Radiohead @ The Hollywood Bowl - 8/24 & 8/25

[photo courtesy of Flickr user sweetcell]

When one of the greatest bands on the planet comes to your town, you do what you can to see them perform. When they come in town for two days? Well, then you bite the bullet and shell out the cash to go twice.

It may not be such a cut-and-dry decision for everyone, but if you've had the pleasure of seeing Radiohead in person before then the choice becomes quite clear. I had seen the boys from Oxford three times previously and each time the experience was amazing. The last two nights were no exception as Radiohead put on a dazzling spectacle that entertained, stimulated the senses and inspired moments of emotional connection.

Sunday's setlist relied heavily on material from Kid A, Hail to the Theif, and In Rainbows, with nine of the 25 songs coming from the latter album. Conversely, they didn't play a single song off Pablo Honey (this was true of Monday as well) and only "Street Spirit" from The Bends made the cut. Clearly, Radiohead feel more at ease showcasing material from their most abstract creative works than with their more conventional rock fare. The accompanying visual stage setup only solidified this fact even further.

Surrounded by light rods, video screens and LED boards, the stage played almost as big of a role in entertaining the crowd as the music did. Syncopated light blips and waves of color during electronica-influenced songs like "Ideoteque", "Everything In Its Right Place", and "The Gloaming" enhanced the experience in awe-inspiring ways. While moments of noise and chaos like "The National Anthem" and "Paranoid Android" were met with video effects and spastic lighting sequences that made it look like the stage could blow a fuse and crash at any moment.

Thankfully, the stage held up and so did the band. Obviously, I was blown away and the second the lights turned on I was counting down to Monday's show.

While my seats on Monday were way out in the boonies, I did have a direct view of the stage, which was kind of nice as it forced me to pay attention to everything at once (not like I had a choice). What I noticed on the second night was how much the crowd connects with whatever kind of feeling Radiohead is projecting. During sad and slow songs like "No Surprises", "Pyramid Song" and "House of Cards" people seemed to follow Thom Yorke's lead by relishing the hidden beauty of anguished memories. No doubt many of them have managed to internalize their themes and apply them to their own lives.

When the volume got turned up and some older gems like "The Bends" and "Planet Telex" were revisited, the crowd instantly matched the band's thunderous fury by indulging in anthemic sing-along. I was once again reminded of how fiercely loyal and devoted Radiohead's fanbase is, which has yet to produce a bad crowd in the five times I've seen them perform.

Other highlights of night two were Thom and Johnny Greenwood's spontaneous (and well executed, I might add) cover of Neil Young's "Tell Me Why" (video included below) and Thom performing a track off his solo album ("Cymbal Rush") that he nearly forgot the words to.

In the end, it is hard to say which show was better. I felt like Sunday had a better mix of loud and quite songs, while Monday had a better mix of old and new (not to mention, a better encore). It really doesn't matter because the wonderful thing about seeing Radiohead is that it's nearly impossible to quantify which show was better than another. To me that is the mark of a truly great band, and a feat only a select few can actually manage to pull off.

August 24, 2008:

15 Step
There There
Morning Bell
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Nude
Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
The Gloaming
National Anthem
Wolf at the Door
Faust Arp
Exit Music
Jigsaw falling into place
Idioteque
Climbing up the walls
Bodysnatchers
How to Disappear Completely
—–
Videotape
Paranoid Android
Dollars and Cents
Reckoner
Street spirit (fade out)
—–
House of Cards
Lucky
Everything In Its Right Place

August 25, 2008:

Reckoner
Optimistic
There There
15 Step
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
Videotape
Talk Show Host
Faust Arp
Tell Me Why (Neil Young Cover)
No Surprises
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
The Bends
The National Anthem
Nude
Bodysnatchers
__

House of Cards
Planet Telex
Go Slowly
Fake Plastic Trees
True Love Waits Intro/Everything In Its Right Place

Cymbal Rush
__

Karma Police
Idioteque


Radiohead :: "Tell Me Why" (neil young cover) from gorilla vs. bear on Vimeo.

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Video of the Week - Radiohead: "House of Cards"

It was bound to happen sooner or later and what better band than Radiohead to have the distinction of being the first to receive "Song of the Day" and "Video of the Week" honors for the same song? As you may recall, I have quite a fondness for this track and believe it is one of the strongest found on In Rainbows. Where the song stood out mainly because of its simplicity and intimacy, the accompanying video is distinguished by its technological originality.

Created without the use of cameras or lights, "House of Cards" employs a combination of structured light and Lidar laser-enhanced scanners to create a real-time 3D model of Thom Yorke's movements. I really have no idea what most of that means, except that it sounds real cool and it's not surprising that Radiohead would be receptive something like this. Check out the video after the jump and read all about how it was made in the latest issue of Creativity.

>>>Continue reading "Video of the Week - Radiohead: "House of Cards""

The 20 Best Albums of 2007 - Radiohead: "In Rainbows"

6.  It's hard to separate the hype of In Rainbows from the substance. With so much already been written about the revolutionary impact of the album's viral marketing and distribution methods, it would be easy for many fans (especially the Radiohead faithful, who don't possess the most objective ears) to over-praise the music simply because they were rooting for the album to succeed.

First off, Radiohead is too accomplished of a band to need our charity. Second, they never claimed their decision to self-release In Rainbows as a pay-what-you-want digital download was anything more than a strategic move based more on convenience and less on protest. This was a simple case of a band who, having spent several months without being under contract, realized their notoriety afforded them the freedom to bring their music directly to the people without the need of promo tours, press junkets, MTV appearances or any of the other nonsense that goes into promoting a record. It doesn't work that way for everyone and it certainly isn't something Radiohead recommends to non-established artists.

Now, on to the music. On their seven studio album Radiohead finds themselves in perhaps the most enviable position a band would want to be in - they are both critically and commercially successful while enjoying the freedom to create whatever music they damn  please. The experimentations with electronic beats and rhythms found throughout Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief are still present on this record, but now it sounds like they've figured out how to incorporate them into more traditional rock arrangements.

Gone are avant garde electronic whirlwinds like "Ideoteque", "The Gloaming" or "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" and in their place are more subdued songs like "Nude," "House of Cards" and "All I Need," which proceed with deliberate melodies that are easy on the senses. That isn't to say that Johnny Greenwood has given up using electronic noise altogether (as album opener "15 Step" proves), rather he has learned how to pull back the reigns and put the focus back on the band as a four piece rock outfit.

In the past a song like "Reckoner" might have included syncopated synth beats behind Phil Selway's metallic drums, but now Greenwood allows him to take charge using nothing more than his cymbals and a snare. The result is a song that's heavy on melody and light on bells and whistles. As the rest of In Rainbows proves, this isn't the exception to the rule.

>>>Continue reading "The 20 Best Albums of 2007 - Radiohead: "In Rainbows""

Video of the Week - Radiohead: "The Headmaster Ritual" (Smiths Cover)

I don't think there is a band on the planet on a bigger roll right now than Radiohead. First they ditched the major record label apparatus and released their eagerly anticipated seventh album via their website under a pay-whatever-you-want price point. Then they sign a cushy record contract with a completely independent label. And now they have kept the viral marketing buzz alive by treating their fans to a live webcast on the new Radiohead.tv site.

If you have the chance to check it out, I strongly recommend that you do. There's a nice little mix of nonsensical messages and video clips, along with footage of Thom Yorke DJ'ing the likes of M.I.A. and !!!, a short video for "15 Step" and some live studio performances. Among the live studio gems was a cover of one of my favorite Smiths songs, "The Headmaster Ritual." Thom does a nice job of channeling his inner Morrissey without copying him outright. In fact, if I didn't know this was a Smiths song I would have no problem believing that Thom wrote it himself.

>>>Continue reading "Video of the Week - Radiohead: "The Headmaster Ritual" (Smiths Cover)"

Song of the Day - Radiohead: "House of Cards"

Yes, it is "All Radiohead, All The Time" (at least today) over here at The Fertile Crescent and I make no apologies. It's been four long years since the release of Hail to the Thief and today's watershed release of In Rainbows feels like a holiday to me. Today's Song of the Day continues that celebration as it is one of my personal favorites on the new album.

"House of Cards" may be familiar to those who had the chance to see Radiohead during their most recent tour (which, due to my lack of money and tickets selling out in less than five minutes, doesn't include me), but even if it isn't it does sound as if you've heard it before. Not because it is derivative of Radiohead's earlier work, but because it is (for lack of a better word) catchy. That may be a weird adjective to attribute to a Radiohead song, but I think it applies even if 'catchy' in this instance doesn't equal 'poppy', which this song certainly is not. Johnny Greenwood's simple guitar hook is mostly to blame, as it serves as the foundation for Thom Yorke's plea to a would-be lover. This combination, along with the swirling string atmospherics in the background, give this track a graceful flow that is beautiful to listen to. Usually when Radiohead attempts songs like this they are laden with wailing vocals and abstract lyrical imagery, but this seem much less overwrought this time around. While I love those songs too, it is nice to see the band take an approach that is a departure from the past and succeed flawlessly.



*Photo credit: Radiohead's Dead Air Space blog. >>>Continue reading "Song of the Day - Radiohead: "House of Cards""

The Radiohead Revolution?

So, I just finished downloading my copy of In Rainbows (which is awesome, btw) and was thinking to myself that years from now I might look back on this day as the beginning of the end for the music industry as we know it. Granted, there are still many unknowns that need to be answered before we can judge the success of Radiohead's DIY business model as a sea change for the industry or merely a modest success for an already wildly popular band. What we do know is that Radiohead's trail-blazing (at least, for a band of their stature) ways have already inspired several big name artists to flip the bird to the major record labels.

Just yesterday the blogosphere was abuzz with the news that Trent Reznor, the man behind Nine Inch Nails, is leaving Interscope now that his contract has expired and intends to stay a "free agent" for the foreseeable future. And in Wednesday's edition of the Daily Telegraph comes news that Oasis and Jamiroquai have plans to release their next albums for free via digital download. Also in the same article is word that The Charlatans (or Charlatans UK as they are known in the States) plan to do the same.

If this trend continues then the industry will truly be turned completely on its head. It makes sense, since basic economic principles dictate that the cost of producing music will continue to fall until it eventually approaches zero, so what are the major labels going to do when that happens? One would think the RIAA and its members have some sort of strategy, but my guess is they are too busy suing consumers to really be bothered with such menial tasks. Which is actually a good thing since they are hardly the type of people who would embrace innovation anyway. The sooner they get eliminated from the equation the better it will be for music artists and consumers alike. >>>Continue reading "The Radiohead Revolution?"

Radiohead to RIAA: F@#K YOU!

Just when it looked like Radiohead's street cred among the indie rock masses couldn't get any stronger, comes this morning's news that their new album is being self-released online in 10 days! Why it was only yesterday when it was revealed that the mysterious website RadioheadLP7.com, which launched on Wednesday and included a cryptic message that was thought to be a countdown, was actually a hoax perpetrated by an overzealous fan and had nothing to do with the band whatsoever (or so we were told). Furthermore, the band's management went on to say there was no fresh news concerning the latest as-yet-titled Radiohead album. Then, in a matter of hours, the band completely catches everyone off guard and announces not only does the album have a title (In Rainbows), but it is also being released for digital download exclusively on Radiohead.com in a scant 10 days.

But that isn't even the good part. In order for the privilege of downloading the album (sans DRM, of course) directly from the band and without the need for a record label (their deal with Capitol expired months ago and currently they are "free agents") fans can pay WHATEVER THEY WANT for it. Yes, add the pre-order to your shopping cart and the price field is blank with a box for you to enter your own price. Essentially, Radiohead is leaking their new album in an official capacity and asking fans to make a donation for their troubles. I paid £4 ($8.15), but you can pay less or more if you'd like. And if you are an uber-fan then you can also pre-order a special "discbox" edition of In Rainbows, which comes complete with the 10-track album in CD, vinyl and digital formats, a bonus disc with eight additional tracks, photos and artwork, an additional vinyl with the bonus tracks plus a lyrics booklet for the low pre-order price of £40 ($81). The discbox package will be released on December 3rd, while a good 'ol fashioned CD version will be released sometime next year. Presumably, whenever Radiohead secures distribution and/or a record deal.

My guess is that swarms of fans will not only purchase the digital version of In Rainbows, but most will elect to pay a fair price for it, simply because the band has shown a tremendous amount of respect for their fans by giving them exactly what they have been clamoring for; music that is theirs to own to do whatever they want with. Conversely, Radiohead has shown a complete lack of respect for the major label apparatus that has slowly been killing the music industry. Instead of securing a record deal and national/international distribution, releasing a teaser single to commercial radio, and embarking on a contrived press tour, the band is actually punishing those people who choose to purchase the album in a conventional record store (ie. the instrument that feeds the RIAA beast) by giving it a release date that is much later than the digital version. Why go through a middle man and aide the major record labels' greed when you can buy the album at a fair price directly from the people who poured their efforts into creating it in the first place? If you truly support musicians then you will give the RIAA the finger and head over to Radiohead.com to purchase the album now.

>>>Continue reading "Radiohead to RIAA: F@#K YOU!"