“He suddenly understood how mathematics could be used to unravel the mysterious processes of human thought.” It is the intuition that suddenly materializes one afternoon in a field near Doncaster for George Boole. Benjamín Labatut writes it in Maniacwhich exerted a powerful influence in the paintings conceived by Thom Yorke And Stanley Donwood For Wall of Eyesthe second album by Smile.
Yorke can’t explain why, but reading that sentence you have the feeling of being able to decipher the formula of the chemical bond between the singer of Radiohead, Johnny Greenwood and Tom Skinner. A condition that occurs punctually at every one of their concerts.
Two years after seeing them live for the first time, the sensation remains the same: a mathematical performance through the cracks of which a stream of human thoughts seeps. With the freedom to shake off the mythology of Radiohead and the impossibility of reproducing the wall of sound of the Atoms For Peace – but they try, playing Feeling Pulled Apart by Horseswhich connects the Yorke soloist and the supergroup behind it Amok – or the compositions of Shye Ben Tzur and the Rajasthan ExpressThe Smile they condense surgical execution and analog heat. Tom Skinner accelerates the hybridization of jazz and polyrhythm, shaped in experiences with Sons of Kemet And Owiny Sigoma.
Fresh from their performance at Medimexthe three, with the support of Robert Stillman on wind instruments and James Holden at the opening, they launch into two days at the auditorium of the Parco della Musica Auditorium. They inaugurate it on a lazy Roman Sunday that sighs for a respite from the heat.
Twenty songs, one hour and forty-five minutes, a tight set list and little space for interaction, as usual. Yorke who has enjoyed being on stage for more than a decade now, mimicking the land guide for rock stars, Jonny Greenwood who is a show within a show – at one point he plays the harp with one hand and the piano with the other. Skinner combines power with rigor, not forgetting to paint undefined atmospheres with his dynamics.
By now, for those who have seen these musicians perform several times in their various formations, the precision is almost no longer surprising. Just up Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses there was some indecision, especially from Skinner. But, here too, almost imperceptible. The songs of Smilehowever, remain perfect: from the lashes of You Will Never Work on Television Again to the poignant sweetness of Teleharmonicwho also kidnapped an attentive person Harry Styles in the stands. Probably, especially for the splendid vocal performance of Yorkein a state of grace, despite the passing of the years.
The truth is that seeing good musicians who enjoy playing, and this is their main goal, is enchanting. Making you move on tempos that very rarely follow the canonical 4/4 is a pleasant inconsistency. Casting an eye on the local musicians in the stands intent on counting the tempos of the songs – “one eleven eighths!” -, recording concert clips or playing a song on call like members of a fan club, can give an idea of the standard that Yorke and who orbits around him they have long established. A standard that only cares about one element: sound.
There is, however, more. Indeed, specifically, a song. Don’t Get Me Started. They started playing it in March and it hasn’t been released yet. It’s probably the best looking one Smile have ever written and this is the reason why, at the end of the concert, rather than wondering when the Radiohead they will move to make a new album, they wonder if it won’t be preceded by the sequel to Wall of Eyes. Certainly, after almost three decades, that fittier happier more productive it sounds much more reassuring.
