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My grandfather would come to our house in the countryside, borrow one of our bikes, and disappear. He’d come back after dark and we had no idea where he’d been. If he ran into anybody, he’d just ask where the good nightclub was. He did that right up into his nineties."
Thom Yorke, “Thom Yorke: What I’ve Learned”, Esquire (of the assorted choice quotes here, this one was my favorite) -
Radiohead’s members readily acknowledge the influence of the Pixies, R.E.M., Aphex Twin, Autechre and other forward-looking rock and electronic artists. But the Oxford-based band, which also includes rhythm guitarist Ed O’Brien and drummer Phil Selway, is unanimous in its admiration for Miles Davis, both pre- and post-Bitches Brew.
The tempestuous jazz icon profoundly affected Radiohead, both with his constant stylistic explorations and his outspoken disdain for convention. Davis’ take-no-prisoners attitude, like his unwavering refusal to pander to expectations, was similarly influential on Greenwood and his band mates.
“Discussing Miles makes you feel like a dimestore novelist talking about Shakespeare,” Greenwood says. “We feel uncomfortable talking about Miles as any kind of influence, because what he did is so much greater and different than anything we do. We’ve taken and stolen from him shamelessly, not just musically, but in terms of his attitude of moving things forward.”
"George Varga, “Radiohead’s Jazz Frequencies”, Jazz Times (simile day!) -
“Separator” : The King of Limbs :: “Reckoner” : In Rainbows
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Radiohead has two new tracks out from The King of Limbs sessions: ‘The Daily Mail’ is available for download here along with ‘Staircase’. Nice Christmas present, guys!
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favorite albums 2011: number seven
7. Radiohead - The King of Limbs
You would think that since Radiohead has been my favorite band since freshman year of high school, they would have more to live up to with a new album than anyone else in my musical universe. But they have this way of sneaking up unannounced and just dropping new music on the world, thus evading any anticipatory lead-up to THE NEW RADIOHEAD ALBUM. I appreciate this, since it lets me just listen to the new songs and take them for what they are - and on The King of Limbs, they’re quite beautiful. Short and sweet, the eight songs here function as a showcase of everything Radiohead does best. Chopped-up vocals backed by skittery drums and bass pulses that sneak their way up to subwoofer-testing rattles? See “Feral”. Delicate piano ballad with subdued birdsong in the distance that sounds like they actually recorded it in a secluded clearing in the woods? “Codex” has you covered. It feels like the band has reached the point where all of this comes naturally - I hear the guitars’ effortless interplay, the fluid bass lines, the hyperactive but unobtrusive drumming, and think, “Yes, this is the band I know and love, continually refining what they do best”. While I wouldn’t mind another artistic leap to who-knows-where on the next album (OK Computer—>Kid A-style), the songs here are uniformly excellent, a potent distillation of everything I’ve loved about them over the years. That’ll do just fine for now.
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The band’s representatives said in an email that there will be no show in support of the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrators. “We can officially confirm this is NOT happening,” wrote Steve Martin of Nasty Little Man, the firm that represents Radiohead."
Well, it was a good idea, anyway.(Source: The Wall Street Journal)
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I miss seeing Radiohead live - please come to the PNW next year, guys! Non-album track “The Daily Mail” here on The Colbert Show.
(Source: The A.V. Club)
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New Radiohead song, “Staircase”.
Come on guys, I know you’ve got at least eight more of these, go on and release another album this year. You know you want to.
