Radiohead
June 4, 2006 Thom Yorke said that 2003’s Hail to the Thief was music that you could shag to. If last night’s preview of Radiohead’s new songs is any indication, Yorke and Co.’s next record is going to be music you can dance to. Out of the 24 songs played on Sunday night, almost half of them were new material. And as a testament to the rabidity of Radiohead’s fans, the audience seemed to know almost all of them – most notably “15 Step” (as the story goes, during a recent show in Philadelphia, Yorke tried unsuccessfully to get the audience to clap their hands in unison to the beat of the song. And this is why we love the internet: at Sunday’s show, the audience immediately began clapping their hands, in a desperate attempt to please Thom Yorke and prove that we were a better set of fans), “Bodysnatchers,” and “Bangers ‘N Mash.” As a whole, the new material is exciting because of its comparative simplicity to the overt electronic confusion of Radiohead’s past three studio releases. Each song sounded like it could have been a single (albeit a ‘Radiohead’ single, not some craptastic Arctic Monkeys song), and most songs had a very straightforward angle to them: the crooning, soul-inspired vocal work of “Nude,” the surf-rock guitar of “Spooks” and the sheared-off, staccato guitar-riffing of “Four Minute Warning.” When not showcasing their new material, Radiohead favored songs from their most recent album Hail to the Thief, including a stunningly creepy “The Gloaming” and the gorgeous, tremulously building “How to Disappear Completely.” Even these slower songs projected an enormous amount of energy, and showcased the seamless interactions between the band members. The complex nature of Radiohead’s best songs requires an almost telepathic familiarity between band members, and the success of the grandly alienating “Idioteque” and the symphonic car-crash of “National Anthem” show how tight a unit this band is. While the crowd responded enthusiastically to every song the band played, songs from 1997’s OK Computer drew incredibly fierce reactions from fans, and perhaps the most successful moments of the evening were derived from “Lucky,” “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police,” the anthemic show closer. Since Radiohead’s next album is tentatively scheduled for a 2007 release, you can get your fix when Thom Yorke’s solo album The Eraser becomes available on July 11. -- Jessica Netishen 06/05/06
June 5th, 2006 After the 24-song, mindblowing, crowdpleasing marathon that was Night 1 of Radiohead’s all-too-brief visit to Boston’s Pavilion, I found myself wondering what they could possibly pull out next. Silly me. Those Oxford boys can always find something, can’t they? I’m not given to hyperbole, but you’ll have to excuse me. The return of the greatest band in the history of the world to the Pavilion stage brought an incredible level of excitement to the crowd of Night 2. Taking the stage in front of a set of large, oddly shaped video screens, the band shocked hardcore fans by opening with OK Computer’s terrifying, near-psychopathic monologue “Climbing Up The Walls.” Full of their unique energy, the band ripped through a set of old favorites interspersed with brand-new songs. If these shows are any indication of how the studio versions will turn out, this is one of the best batches of songs that the band has ever written. In terms of variety, they span the entirety of their own diverse past within this one set of about a dozen songs. Many of them feel almost punkish (“Bodysnatchers” and “Bangers and Mash”), and yet they sit quite comfortably next to a Kid A-styled composition like the ethereal “Arpeggi,” which rivals their very best and most haunting work. “15 Step” is like a more cheerful “Idioteque” with a somehow medieval chord progression. Completely new in every way is “Videotape,” a harmonically simple but emotionally wrenching ballad that is easily one of the most powerful works of music of recent years. Finally, fan favorite “Big Ideas” has been officially named “Nude” and reworked into a sparser arrangement that prominently features Thom’s glorious vocals over the bleak foundation of drums and bass; despite the perks of this new version, there is much to be said for the early recordings that included Rhodes keyboard and organ. Plus, we were lucky enough to hear quite a few old gems! The track “Kid A” has been reworked live without the strange vocoder effect on Thom’s voice, and it proves to be one of their most gorgeous songs in concert. The whole show leaned towards the relaxed and chilling, with live rarities such as “Like Spinning Plates,” “Knives Out” and show-closer “The Tourist” being just a few highlights. For old-school fans, the band whipped out the classic “Fake Plastic Trees” as well as a face-melting “Just.” It seemed like the entire crowd departed the venue begging for more. Even after two days of bliss, there is simply so much more that they could do (they skipped “Pyramid Song” and “Exit Music,” godammit!). But what position are we in to complain? Radiohead gave Boston the best shows of the year, and for that I want to thank them. -- Matt Aucoin
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