Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead, has, along with producer Nigel Goodrich, made something rather wonderful with The Eraser. They have crafted an electronica album that focuses on the SONGS and MELODY rather than on the beats or programming. While the same can be said for parts of albums by a variety of other electronica artists (e.g., Autechre, Aphex Twin, and, most notably, Boards of Canada), the focus on vocals in The Eraser puts this album in a different category. Somewhat like Bjork's work, the album is stuffed full of beautiful melody lines that take more than one listen to come clearly into focus, initially obscured as they are by skittering percussion and various programmed keyboards. The title track begins with a lone piano, an understated beat, and is then joined by a light, almost airy vocal line that develops a twisting melody that lodges nicely in one's memory. This pattern is repeated in a number of other songs, but variety is maintained as some ("Clock," "Analyze") rock as hard as anything by latter-day Radiohead, while the rest have a more languid pulse. Lyrically, the predominate mood of is one of discomfort, unrest, a vague menace - territory that Yorke has always thrived at exploring. Mantra-like repeated lines like "I can never reach you," "It gets you down," and "This is f**cked up" encapsulate the overall feel. The album is far from depressing, however, as the way Yorke reaches for his notes and seems determined, in the face of all the negativity, to come back for more, to keep on searching for "something great" ("Atoms For Peace") gives uplift where others would settle for pure misery. However abstract his imagery, his emotional stance of simultaneously embracing fear of what's out there and (a faint) hope that it can be transcended comes through with a forceful clarity. In sum, rare is the solo album that both breaks new ground while remaining firmly rooted in the overall aesthetic of the group from which it sprang. The Eraser is such an album.

Tom Petty is a rock artist of rare consistency. One can see this in his greatest hits packages, which contain double-digit numbers of true hits and very little filler. This consistency is what made Petty's previous album, The Last DJ, such a disappointment - it veered away from his take on the California sound of warm guitars and warmer vocals backed by a steady rock underpinning for a more lyrically-focused effort on the commercialization of radio (a worthy topic!) that saw a paucity of memorable choruses, let alone memorable guitar hooks. Now, after four years, Petty returns with his second "solo" album (his first being 1989's brilliant Full Moon Fever) and also returns to his trademark style. "Flirting With Time" would be another Petty radio hit if radio hadn't succumbed to the very forces Petty last outlined, while most of the record's other songs contain all the melody, hooks, and laid-back rock goodness for which he is famous. Changes are embedded in the familiar, however, as one can hear in the album opener "Saving Grace" with its chiming guitar line framed by a rattling programmed beat and churning bass. Similar to Full Moon Fever, though forgotten through the favorable cast of history, there are a few duds (e.g., "Jack"). Lyrically, Petty's focus remains fixated on driving, listening to music, and searching for the goodness and grace that he is sure good rock and roll music can provide to the soul (as it did for his own). He certainly hopes that this promise still holds true, and Highway Companion is his latest attempt to sustain it.