#RADIOHEAD SPECTRE FULL#
With Yorke “up in the clouds” and Greenwood making spaceship sounds, the rhythm section straps in and goes full New Order, hurtling towards an ecstatic climax. Sequenced in the mid-album swamp of Hail to the Thief, Where I End and You Begin is a maligned masterclass in broody synthpop. Its hooks and arrangement were deceptively crafty, though, making its turbulent climax hard to shake. There There (2003)Īfter the divisive Kid A/Amnesiac era, Hail to the Thief’s lead single felt diplomatic – no more sacrilegious than Blur’s experiments at around the same time. Creeping riffs, melodic blasts and shameless melodrama laid the groundwork for OK Computer while cementing the band’s partnership with the producer Nigel Godrich. The Bends had vamped and snarled for the gallery, but Lucky – recorded for a War Child compilation – signalled deeper concerns and higher stakes. Can a radical conscience coexist with suburban comforts, No Surprises asks? For all that it soothes, this one is pessimistic. Radiohead’s most misunderstood protagonist has it made: the house, the garden, the heart full up “like a landfill”, the “job that slowly kills you”… and how lovely it all sounds. Only a melody so blissfully innocent could withstand such jittery, nightmarish contortions. Kid A’s unorthodox breakup song was later resurrected as Morning Bell/Amnesia (“like a recurring dream,” Yorke observed), but keep room in your heart for the cold-sweats original. 2+2=5 is his polemical anthem for the era of mass-broadcast deception and enhanced interrogation techniques, captured thrillingly in this Com Lag EP version. 2+2=5 (Live at Earls Court) (2004)Īs the Iraq war protests floundered, Yorke sporadically logged on to to denounce New Labour and the warmongering “thief” in the White House. The chorus flips the grunge ethos on its head, swapping self-loathing for theatrical vitriol. Just is a time capsule at the crossroads: hailstorm distortion meets perky hooks, wily vocals and – Yorke’s mischievous challenge to Greenwood – an absurd pageant of guitar chords. Post-Creep, Radiohead were poised between grunge and Britpop. The tantalising, unresolved chords mock him, but enchant us. As birds and newspaper pages thrash in a gale, Yorke, too, longs for chaos. Scatterbrain (2003)Īn unsung gem from Hail to the Thief, Scatterbrain prescribes halting rhythms and deconstructed chords to a narrator fretting over his identity. Nowadays, Creep is a joke, but we’re all blissfully in on it. In the end, the band’s disavowal of the song sent its credibility full circle. “I want you to notice when I’m not around,” Yorke broods, a perfect lyric he probably hates. Radiohead’s biggest hit is so beautiful and corny, it is impossible to accept it on its own terms. The iffy tour version – shorn of strings and charm – attests to his handiwork on the recording. Finally entrusted to build an arrangement from scratch, he turned the live favourite Burn the Witch into this orchestral jaunt. Once the band’s secret weapon, Greenwood is now a garlanded composer and Radiohead’s melodic powerhouse. Trying a new tack, the Amnesiac opener layers anxious ticks and gamelan-style chimes before gently lampooning a “reasonable man” with an uneasy conscience.
Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box (2001)Īfter decrying consumerism, swerving into outre avant-rock and selling millions of records anyway, Radiohead learned the hard way that condemning society would just make them even richer.
Watch the video and revisit the good ‘Spectre’ below.Yorke performing in Manchester in 2012. It’s all there in that painfully perfect picture above. “But I haven’t listened to it personally because I did the Spectre theme song,” he adds in the brattiest tone possible while pointing to himself to make clear who spent 20 minutes writing the official theme song. “Was I shocked? I was a little bit surprised, not gonna lie,” says Smith, stalling. ‘Thom Yorke?” “Radiohead,” says Napes quickly before breaking his previously confident gaze to stare awkwardly at his feet for the remaining time. One journalist asked Smith about this other ‘Spectre’ at a Golden Globes press conference, which led to a lot of uncomfortable moments in only 25 seconds.įirst, confused by the reference to Thom Yorke, Smith turns to his collaborator Jimmy Napes, rephrasing the name as a question. The song was a surprise release on Christmas Day which has only caused more excitement as their mysterious new album grows closer. Radiohead’s recent new song of the same name began life as a prospective Bond song. Sam Smith won the Golden Globe for ‘Spectre’ this week, but for many there’s a new ‘Spectre’ in town.
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