Thom Yorke

If Radiohead -- in all their megabudget grandeur -- can embody the sound of post-millennial isolation, imagine what Thom Yorke can do alone with a laptop. The Eraser hits on Yorke's usual themes: loneliness, denial, human limitations. But here -- with assistance from producer Nigel Godrich -- he puts his fragile-yet-confident vocals front and center and renders the musical accompaniment mostly as inscrutable background shading. Subtly beat-driven, softened by hazy sighs and mechanical hiccups, The Eraser hones in on the nearly mystical tension Radiohead is famed for.