I received a call from a friend of mine last night, who, through some means, has come into possession of the new Radiohead album.
I know that there are means on the internet to find albums like this, but I’ve consistantly stayed away, looking instead to places like Pitchfork and Epitonic for means of hearing new music. And I hope this thread doesn’t turn in to a debate regarding illegal sharing of music, although I imagine it will.
I told him I don’t want a copy of it, but I’m going over to his place tonight to listen to it. I’ll doubtless buy it when it comes out.
But, really, all this is beyond the scope of this post.
I’m curious if anyone else has heard it, or who all is hotly anticipating it’s release.
All i can say is that when copyright violation sends someones moral compass spinning,they need to readjust their moral compass.
And yes i am anticipating its release,i just hope they don’t deviate too much from their style.
Bad memories of Stabbing Westward’s latest album come to my mind…
::Ich Bin’s gets out screwdriver, set moral compas sensitivity to “slightly higher”. Begins maniacal laughter, hand wringing::
Okay, effac3d, it was a bit of an overstatement, and I didn’t mean to come off as a saint. Just the other day I mumbled under my breath when the guy in front of me cut me off! Flim-flab!
Yes, I will post a review, as feeble as it will be.
Crap, now that’s giving me the sweats. In college I wrote a few record reviews, and I just hated it. Will I make the right references? What will my completely irrelevant first paragraph be about? Eating at Taco Bell? Math equations with greater than or lessor than pairings of related bands? My fight with my girlfriend? Then, how do I somehow coyly tie it into actually talking about the record? Or, wait, do I even NEED to talk about the record? And what about my metaphors? Cripes, I’ve already used my favorite bit “the sonic equivalent of the tin woodsman falling down a flight of stairs at the Sears tower” on another review! But what if this album really IS the sonic equivalent of the tin woodsman falling down a flight of stairs at the Sears tower? Then what?
::checks bag::
Let’s see. “The sonic equivalent of a spoonful of wasps”. Not bad. I guess that will have to work. Wait, now I need to drop some references to obscure swedish hardcore bands to make you all feel ignorant. No, wait. Sweden is out, what with the Hives and all. And International Noise Conspiracy. Oops, sorry, can’t help myself, didn’t mean to showcase my obvious superiority so soon. So, let’s see. Need new country. Hmmmmm. I’ll get back to you on that.
Okay, now I just need to slip it some references to Thom’s small stature, and we should be all set. Maybe something about how far I could throw him? Good. Okay, review’s almost done. Let me just count the number of songs and I’ll be set.
Ich Bin’s before you listen to the album (and I can’t wait to hear it either) please bear in mind that Radiohead is very upset that an unfinished version of their new album, Hail To The Thief (Ironic isn’t it) was STOLEN/LEAKED and released onto the internet. They are currenty trying to find the source of the leak.
What you may hear is not the actual album as intended for release but an unmixed raw copy. Radiohead does not want people thinking that the ablum will sound the same.
If you are interested, I check out www.Greenplastic.com for all of my Radiohead news. Very reliable source. Unfortunately they will be playing here in NYC and LI the weekend of my cousins wedding so I can’t see the shows.
Oh I also pre-ordered the Japanese import (title unknow possiblly “There There”) to be release next week on Amazon. A little pricey but I need my Radiohead.
Thanks for the link, NYR407. I’m usually a frequent visitor to the greenplastic website, but haven’t looked there for some time; I should have checked there last night to see their take on this event.
After reading through the greenplastic site, it’s going to change how I listen to the album tonight. A musician was interviewed in a local paper some years ago, and asked what recording session he would have liked to sit in on. His answer was “Kid A”. Next to the Beatles, I’d have to agree. So, I’m looking at this as a chance to peek behind the curtain, so to speak.
Fair enough Ich Bin’s but personally I wouldn’t want to hear an unfininshed mix until I could acclimate myself to the intended versions.
Enjoy the listening session. I still would like to hear your thoughts even though its probably not the finished work.
BTW, Dark Side of The Moon recording session must have been amazing as well. I would have liked to have been able to enter Abbey Road Studios and answered one of the questions on the index cards they provided. My voice could have been imortalized on one of the greatest albums ever.
The last three Radiohead albums were all purchased by me on the day of their release, then brought home.
The phone was turned off. Listening position in the center of the couch was taken, and the CD turned on.
There are a handful of albums I’d give anything to go back and hear like this, when they’re brand new, before preconceptions come out, and reviews, and copycats.
This is like getting a grainy bootleg of a scary movie, video taped by someone in the crowd, and watching it on a Sunday afternoon, with the sun shining. You only get that one chance to experience it right, the first time.
I’m potentially robbing myself of this experience.
Well, Ich, you don’t HAVE to listen to it. You could say no. Personally, I’d like to hear it and compare it to the final version because the process of creating art interests me. But then again, I like to remain “spoiler-free” for most movies, so I see your point. If you don’t want to listen, I won’t hold it against you.
I’m all for MP3s, and for record companies waking up and entering the 21st (or even the second half of the 20th) century, but throwing an unfinished work up on the Internet is kind of a crappy thing to do. The same thing was done to Tori Amos’s most recent CD and she wasn’t happy about it.
That said, I downloaded “Hail to the Thief” about a week ago. I like it. It’s less spacey and a little more accessible than a lot of their other recent stuff. At the same time, it doesn’t sound to me like a total departure from the music that has made them huge in recent years. And, of course, some songs are more “out there” than others.
While unfinished, the sound quality is really quite good. I haven’t really listened to it enough to decide which songs are my favorites. I do wonder what they’ll change in the final version of the CD. I would be more than happy if they released it as-is.
Hell, I feel like I’m evaluating beta software. So, um, in conclusion, this album has very few bugs and is quite compatible with my operating environment.
I’ve heard it quite a few times, and I think it’s great. Perfect mixture of OK Computer and Kid A. Beautifully detailed harmonies and phrases that take left turns.
It’s out officially June 9th (same day as the new Steely Dan; happy day for me!)
I’ll wait for Ich Bin’s review before posting details; wouldn’t want to steal his thunder in his own thread.
Arrgh, I have to wait til June to get it? I’m with the crew that doesn’t want to listen to an “unfinished” version of it. I want to sit down with the liner notes in hand and listen to the real thing. And that’ll give me something to do the week before the new Drive-By Truckers comes out. Hooray for June.
Okay, my apologies to all for completely derailing my own thread. I didn’t hear the Radiohead album Thursday night, but not for the reasons I originally thought.
My wife went into labor and our baby was born.
So, needless to say, I haven’t finished my lengthy review of the album I haven’t heard. But I shall! Just, not sure when. Maybe when it comes out, at around the same time as NYR407 and Howie. We can meet back here and compare notes.
Suppose I should start a “my amazing baby” thread.
