The Smile - Thin Thing (Live on KEXP)

KEXP.ORG presents The Smile performing “Thin Thing” live in the KEXP studio. Recorded December 15, 2022.
Thom Yorke - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keys
Jonny Greenwood - Guitar, Bass, Keys
Tom Skinner - Drums
Robert Stillman - Saxophone (on “You Will Never Work In Television Again”)
Host: Morgan
Audio Engineers: Mikko Gordon, Jon Roberts & Kevin Suggs
Audio Mixing & Mastering: Mikko Gordon
Cameras: Jim Beckmann, Carlos Cruz, Alaia D’Alessandro, Scott Holpainen & Luke Knecht
Editor: Jim Beckmann
www.thesmiletheband.com
kexp.org

[@sneakylanky]

i hope jonny greenwood lives forever

[@Redamthe5th]

Amen

[@jakubpopelka8997]

he looks like he will 😅

[@Redamthe5th]

@@jakubpopelka8997 right?! He looks exactly the same somce thoer debut 🤣

[@oscarescobar6581]

i hope too

[@MilesColtrane.]

I hope so too! If he dies, I die too

[@GreenGrassOfTunnels]

That riff is completely undecipherable

[@RustinChole]

It’s actually supes easy. It’s just an odd approach. All you need is a delay pedal. And string muting skills.

[@scottclarke7595]

Dude ya. I thought he was doing some slap/pick things but it’s just three note arpeggios with slap back delay sort of

[@jones1749]

@@scottclarke7595not even an arpeggio, it’s the same note just on different strings

[@Pholder]

Im playing only a month on electric guitar and 7 Montyh on acoustic and this riff is really easy for me

[@Guadeloop]

i think it's made with a style of composition that sounds inspired by the work of Steve Reich, if you look up 'phase music', or Reich's 'Clapping Music' it gives you an idea of how this works.

[@Brian-vv1ut]

I want to make it my life's mission as a musician to transcribe that ridiculously rad guitar riff.

[@Nilsoo]

There are some great musicians on youtube playing the guitar part of Thin Thing and showing more or less the gear they're using like delay pedal etc :)

[@Jabatti]

It's 6/8 pattern played with a 5/16 digital delay with no feedback and 50/50 mixed dry/wet signal. The secret is playing the first note not on the downbeat but on the upbeat and then keep the upbeat 6/8 tempo.

[@jamestaylor3715]

6/8 play pattern with a weird delay trick sounds like try learn the riff without the effect first thats how I would do it

[@Brian-vv1ut]

I just started playing music again for the first time in years, and God bless the fu¢king internet! TY for pointing me in the right direction. "A Light For..." is such a cool album.

[@Brian-vv1ut]

@@Jabatti thanks. I'm just learning how to use my digital delay pedal, and knowing the 5/16 timing is super helpful. 👍

[@astrofreq]

This is so unbelievably badass. Thom is destroying on bass.

[@emmaclarke5622]

I'm loving how Thom sounds with vocal effects

[@whyisntitpossible404]

Reminded me a little bit of Tame Impala haha

[@ashrafsahdan5606]

Insane! Thom with a bass is kinda underrated tho.

[@shanapopper8798]

amazing......wtf... they have a younger spirit than most young people

[@Matt-wr5kx]

So true

[@MicahBuzanMUSIC]

Fav song in years. This is the type of anxious energy that was missing from A Moon Shaped Pool and The King Of Limbs (love both those albums, but for different reasons). It's nice to see them let loose again.

[@dan8ball22]

This was also my favorite out of the ones performed. I especially liked Thom to accentuating the vocals with the bass.

[@Brian-vv1ut]

I thought that some of the non-album tracks released in that period had a kind of anxious energy: Ill Wind, These Are My Twisted Words, If You Say the Word, etc... The non-album stuff from that period is some of their best music IMO.

[@gokugotengohannaruto]

Live Version of Morning Mr Magpie is deeply anxious

[@MicahBuzanMUSIC]

Love the live versions of TKOL songs. So much more energy. But I enjoy the album as well for it's more meditative quality. Perfect walking in the woods music@@gokugotengohannaruto

[@alejandrosolis8943]

I cried watching Jonny Greenwood hitting the guitar that hard

[@josiahlegacy]

BiffyClyro do that in half of their songs Have you listened to their earlier records and B-sides? Highly underrated

[@dosilebanana5087]

i like how jhonny just tosses the pick at 2:13

[@bryanvieirasantos3830]

This rhythm is incredible

[@user-hf7bo7id9y]

Лучший темп когда -либо взятый. Найдено беспрецендентное количество интереснейших нюансов в мелодии песни, ритмов, тембров и фактурных оборотов. Блестяще исполнено!!!

[@scumboi78]

More love for Mr Skinner!

[@manganese333]

Yes! 🙌

[@emmettduncan9441]

Thom is hilarious how he sings

[@kaelinjoel9328]

Absolute fucking perfection.

[@CriDef]

The bass is so distorted with bubbly guitar notes that sounds SO filled in with the singing. Such amazing musicians!

[@jeff-onedayatatime.2870]

Anyone can play guitar, but not too many like Jonny. :)

[@lordohnehelm]

What a Performance, holy FUCK!

[@RegularDude00]

1:17 i cant really explain why i love this so much. Just makes me want to go mental on my guitar.

[@leighstanley3039]

This is too good. Thom Yorke is somehow getting cooler with age and I’m here for it!!

[@bannedit999]

I play a lot of guitar. This is really damn good guitar. I can't stop listening and appreciating you come up with a delay in fives against a three?

[@ACWilderness]

Think of it in fifteens!

[@ansiedadazul4901]

Siendo fan hace meses de este temazo, sólo puedo decir: Manso temazo, qué chucha la creatividad.

[@nelsigallardov]

están enfermos estos qls

[@mcdude0192]

Thom’s bass playing is killer!

[@Lezdoval]

The Smile, gracias por este viaje.

[@beckdean1010]

3:04 my favorite

[@MilesColtrane.]

If I could give this a million likes, I would

[@synthmalicious7541]

I literally say this about everything but I really think that Jonny gets that guitar is something that needs experimentation to actually excel. The last few years it seems like modern guitar playing is stuck at least 40 years behind, it’s awesome to see someone not afraid to let the dissonant notes ring out even when they’re in such a high profile band.

[@doh-ray-meproductions4131]

Just masterful craftsmanship, expressive in an anti mainstream way with command, beautifully put together and executed. A pure joyous alchemy. Thanks lads. If ye ever need a stand in drummer,,!!!!!

[@SETRAAKI]

i went to their show in montreal i even posted a highlight of what i recorded at the show. Man the moment Jonny started hitting the guitar that hard i was like 😳🤯

[@Sam-rf8yh]

I felt the exact way at their New Orleans show.

[@mikekin5806]

Solid gold

[@mergingmarky8274]

I love the breakdown/coda 3:10 on too

[@gabrielluismatos2831]

Perfeito. A guitarra então...

[@HumeraSuleman-ko8pb]

Absolutely love it.

[@estebanrodriguez1175]

I love the contrast of the part at 1:41 and that beautiful strained ending. Nailing at always

[@brendanogorman3748]

Wish I hadnt watched this video. This tune wont leave me alone until i learn it now and its probably impossible

[@pigs_earsxsusa3457]

Lovely❤

[@Henyckma]

Loved it

[@hazelsegnitz3254]

Ha !Try to be still listening to this !!!🤣 that’s a wonderful sound !!!

[@jaironorena2012]

Increíble

[@garimpeiro7408]

beautiful

[@charleneanderson1152]

love you all!

[@Clayaka]

That 3:10 bass and guitar riff til the end is just godly

[@emmanuelbonn3529]

pure dope...

[@ctodd122]

Sick

[@MarcosElMalo2]

Really loving the stripped down sound of Television Foot. 😉 I’m not complaining, I’m smiling. 😊

[@rorymcknight6071]

Up there with Rush and The Police as one of the great trios.

[@ofir5000]

Much better than the Montreux version It's a verd hard song to play live.

[@santicuffia768]

siiiiiiii

[@sebitascherer]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@erayb2529]

That riff at the 1:15

[@jimdukeproject]

When I first heard this I wondered what key it was in sounded all over the place but interesting. I wanted see how they would do it live. Then I find out this was ex members of Radiohead. Guys in my peer group doing newer alt sounds. Cool. See we are never too old too rock!

[@adv3315]

uff....

[@aperezto]

Las mentes maestras detrás de Radiohead resumidas en una nueva banda 🤟🏻

[@guitarguru1080]

How tf do they even do this...

[@Redamthe5th]

Nobody: Johnny Greenwood: "What if play the guitar like its slap bass?"

[@kevinvalde]

hahahahs exactlyy

[@aphilipecrypto]

what was that...incredible thing.

[@lantz45]

UNIQUE

[@andyheggeman1424]

I wish I could speak music 1/1,000,000,000th as well as this song does

[@yessicaperez2986]

🎵🧡😭👍🎵

[@coreyford3556]

This sounds like British Primus

[@ayazgultemirova246]

Жанды әуендер мен....

[@pc239]

Is this performance available as a high quality audio file?

[@MrDaigoRiki]

Wow lots of electronic gears.

[@MarcosElMalo2]

¿Y que?

[@RustinChole]

Not really. Just a delay pedal and a mic effect. The rest is pretty dry.

[@harperellenburg]

WTF!? Smile on kexp?!?!

[@cruxofthecookie]

Didjya catch their Tiny Desk concert? _Terrific._

[@harperellenburg]

@@cruxofthecookie oh yea totally! It’s weird the album didn’t really click with me at first but hearing it live has helped me get into it more.

[@MarcosElMalo2]

@@harperellenburg I really really really want to see them live. I’m growing to like this configuration, but being at a performance would probably cement it.

[@MicahBuzanMUSIC]

@@harperellenburg That happens with every Radiohead / Thom Yorke project for me. Some albums just really breath more live and make sense.

[@cruxofthecookie]

@@harperellenburg Same.

[@mcdude0192]

Thom looks like his vocoder is electrocuting him

[@Gibble3226]

I've been trying for months... I CANT FIGURE OUT HOW TO PLAY THE RIFF!!!

[@jonny.rubber]

Whos Marry/Jonny

[@ateenkhakpour]

Woman Life Freedom 0:23

[@jeffmunkynutz1568]

Difficulty maxed Pro

[@option5]

-

[@dannywaters7827]

godlike jg

[@LosDoggies]

Seems to be a lot of pre-recorded tracks on this "live" performance.

[@AnimatedLoopHD]

Nothing is pre-recorded. They're doing all of this in real time. Jonny is using a delay on his guitar riff which makes the tapestry of sounds, and Thom has an effects board to trigger sound effects and vocal effects. I'm not sure what you're hearing that you think is pre-recorded though, and using samples in a live performance doesn't detract from anything.

[@roryhensen]

There are zero pre-recorded tracks in this video.

[@franki1990]

Oh, an entitled "purist", what a bore...

[@jfnshit772]

I'm 100% this isn't pre-recorded. A vocaloid in the beginning, no plucks at the start just straight into the riff... among many differences in the way thom is singing