Released: 2014

Genres: IDM, Glitch Pop, Ambient Techno

The Musiquarium’s Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes Review Score: 7.5 out of 10

Between the release of Thom Yorke’s 2006 debut, The Eraser, and Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, Radiohead had released two more albums, plus Thom Yorke’s supergroup, Atoms for Peace, had also released their debut, Amok. Despite the various projects and time between, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes doesn’t do a lot different from its predecessor, with Yorke feeling uncharacteristically complacent.

The electronic warbles of A Brain in a Bottle make for a dystopian opener. While no other Radiohead members technically appear, Colin Greenwood is responsible for programming the beat to Guess Again!, a song with some trademark Thom Yorke piano chords. Interference sounds like something from a seventies sci-fi flick. The beat from The Mother Lode sounds reminiscent of Radiohead’s Videotape.

Truth Ray has one of the most interesting instrumentals on the album. There Is No Ice (For My Drink) makes use of chopped-up, nonsensical vocals, but ultimately fails as an experiment, compared to something like Radiohead’s Everything in Its Right Place. Pink Section is an ambient instrumental track, that feels quite unnecessary. Thankfully, Nose Grows Some bounces back after the previous two tracks, with some atmospheric synthesizers and a solid beat.

Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes is a good Thom Yorke solo album (but not as good as The Eraser), though it doesn’t seem to innovate enough to make up for the 8 year wait — still, there are some excellent sounds and production across this album.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Thom Yorke on Discogs.

Back to the 2014 Album Guide or the Thom Yorke Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard