfect fodder for a charming, chilling song.  

Firm and confident bass riffs on The Smoke relay this laid-back tone. The Smile are anything but relaxed, but the freer flow and desire to hold out for bold, ambitious ideas is a brave style for A Light for Attracting Attention and certainly works. The Smile’s debut project feels as though it is keen to plod on testing and investing its time here or there – though it is not until perfect number Thin Thing rocks the eardrums that A Light for Attracting Attention comes to life. Accepting heartbreak on the acoustic-driven Free in the Knowledge is some of the most poignant and clear-cut writing Yorke has offered – and backed by the shimmering scales in the distant background marks a turning point for The Smile which has continued on toward their avant-garde workings in the lead-up to Wall of Eyes.  

Wave the white flag, then. Surrender to the bold sound Yorke, Greenwood and Skinner bring. Wave the White Flag settles the score well – these are songs to be moved far away from the Radiohead bubble. Each member has managed to overhaul their relationship, both with audience and legacy, and they are no longer solely defined by OK Computer. With the likes of The Smile, there is a sense of collaboration between overlapping artists being a healthy way to express new and exciting ideas, to divulge and interpret fears not truly capable of being held under the corner Radiohead found themselves staggering backwards. Where a breath of fresh air was needed for Yorke, he finds it in twinkling flurries of instrumental efforts, acoustic guitars and fades in and out on a well-timed and tremendous album.