Andy Yorke, the younger brother of alternative rock icon Thom Yorke (of Radiohead), is finally stepping out on his own, having formerly fronted British atmospheric pop rockers Unbelievable Truth in the late 1990s. That group sold a respectable six figures of albums before Yorke left in 2000 to pursue other interests outside of music, including becoming an interpreter for Greenpeace in Russia.
In the ensuing years, Andy Yorke felt his musical days were behind him, never to return. But there were moments in his life, such as “broken relationships” and “personal demons” he had to battle, where he felt the only outlet for these feelings was through music. Consequently, Yorke started to write music again. It was “therapy” for him.
On Simple, Yorke’s debut solo CD on new label Chocolate Lab Records, the singer/songwriter doesn’t go for the weird or try to reinvent the wheel like his more famous brother and his band. Andy Yorke is perfectly content with using the old reliable acoustic guitar, cello, piano, strings and on a couple of occasions, sparse electric guitars to make some of the most cathartic music you’re going to hear this year. Simply put, Simple is a personable and passionate album of easy-to-swallow alternative rock, folk and pop music, the type you’d want to relax to any hour of any day.
The soothing title track gets Yorke off to a very pleasant start. It features a straightforward beat, what sounds like a colorful chorus-pedaled electric guitar, and romantic cello lines that mix well with Yorke and his fingerpicked acoustic guitar melodies.
The strings on “Twist of the Knife” lift the spirits up on what is clearly an anti-optimistic breakup song, with lyrics like, “I don’t want the world to change/It has to always be this way.” The accordion-aided “Let It Be True,” on the other hand, has a more positive, self-empowering message. “Diamant” features melancholic lyrics that might remind some listeners of Thom Yorke vocally, but musically is not Radiohead-ish in the slightest.
The lone electric guitar-propelled number “Lay Down” livens things up a bit, with its loud cymbal crashes and moderate pace, as does the piano-led single “Rise And Fall” and “One In A Million.”
The sleep-inducing and moody “Surrender,” the second-to-last track, has the younger Yorke featuring a falsetto that approaches but doesn’t quite sound like his brother’s voice. It’s a quiet, lonely acoustic-and-cello number with a beat – relegated to the background – that sounds like a heartbeat put through reverb. However, it’s not Yorke’s best composition and can be skipped over for what is without question the most powerful song on the album.
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