Further to yesterday's post regarding Orwell's influence on rock, I can't leave the topic without discussing it in terms of Radiohead. I don't think it's too much to say that there's probably never been a band that owes so much to a writer. From their album art (which, because of the integrative process by which it's created - i.e. at the same time and place as the music - adds great layers of meaning to the albums) to their lyrics (which consider themes of mind control and the individual versus faceless power structures) to the music (which often sounds like it's made by a synthesis of man and machine), the single most descriptive word for all of it is probably "Orwellian". Which is fine. The issues that Orwell raised in his incredibly sophisticated fictions are front and center in our time, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. And knowing their importance, the fact that he inspired the most important rock artists of the 21st century isn't really a surprise. Here's "2+2=5": (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lln2tSRuk_Q)

I don't know about you, but I'm anxiously anticipating the new Radiohead album. It could be out soon, or in several months - no one knows (probably not even them). The only thing that we do know is that they're in the studio, which is cool. So while we're waiting, I thought that I would write something about their last official release, "These Are My Twisted Words", the free download single from August of 2009. Musically, the song is an experiment in texture, overlapping rhythms, and the magnetic pulls exerted by the use of harmonic pedals (i.e. a tone repeated throughout a progression), and for me anyway, it's one of their most interesting and beautiful pieces. The lyrics are very sparse (there are only eleven lines, and they don't begin until just before the song's midway point), but they're suggestive of a larger hidden structure, somewhat similar to the leafless tree branches in the accompanying artwork by Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/These_Are_My_Twisted_Words). So give it a listen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Rvz-z5Kqw) and repeat as necessary, while we wait.