2008 Woodie Awards
for the record
Melissa Marshall
Issue date: 11/8/07 Section: Arts
- Page 1 of 2 next >
"I wish I was special/But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo/ What the hell am I doing here?/ I don't belong here." Thom Yorke's desperate confession became an anthem - and an airwave infection - for a generation. And, almost 15 years and eight full-length releases later, Radiohead has defied an industry that labeled "Creep" a one-hit wonder, becoming one of the most innovative and respected recording artists of the last 20 years.
Fans of the Oxford quintet feared that the band's future would be blotted out in 2006 when Yorke released the instantly critically-acclaimed and more slowly aficionado-adopted solo endeavor The Eraser. In true Kid A form, The Eraser is unhinged from rock'n'roll with its predominately electronic sound and hard-to-decipher themes and melody. Lovers of the marriage of hard-hitting chordswith the emotionally charged electronicism of The Bends and OK Computer mournfully viewed Yorke as a deadbeat dad abandoning the most immaculate British union since Floyd in order to chase dreams reminiscent of a 1960s-psychedelic mid-life crisis. But, as he promised, the unpredictable genius returned with renewed brilliance on the October 2007 release In Rainbows.
And if you are not devoted Radiohead follower, you may walk your fingers over to Amazon.com or the iTunes store to check out the record, and, upon not finding it, curse the shoddy reporting of Campus columnists. And no, you won't find the album on sale for $13.99 at Best Buy, and you won't be able to steal it from WRMC after your next show. In a move as politically charged as 2003's Hail to the Thief, the release is only currently available for download at www.inrainbows.com. And what's even more extraordinary - you name your own price. From three cents to 35 bucks to a fat goose egg, the band's decision to go digital seems an odd mixture of psychological-experiment, consumer confusion and economic earthquake in an attempt to eliminate the middle-man. Still, as is their custom, the reengaged rockers have started a trend - Nine Inch Nails and Saul Williams will also release download-only records later this month.
Fans of the Oxford quintet feared that the band's future would be blotted out in 2006 when Yorke released the instantly critically-acclaimed and more slowly aficionado-adopted solo endeavor The Eraser. In true Kid A form, The Eraser is unhinged from rock'n'roll with its predominately electronic sound and hard-to-decipher themes and melody. Lovers of the marriage of hard-hitting chordswith the emotionally charged electronicism of The Bends and OK Computer mournfully viewed Yorke as a deadbeat dad abandoning the most immaculate British union since Floyd in order to chase dreams reminiscent of a 1960s-psychedelic mid-life crisis. But, as he promised, the unpredictable genius returned with renewed brilliance on the October 2007 release In Rainbows.
And if you are not devoted Radiohead follower, you may walk your fingers over to Amazon.com or the iTunes store to check out the record, and, upon not finding it, curse the shoddy reporting of Campus columnists. And no, you won't find the album on sale for $13.99 at Best Buy, and you won't be able to steal it from WRMC after your next show. In a move as politically charged as 2003's Hail to the Thief, the release is only currently available for download at www.inrainbows.com. And what's even more extraordinary - you name your own price. From three cents to 35 bucks to a fat goose egg, the band's decision to go digital seems an odd mixture of psychological-experiment, consumer confusion and economic earthquake in an attempt to eliminate the middle-man. Still, as is their custom, the reengaged rockers have started a trend - Nine Inch Nails and Saul Williams will also release download-only records later this month.
Be the first to comment on this story