has christmas come early?

Yet another unexpected Radiohead single has come out (although this one was apparently leaked) in the past two weeks! Called "These Are My Twisted Words", it has these wonderful atmospheric guitar lines that remind me of the arpeggios in Weird Fishes crossed with the gritty feel of Bodysnatchers. I really loved the track, and though it's not necessarily a change of direction from what they did in In Rainbows, the song definitely feels more isolated and lost without losing that particular brand of Radiohead angst that we all love so much. Listening to the song was like driving through a desert in a shoddy car- unsettling, exciting, and desolate.


(by the way, both this song and harry patch are on my blog ipod to the right of this post if you have not yet heard them)

harry patch (in memory of)

So a couple of days ago this Radiohead single came out of nowhere... apparently a tribute to the last surviving World War I veteran in Britain. I immediately went to the source to see what this was all about, and Thom Yorke, as usual, had some beautiful words to say about the song which i highly recommend you take the time to read 

http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/index.php?c=495

The lyrics are very moving and an utterly sincere cry for peace that's so rare in an age where people just wear peace signs on t-shirts or tote bags and feel as if they've done their part for humanity. When I heard the opening orchestral strains of the track, I was a little concerned that this was going to turn into some sappy Muse circa Absolution type of thing (in fact, it reminded me a bit of the strings in Muse's absolutely cringe-worthy "Blackout") but I shouldn't have doubted Radiohead for one second, because songs like Harry Patch (In Memory Of) are what distance Radiohead from any type of Muse comparison, showing that Thom Yorke possesses a quality Matthew Bellamy will never have: restraint. Radiohead's understated tribute to Harry Patch was gorgeous in its simplicity and not the slightest bit nationalistic as one might've feared from a war vet tribute. It was merely a majestic ocean of sound with Thom Yorke's beautifully broken voice floating on top.