When Radiohead's Thom Yorke launched his latest solo tour at Teatro Verdi in Florence Monday night, those in attendance were treated to the debut of a new song. He kicked off the encore with "The Axe," an eerie, frigid, beat-driven electronic track the likes of which we've come to expect from solo Yorke in his ponytail era. High-pitched drones create a queasy backdrop for Yorke's gnarled ruminations.
When works this stark and tuneless dominated Yorke's 2014 solo LP Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, I was convinced they'd grow on me eventually. Four years later, that seems more like wishful thinking; that album is almost certainly the nadir of his recorded output thus far. Maybe the studio recording will elevate "The Axe" to a new level, but as of now it doesn't exactly have me stoked at the prospect of new Yorke solo material.
Maybe you'll disagree? Check out footage below -- and if you're in the mood for something warmer and more welcoming, stick around for his performance of "Atoms For Peace" from 2006 solo debut The Eraser.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vhVVuapTi-o
Yorke's main band will be back on the road this summer.
