Edward John O’Brien (born 15 April 1968) is an English guitarist and member of the alternative rock band Radiohead. O’Brien attended Abingdon School in Oxfordshire, England, where he met the other members of Radiohead. O’Brien makes extensive use of effects units to create atmospheric sounds and textures, and provides backing vocals. His first solo album, Earth, is due in 2020, released under the name EOB.
In 2010, Rolling Stone named O’Brien the 59th greatest guitarist of all time. Along with the other members of Radiohead, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Earth is the upcoming debut solo album by English musician Ed O’Brien, released under the name EOB. O’Brien is best known as one of the guitarists of alternative rock band Radiohead. The album was produced by Flood and Catherine Marks and features musicians including drummer Omar Hakim, Invisible members Nathan East and Dave Okumu, folk singer Laura Marling, Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley, Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche and Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood. It will be released worldwide by Capitol Records on 17 April 2020.
O’Brien had been writing music for years, especially around the time of Radiohead’s 1997 album OK Computer, but had never written lyrics. He said: “I was a bit like a dog at the Battersea dog’s home – I had no self-confidence, I was slightly beaten O’Brien wrote “Banksters” in 2009 in response to the 2007–2008 financial crisis.
In 2012, O’Brien and his family moved to Brazil, living for a year on a farm near Ubatuba. There, O’Brien planned to create electronic music using Ableton Live, inspired by dubstep and electronic musician Burial, but found it “didn’t resonate with me in Brazil”. Instead, he was inspired by the Primal Scream album Screamadelica (1991): “I put [it] on for the first time in years and I had a fucking eureka moment … It was rave, and it was connectedness, it was hope, it was powerful. “He described attending Carnival as another “eureka moment”, and said the album was inspired by “the spirit and being in Brazil, [of] open-heartedness, rhythm, colour”.
O’Brien initially planned to have someone else sing, and considered asking his Radiohead bandmate Thom Yorke. He decided to sing himself after he was pleased with his demo recordings. Recording began in late 2017 and ended in early 2019. Work took place in the Cambrian Mountains in Wales and Flood’s Assault & Battery studios in London.
O’Brien wanted to call the album Pale Blue Dot, in reference to the space photograph, but was prevented by copyright problems. He chose Earth as it was “direct” and he did not want anything ironic, obtuse or mysterious.
O’Brien wanted to call the album Pale Blue Dot, in reference to the space photograph, but was prevented by copyright problems. He chose Earth as it was “direct” and he did not want anything ironic, obtuse or mysterious.
In late 2019, O’Brien launched social media accounts to promote the album. On October 4, he released his first solo work, the ambient track “Santa Teresa”.
The first single from the album, “Brasil”, was released on 5 December 2019, with a video directed by Andrew Donoho. The video shows humanity’s response to an alien force that brings about greater community and understanding. Donoho said, “Ed and I both shared a love of space and the abstract concepts surrounding time, so I started building a narrative around transcending the physical barriers of our bodies and the temporal barriers of linear experience.” The single was released on a limited 12″ vinyl. On 6 February 2020, O’Brien announced the album’s title, release date, and track list, and released the second single, “Shangri-La”. The third single, “Olympik”, was released on 2 April.
The first single from the album, “Brasil”, was released on 5 December 2019, with a video directed by Andrew Donoho. The video shows humanity’s response to an alien force that brings about greater community and understanding. Donoho said, “Ed and I both shared a love of space and the abstract concepts surrounding time, so I started building a narrative around transcending the physical barriers of our bodies and the temporal barriers of linear experience.” The single was released on a limited 12″ vinyl. On 6 February 2020, O’Brien announced the album’s title, release date, and track list, and released the second single, “Shangri-La”. The third single, “Olympik”, was released on 2 April.
O’Brien began a tour in February 2020, debuting songs in Toronto, Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles. A more expansive tour, with performances at larger venues and music festivals worldwide, is planned for mid-2020. While promoting the album in interviews, O’Brien fell ill; in late March, he said he was recovering from a suspected COVID-19 infection.