For those who don't know, Ed O'Brien is Radiohead's lesser well known guitarist after Jonny Greenwood. Unlike Greenwood (and most other members of the band), he never really engaged in any side projects outside of the band. That all changed in 2020 when O'Brien released his first solo record, Earth, under the moniker EOB. While an enjoyable album, it felt a little tepid and unsure of itself. It had its foot in a handful of genres, but never went all in on any. The whole context around the album does point to some clues: Ed's choice to go by a moniker, the fact that it was pieced together on-and-off for the majority of the 2010s, and he even at one point considered to get Thom Yorke to do the vocals as he didn't feel comfortable being front and centre.
It's taken long enough for a follow up that I thought that maybe it was a once and done thing for Ed. Admittedly the pandemic scuppered touring plans for Earth and Radiohead finally returned from their touring hiatus in 2025, but 6 years is still a long time. It's been a long time for Ed as well, who has been quite candid in the promo for this release that in the intervening time he became quite depressed, feeling like he was both over being in Radiohead and not knowing who he should be outside of it. Similarly to the driving themes behind Earth, he took solace in being in nature and recording music by himself, at his own pace. Thankfully, Ed has come out of this dark period and has resulted in him being more confident and secure in his own artistic abilities and work. What has resulted is him ditching the EOB moniker and creating an album that is a much more confident and creatively daring (and overall better).
Blue Morpho follows on from the folkier side of Earth, but mixes in a lot of post-rock and early Pink Floyd-esque psych rock, which results in quite a chill and formless record that effortlessly ebbs and flows between its moods and moments. Some of the tracks even veer into ambient territory. The nearly 8 minute opener, Incantations, gently eases you into the record with gentle chiming guitars and subtle effects, before slowly building over the course of its run. First comes in Ed's soothing, hypnotic vocals; then the drums and bass, and ultimately layering up the mix into something that feels both grand and understated at the same time. It progresses through a couple of stages where the song is stripped back to various different instrumental sections then built all the way back up again. It's a great opener and tone setter for the rest of the record. The 6 minute title track follows with much more ornate and pretty chamber folk instrumentation. The strummed guitar is matched with swooning strings and field recordings of chirping birds. It has a cinematic quality to it. I could see it fitting in perfectly alongside the transition to an exotic location in a Bond film, for example.
Solfeggio and Thin Places are essentially short ambient interlude tracks that give a little breathing room between Teachers and the closer, Obrigado. Solfeggio feels straight out of David Bowie's Low (I will finish the David Bowie reviews, I promise) with its subtle pulsating electronic bassline and fuzzy lead synths. Thin Places, on the other hand feels way more organic, as the main instrument in the mix is a super reverby and layered up panpipe. Obrigado then comes swinging in as the cool, confident closer; as Ed sings "Sunny days, sunny days awaiting me" against a bossa nova rhythm and jazzy keys and bluesy guitars. It's a song about coming through trouble to sunny days ahead and feels so triumphant and joyous. Much like the opening tracks, it's long and expansive (10 minutes in this case), and at the half way point it goes full prog rock and transitions into a second section that includes a super expressive guitar solo that is given full breathing room to warm up and slowly progress into an dramatic climax to close out the album.
I've been itching to talk about Blue Morpho since my first listen, but I've been too busy this summer to get round to it. And I'm actually glad about that, as it has only grown on me as I have spent more time with it. It has been the perfect soundtrack to these endless heatwaves, and has really seeped into my life. I'm sure it will be in my rotation for many summers to come, a feat the Earth sadly didn't manage. If you're a fan of Radiohead or just looking for something relaxing to stick on while you're enjoying yourself in the sun, I'd really recommend checking this out.
Top Tracks: Incantations, Blue Morpho, Teachers, Solfeggio, Obrigado
8/10
