Album · Thom Yorke
The Eraser by Thom Yorke
The Eraser is an album by Thom Yorke, released in 2006. 2 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 17 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Black Swan”, on 16 lists with a best position of #29.
The Eraser, Thom Yorke's first solo album, came out on XL on 10 July 2006, made during Radiohead's break in 2004 and 2005. It started as instrumental electronic music built on computers until Nigel Godrich, Radiohead's longtime producer, pushed him to shape it into songs. The result is skittering beats, glitchy loops and Yorke's voice floating over the top, cold on the surface and anxious underneath.
"Harrowdown Hill" is about the death of British weapons inspector David Kelly, and several songs deal with climate change, a theme carried onto Stanley Donwood's cover, drawn from the legend of King Canute failing to hold back the sea. "Black Swan" gave rock radio its slinkiest groove. It entered at number 3 in the UK and number 2 in America, was nominated for the Mercury Prize and a Grammy, and to play it live Yorke later formed Atoms for Peace with Godrich and Flea.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from The Eraser on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Swan | 16 | #29 | – | 2006–2022 | |
| 2 | Harrowdown Hill | 1 | #33 | – | 2006 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.