| "The Smoke" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Smile | ||||
| from the album A Light for Attracting Attention | ||||
| A-side | "You Will Never Work in Television Again" (double A-side 7" single) | |||
| Released | 27 January 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | XL | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Nigel Godrich | |||
| The Smile singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "The Smoke" on YouTube | ||||
"The Smoke" is a song by the English rock band the Smile. It was released on 27 January 2022 as the second single from their debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention .
Both Uproxx [3] and The Fader [4] noted the song was more in line with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood's main band Radiohead's later work than the Smile's previous single, "You Will Never Work in Television Again", with Uproxx calling the song "a groove-driven single". Earmilk favourably compared to a demo by the Doors or Dizzy Gillespie from the early 1970s, [1] while Resident Advisor likened it to Fela Kuti. [5] Uncrate said Tom Skinner's drumming "showcases some funk/jazz-infused stylings". [6]
The video for "The Smoke" was shot on 16 mm film and directed by BAFTA Award-winning writer and director Mark Jenkin. [7] Rob Ulitski of Promonews said Jenkin's video "doesn't conform to traditional narrative or promo logic, existing instead as a conceptual form to accompany the music". [8] Raphael Helfand of The Fader called the video "a loose interpretation of a 'lyric video'" with "largely unintelligible" words. [4]
"The Smoke" was released on 27 January 2022 as the second single from their debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention . [9] A remix by Dennis Bovell was released on 3 March. Greenwood told The Quietus: "Dennis's work runs like a thread through so much of the music I love. I'm more proud than I can say that he's done a dub mix of our song 'The Smoke'." [10]
Credits adapted from album liner notes. [11]
The Smile
Production
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. They comprise Thom Yorke ; brothers Jonny Greenwood and Colin Greenwood (bass); Ed O'Brien ; and Philip Selway. They have worked with the producer Nigel Godrich and the cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994. Radiohead's experimental approach is credited with advancing the sound of alternative rock.
Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood is an English musician. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the rock band Radiohead, and has composed numerous film scores. He has been named one of the greatest guitarists by numerous publications, including Rolling Stone.
Thomas Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. Rolling Stone described Yorke as one of the greatest and most influential singers of his generation.
Nigel Timothy Godrich is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He has worked with acts including Radiohead, Travis, Beck, Air, Paul McCartney, U2, R.E.M., Pavement, Roger Waters, Arcade Fire and Idles.
"Follow Me Around" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 1 November 2021 as the second single from their compilation album Kid A Mnesia. It features the singer, Thom Yorke, on acoustic guitar, with lyrics expressing paranoia and dread.
"Pop Is Dead" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released as a non-album single on 10 May 1993, several months after their debut album, Pablo Honey. It features a chromatic guitar riff and lyrics criticising the music industry. The music video features the singer, Thom Yorke, in a coffin.
The London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO), founded in 2008 by Hugh Brunt and Robert Ames, is an ensemble of young musicians whose stated aim is "to explore and promote new music to an increasingly wide audience". LCO staged its inaugural season at LSO St. Luke's and has since performed at venues and festivals both in the UK and internationally, including the Roundhouse, Latitude Festival, The Old Vic Tunnels, Snape Maltings, Southbank Centre, Barbican, Spitalfield's Music, Royal Opera House, Yota Space, and Unsound Festival. LCO has since provided its work on films including Theeb, Moonlight, Macbeth, Slow West,The Master, The Two Popes and American Animals.
Tom Skinner is an English drummer, percussionist and record producer. He co-founded the jazz band Sons of Kemet and the rock band the Smile. He has released two albums under the name Hello Skinny. His first album under his own name, Voices of Bishara, was released in November 2022.
The Smile are an English rock band comprising Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner (drums). Critics likened them to Yorke and Greenwood's band Radiohead, with more jazz, krautrock and progressive rock influences and a looser, wilder sound.
"You Will Never Work in Television Again" is a song by the English rock band the Smile. It was released on 5 January 2022 as the debut single from their debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention. The Smile first performed it in the 2021 Glastonbury livestream Live at Worthy Farm.
"Skrting on the Surface" is a song by the English rock band the Smile. It was released on 17 March, 2022, as the third single from the Smile's debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention.
"Pana-vision" is the fourth single by the English rock band the Smile, released on 3 April 2022. It is included on their debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention.
A Light for Attracting Attention is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Smile. It was released digitally through XL Recordings on 13 May 2022, with a retail release on 17 June.
"Free in the Knowledge" is a song by the English rock band the Smile. It was released on 20 March 2022 as the third single from the Smile's debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention, by XL Recordings.
The Smile is the first live album by the English rock band the Smile, released on 14 December 2022 by XL Recordings. It comprises performances of songs from their first album, A Light for Attracting Attention (2022), recorded at Montreux Jazz Festival on 12 July. The Smile announced the album the day before its release, backed by a concert film available to view for 48 hours on YouTube.
"Bending Hectic" is a song by the English rock band the Smile, from their second studio album, Wall of Eyes (2024). It was released on 20 June 2023, one day before the Smile began the second leg of their debut North American tour.
Wall of Eyes is the second studio album by the English rock band the Smile, released on 26 January 2024 through XL Recordings. It was recorded in Oxfordshire and Abbey Road Studios, London, with the producer Sam Petts-Davies.
"Friend of a Friend" is a song by the English rock band the Smile, released on 9 January 2024 by XL Recordings. It was the third single released from the Smile's second album, Wall of Eyes. The music video was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
Cutouts is the third studio album by the English rock band the Smile, released on 4 October 2024 through XL Recordings. It was produced by Sam Petts-Davies and recorded in Oxfordshire and Abbey Road Studios, London, in the same sessions as the previous Smile album, Wall of Eyes (2024).
"Thin Thing" is a song by English rock band The Smile. It is the 7th song and 6th single on their first album A Light for Attracting Attention, and was released on 9 May 2022.