w.a.s.t.e. doesn’t want you to be afraid. Nor should you be, because tickets to the Austrailian shows will be dispatched no later than the 10th.
Also, Coachella tickets will be in the mail by the end of the month.
(Thanks to At Ease.)
When one pops over to Radiohead.com (we’ll wait…), one will find a whole new webpage. Not much to it at the time, as it is a temporary beast to distract you while Tchockie and Stan work their magic behind the scenes. A distraction, yes, but a worthwhile one.
Enjoy.
(Thanks to Josh and Anna.)
For those who have been pondering what ‘Street Spirit’ would have sounded like if it had been recorded in 1987 by Ratt, ponder no more. The Darkness, who have covered ‘Street Spirit’ in the past, did it again, only this time at the BCC’s Maida Vale studios, where a soundboard recording was made. This is allegedly a live version, but the chorus has multiple vocal tracks, so I’m not so sure about that.
Either way, pop over here and take yourself a listen. I’m going to go see if I can find my jean jacket, the one with all the Poison patches on it.
(Thanks to Alana.)
(UPDATE: Thanks are also due to CUTW, who found this in the first place!)
UPDATE: Well, looks like this is a bit of old news- after a few intrepid readers pointed out they’ve been listening to this for a good four months now, we did some more homework trying to figure out when exactly this was recorded. It appears it was done for a BBC3 TV series called Re:Covered, and the episode featuring The Darkness was filmed in June 2003. Better late than never, though…
(Thanks to James and Mr. Moore for the correction.)
Pakistani music journal Bandbaja posted an excellent article about all things Radiohead in their December 2003 issue. In particular, it is meant to serve as an introduction to the band for Pakistani listeners who may have only heard of “Creep”, but it goes on to make several acute observations about the band and some of the history behind it. Definitely a recommended read.
Here’s an excerpt, which was difficult to choose-
Radiohead?s lyrics transcend all notions and conventions of modern songwriting. Through the use of abstract words and macrocosmic cultural and societal references Radiohead songs describe the plight of the modern man. The artwork, lyrics and Radiohead?s ingenious publicity campaigns together are responsible for the procreation of what can only be described as a cult. Words that carry a powerful, esoteric nuance are responsible for generating cultist reactions to the extent that for some fans even the most insignificant of electronic blips carry a deeper meaning that only the most ardent of fans can relate to. Did I say insignificant electronic blips, how clumsy of me; of course nothing is insignificant here.
Instead of having a rather personal approach to songwriting like other artists have today, Radiohead?s lyrics are a critical observation of society. The amalgamation of all these elements creates a unique truth about the world we live in that can be related to by a listener from virtually any socio-economic and cultural background, given that the listener has some amount of social consciousness and ability to be introspective.
For instance, ?Ok Computer? is a highly cohesive album where every song tells the story of the desensitization of the modern day human. A formidable work of sheer artistic genius, ?Ok Computer? is arguably one of the best examples of modern art-noir. ?They?re all uptight?, Thom Yorke laments on ?Subterranean Homesick Alien?; a fine example of Radiohead lyricism where seemingly meaningless words and references are used to present an elaborate social critique. It is the nature of the lyrics that serves as an impetus for fans to be introspective and dwell upon the words which in turn reveals the bigger picture.
Similarly ?Hail to the Thief? was a critical observation of ?what it is like to be alive in 2003?, in the words of Johnny Greenwood, the talented and multi-instrumental guitarist. Embedded within the songs were references to everything from President Bush to matador corporations and corporate corruption, inspired by events such as the American campaign that led to war in Iraq, corporate scandals such as the Enron fiasco and in simple words an earnest humanistic reaction to worldwide human suffering at the hands of merciless power-brokers.
Although subtly rebellious in nature, Mr. Yorke?s lyrics nevertheless sound almost defeated and hopeless which is very realistic. It also places a different spin on political expression through music, since the lyrics are drastically different from Bono?s ostentatious take-on-the-world attitude and Rage Against The Machine and System Of A Down?s frenzied militancy. Mr. Yorke gives us a red flag and an eye opener.
Go check out the rest here.
(Thanks to CUTW, whose message boards I am enjoying very very much.)
The Guardian has posted on an article on Jonny and the odnes martenot.
Odnes But Not Forgotten
Jonny Greenwood is known to millions as the guitarist in Radiohead, but he is enjoying a parallel life as the unlikely champion of an obscure instrument called the ondes martenot. The device, invented in 1928 by French experimenter Martenot, has featured on the past three Radiohead albums and on Greenwood’s solo debut, Bodysong. It is also, he says, the source of “that swirly sound like a woman’s voice on the Star Trek theme”.
Greenwood first heard the ghostly instrument at school, when a teacher played him a piece by French composer Messiaen. For years he didn’t know what one looked like; eventually he stumbled across one in Paris and bought it immediately. “It looks like a tiny piano, and it’s similar to the theremin, but more precise,” he says. “There’s a string with a ring in it that you slide up and down horizontally, and a button that controls the amount of sound. It’s mono, so you can only hear one note at a time – but that is a lyrical way of playing a melody.”
Now Greenwood has written Smear (being performed tonight by the London Sinfonietta at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, as part of Leeds’s Fuse festival), which features not one but two ondes martenots. “The sound of two of them together is really amazing,” he says. In fact, he has become so obsessed with the instrument’s sound that he feels “guitars just aren’t enough any more”. The martenot has become a pivotal part of Radiohead’s music: the band have even fed Thom Yorke’s vocals through its speakers.
Greenwood welcomes the news that electronics companies are looking to market the formerly obscure instrument. “It might be too late but it’s something anyone can play and it really should have had the populist appeal of the Stylophone,” he says. “It just needed a Rolf Harris. Although I’m not quite sure if that’s me.”
You can read the entire article here.
(Thanks to John.)
Back in September, seminal metal band Anthrax re-released their 1998 LP Volume 8: The Threat is Real with a few bonus tracks. One of them is a cover of The Bends. The AMG says that Anthrax’s version “isn’t surprising for its inclusion, but for how much it sounds like Tesla in Anthrax’s hands”. Hmm.
The track is available at the iTunes Music Store, click here to check it out (iTunes must be installed).
(Thanks to CUTW.)