XL

Thom Yorke originally formed Atoms for Peace as a pick-up band of prolific bros to help the Radiohead frontman translate his iconic 2006 solo debut The Eraser for the concert stage. The group – rounded out by RHCP bass god Flea, drummer Joey Waronker, producer/guitarist Nigel Godrich and percussionist Mauro Refosco – had built so much confidence perfecting the album’s laptop art rock that Yorke booked three days of studio time for the combo in Los Angeles after the final show of their North American mini tour. The result is a magnificent set of songs, culled from snippets of those improvised jam sessions that were stitched up and glitched out by Yorke and Godrich and woven into such Eraser-esque tracks as “Default,” “Stuck Together Pieces” and “Judge, Jury and Executioner.” These numbers indicate that Yorke’s love for the weird corners of such labels as Warp Records and Brainfeeder is still very much intact. Radiohead fans, you knew AMOK was going to be awesome the second you heard about its conception. Your gut reaction, in this case, was right on the money.