Thom Yorke is a very hard-working musician. Very soon after the latest Radiohead album, we've already got more new music from him. This one is what used to be called a two-sided single, with tracks called "Ego" and "Mirror", and it was made in collaboration with two electronic musicians - both of whom go by monikers, Burial (William Bevan) and Four Tet (Kieran Hebden). Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a YouTube version that comes without DJ chattering, so that link will come as soon as I do. In the meantime, I thought I'd provide links for two remixes of tracks from Yorke's 2006 solo album, The Eraser, one each from the two artists named above. Just as arranging became an art form in its own rite with the development of jazz, so has remixing in the digital age. The results can be quite compelling. Here's the original version of "Atoms for Peace": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoOlrf3x2gI&feature=related, and here's Four Tet's remix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7iWEim4sWo. And here's Yorke's original of "And It Rained All Night": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A604BZ1YZU&feature=related, and here's Burial's remix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnrsXNBSwGA.

Radiohead's Thom Yorke is probably the most interesting singer in rock, and has been for some time, in my opinion. His work ethic is what makes him so; the fact that he has spent so much time writing music using piano, guitar and voice is one factor that gives him a sound that's sensitive and subtle, but also very powerful. It's also clear that he's learned a lot from great singers of the past and present. In an earlier post, I mentioned how he's indebted to John Lydon, a fact that's particularly evident on the more manic material (like "Bodysnatchers", for example), and Neil Young is also a big influence, and there are several great videos on YouTube of him and Radiohead doing Young songs. Here's a version of "Tell Me Why" that is terrific (despite the crowd noise): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHIJcx9EB94. Another singer that can be heard in Yorke is Bryan Ferry, and the version of "2HB" from the soundtrack of Velvet Goldmine, a 1998 film, is quite surprising for Yorke's uncanny impersonation of the Roxy frontman. It's definitely worth a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxcDwzsx8OQ

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.