Back in ’93, who’d have thought that the guy who made “Creep” would turn out to be one of the most forward-thinking artists of the next decade and a half?
Anyway, for my money, “The Eraser” brought Yorke back to accessibility after the art-rock freakout qualities of Radiohead’s “Amnesiac” and “Hail to the Thief”. Not to say it was necessarily pop friendly (nothing that comes out of the Radiohead camp is), but “Eraser” was certainly easier to listen to than anything his band had made since “Kid A”.
The album’s title track is sort of druggy, sort of spooky. Yorke sings (well, actually, he kinda mumbles) in that pinched falsetto over a gurgling electronic beat garnished with piano. “The more you erase me/The more that I appear”…just sounds ominous in that “Every breath you take/I’ll be watching you” kinda way, the song has a little freak-out breakdown towards the end, and the result (like the rest of the album) is a slightly offbeat but quite enjoyable listening experience.
Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell Williams (as CRS or Child Rebel Soldier) heavily sampled “The Eraser” for “Us Placers”, which wasn’t released as a single. If it was, however, it would have placed on this list. So, let’s just throw that in as a bonus. Neither of the songs has an official video, but thanks to YouTube and some very creative minds, check out unofficial clips for both songs.
