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Apr 20, 2020Moving, emotional and richly textured, Earth is an impressive solo debut from O'Brien, and delivers one of this year's more fully-formed albums.
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Apr 16, 2020It’s been well worth the wait. It’ll probably a while yet before his main band are back in action, so in the meantime, Earth should fill that gap.
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Apr 16, 2020It’s when EOB dares to experiment that 'Earth' really lifts off. The erratic, rumbling distortion of 'Mass' is as eerie as the thought of space itself, where his sounds tell a greater story than words ever could.
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Apr 15, 2020O’Brien’s personality shines through, and it’s a pleasure to get to know him. It’s tempting to conclude he’s Radiohead’s secret weapon.
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MojoApr 14, 2020A very fine, if long-gestated, debut. [May 2020, p.93]
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Q MagazineApr 14, 2020Well worth the wait. [Jun 2020, p.105]
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Jul 14, 2020As it stands, Earth is a subtle and enjoyable little singer/songwriter album that highlights Ed O’Brien’s songwriting prowess.
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Apr 15, 2020Much of Earth is laidback and peaceful, centered around the cerebral “Brasil” and “Olympik,” which clock in over eight minutes, tickling the brain with swirling synths and dreamy lines about love and perfection.
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UncutApr 14, 2020Maybe Earth isn't packed with abstract intricacies to pore over like most of the other records he's been involved with, but it is fundamentally honest to its creator. [May 2020, p.24]
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Apr 23, 2020At times it almost feels like an alternate-history tendril of pre-Kid A Radiohead that kept its groove going into the coming decades. While those layered textures, pulsing beats, and unfolding guitar loops are fine, it's EOB as a reflective acoustic singer/songwriter that provides Earth's most authentic moments.
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Apr 17, 2020It is an ambitious and technically impressive album grappling with big themes of love in a time of disaster. Lyrically, though, it is all a bit prosaic, whilst O’Brien’s voice is pleasant but lacking the kind of distinctive tone and delivery that makes you want to pay attention.
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Apr 21, 2020Tasteful, tentatively adventurous post-Britpop record that would’ve gotten sandwiched between Elbow and South on a “next Radiohead” listicle 20 years ago.
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Apr 20, 2020No amount of technical prowess can disguise O'Brien himself as a frontman, whose voice and personality is agreeable but never compelling. Because even if he feels it, it doesn't necessarily mean it's there.
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Apr 16, 2020Earth might be musically faultless, but it lacks the bite of his day job.
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Apr 20, 2020Earth, for all its ambition, will mainly be of interest to Radiohead completists, who are now just missing the bassist: over to you, Colin Greenwood.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 24 out of 28
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Mixed: 4 out of 28
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Negative: 0 out of 28
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Jun 13, 2020
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Apr 17, 2020
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Nov 3, 2020