Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2024(5-1)

Hello. We’re a mere two days away from 2025; new year, new me, new you, and all that jazz. I’m hoping for a year a little less rough and tumble myself. Maybe a quieter -dare I say- more boring year. Going into it knowing my job is protected now for at least a few more […]

“What’s Spinnin’?” Recent Vinyl Spins

In lieu of reviews or talking about my overwhelming existential fear of what’s going to happen in a couple weeks at the polls, I thought I’d talk about a handful of records I’ve recently spun at home. It’s something I used to do on here years ago but seem to have fallen out of the […]

The Smile : Cutouts

The Smile -the Radiohead side project of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood- shouldn’t work as well as it does. Like Yorke’s solo albums and Greenwood’s film scores they are great listening experiences, but we’re always waiting for them to get back together with their Radiohead counterparts and give us another masterpiece. Since 2022 Yorke and […]

The Smile Return With “Don’t Get Me Started”

The last Radiohead album was 2016s A Moon Shaped Pool. The last before that was 2011s The King Of Limbs. That was 5 years between albums. With Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood’s current project The Smile they have released two albums plus two live LPs over the last two years. Now that’s some seriously inspired […]

Whoa, We’re Halfway There : Favorite Albums Of The Year, Mid-Year Edition

Can you believe we’re into July already? Feels like it was just yesterday we were all huddled in the living room during that January Polar Vortex and wondering when the temps would make to at least single digits once again. Now? Well we just had 110 degrees with the heat index two weeks ago. Time […]

The Smile : Wall Of Eyes

The Smile emerged in 2022 six years after the last full-length Radiohead album A Moon Shaped Pool. Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and drummer Tom Skinner got together to make pared down rock and roll, with Yorke and Greenwood switching back and forth between bass, guitar , and electronics. The result was the excellent A Light […]

Friday Picks : Scattered Songs For The Scattered Brain

Hello Kiddos. Been a long week so the writing hasn’t been substantial. Lots of wheels in motion, both under our roof and in my head so concentrating on making time for the thing I love to do has been difficult. We’ll get it back on track. Promise. Anyways, on this holy day we call Friday […]

Final Vinyl?

I got into collecting vinyl because I’m a fan of ritual, lover of album art, I’m mildly OCD, and ever since I was a little kid I’ve been obsessed with music. I’m not one of those people that theorizes about how much better vinyl sounds than any other format. I still think CDs are the […]

The Smile : A Light For Attracting Attention

The Smile I’m sure is the kind of project that fans of early Radiohead get all riled up about. Worried for Phil, Colin, and Ed because Thom and Jonny are off doing their weird artsy stuff and leaving the rest of the band behind. “How will they eat?” “Who’s making sure Colin’s shoes are tied?” […]