I never download a Radiohead album. I resist the urge when it leaks and reward myself with some sort of great first listen. With Kid A this meant that the first time I heard the album was at an advanced listening party at the Planetarium in Vancouver. It was a friggin LASER show. In other words…an unforgettable way to hear an album by your favourite band for the first time. With Hail to the Thief it meant a late night drive around my hometown blasting the album after picking it up at a midnight release.

Now, Thom Yorke’s album has leaked. Do I follow my Radiohead “no listen” policy? I’m DYING to hear these songs. I’d love to talk about the album with some people I sort of know. But a huge part of me wants to try and regain some of the experiences I seldom have anymore. The feeling of walking into a record store, running to the right section, grabbing the album, ripping apart the plastic, throwing the album on, putting on the headphones, and closing my eyes. I want that. I really do. But the temptation to listen to this now is incredibly strong.

So I put myself if your hands. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT! Should I listen now and bring some joy and excitement at a time when a newish job is wearing me down? Or do I wait until July and experience the album properly?

Help!

As I previously mentioned, James Dean Bradfield (lead singer of the Manic Street Preachers) will be releasing his debut solo album, The Great Western, on July 24. From JDB’s new Myspace (oh lord) page:

Though James was at the helm musically, the bands unique division of labour meant that nobody has ever known much of what makes James Dean Bradfield the human being tick. ‘The Great Western’ is his belated statement of intent, a heroic pop-rock memoir statement that combines the sweeping flourishes of Everything Must Go; the airtight punk of The Holy Bible and Generation Terroristss wide-eyed lust for life, and vacuum packs it all into 11 raw, unfussed and passionate modern rock tracks.

I think that sounds pretty promising…in a press release kind of way (though it needs some serious editing). The tracklist for the album runs as follows:

1. Thats No Way To Tell A Lie
2. An English Gentleman
3. Bad Boys and Painkillers (lyrics by Nicky Wire)
4. On Saturday Morning We Will Rule The World
5. Run Romeo Run
6. Still a Long Way To Go
7. Emigre
8. To See A Friend In Tears (Jacques Brel cover)
9. Say Hello To The Pope
10. The Wrong Beginning
11. Which Way To Kyffin

But even better, check out this site for a download of James Dean Bradfield’s recent show at the Camden Barfly in London. The sound isn’t amazing, but you get pretty much every song from the album and a couple Manic’s tracks.

Will Butler from the Arcade Fire gives us a Czech music lesson on Said the Gramaphone

Download both of Radiohead’s recent London shows here

Alright. Now that Radiohead have wrapped up their European tour and the North Americans eagerly await their turn on June 1, I figured I’d upload every new song played in Europe. I’ve gone for the best quality possible pretty much. Though, sadly, the best sounding bootleg captured the band on a REAL off night (2006-05-09). I’ve included both performances of Videotape because I love it that much. So what’s your favourite new song?

UPDATED: Download the whole thing here

Videotape (2006-05-18)
Videotape (2006-05-19)
Bangers ‘n’ Mash (2006-05-09)
15 Step (2006-05-09)
Bodysnatchers (2006-05-09)
Nude (2006-05-09)
Open Pick (2006-05-09)
Spooks (2006-05-09)
Go Slowly (2006-05-13)
House of Cards (2006-05-09)
Arpeggi (2006-05-12)
4 Minute Warning (2006-05-19)

Just to be thorough, here are the acoustic performances from the benefit gig Thom and Jonny played at Koko in London on May 1. Cymbal Rush will actually be the closing track on Thom Yorke’s solo album, due out on July 11. The album is called The Eraser and I cannot wait for it!

Arpeggi (2006-05-01)
Bodysnatchers (2006-05-01)
Cymbal Rush (2006-05-01)

Keep an eye on this site if you want to download some of the concerts in their entirety.

Lovely photo of Thom in Wolverhampton by the wonderful Natalia Kutsepova who takes the best photos of Radiohead

Check out this HILARIOUS Radiohead site urging the band to play Brazil.

Ade from At Ease has a music blog too!

And finally…one of my favourite moments at a Radiohead gig. Jonny playing the keyboards with the head of his guitar WHILE PLAYING HIS GUITAR. This is from one of the Wolves gigs a couple weeks back (via Green Plastic)

Jonny > You

Good luck to all of you trying to get tickets to the Radiohead show in Los Angeles!! I will admit I’m soooo relieved I’ve got mine sorted out. I’m so stoked!

I’ve had numerous requests (most polite, some less so) to repost this Broken Social Scene concert that I originally posted back in March. The show was in Paris on December 16 of last year. Feist and Jason Collett were there, the mp3s are 192kbps, and the show sounds great. Download and enjoy!

The setlist ran:

1. All The Gods
2. 7/4 (Shoreline)
3. Fire Eye’d Boy
4. Stars and Sons
5. Cause = Time
6. Major Label Debut (slow)
7. Handjobs for the Holidays
8. Almost Crimes
9. Major Label Debut (fast)
10. Hotel
11. Improv
12. Superconnected
13. Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl
14. Bandwitch
15. Improv 2
16. Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)
17. KC Accidental
18. (encore break)
19. Lover’s Spit
20. It’s All Gonna Break

UPDATED WITH BETTER MP3!

Last night in London Radiohead opened the show by debuting yet another new song. This one, called Videotape, is already a new favourite. While many fans have been split over the new songs, Videotape seems to be a unanimous hit.

Download – Videotape (live in London 2006-05-18) (better version than previously posted)

You can also watch the performance thanks to YouTube. Seriously, what was life like before YouTube?

The full setlist for the first London show was:

01 Videotape
02 The National Anthem
03 2+2=5
04 Lucky
05 15 Step
06 Morning Bell
07 I Might Be Wrong
08 Nude
09 How To Disappear Completely
10 Airbag
11 Karma Police
12 House Of Cards
13 Arpeggi
14 My Iron Lung
15 Idioteque
16 Bodysnatchers
17 There There
——
18 Bangers N Mash
19 Pyramid Song
20 Let Down [Thom didn't sing the 2nd verse]
21 Planet Telex
——-
22 I Want None Of This
23 Everything in its right place

The Manic Street Preachers have been one of my favourite bands for a decade now. Sure, they’re not always amazing, but The Holy Bible and Everything Must Go still get very regular plays at my house. While the band are currently working on a new album, lead singer James Dean Bradfield has a solo album ready to go (much like another lead singer of a prominent British band who get posted about here very now and then). The album will be out later this summer (winter for us Southerners) and James will be playing the V Festival…along with that aformentioned British band.

I heard a CRAPPY radio rip; it’s pretty much what you’d expect. That is to say, straight-up rock ‘n’ roll but I’m quite enjoying it. Beware the catchy chorus…and the somewhat cheesy (but oh so great) synth.

In Blackpool last night (May 13) Radiohead debuted yet another new song. It’s much darker and moodier than the other new ones, featuring a heavy piano part and lots of bass….very Mogwai.

Download – Go Slowly (live in Blackpool)

In addition, Thom also played I Want None of This live for the first time. It appeared on last year’s War Child benefit album and it kinda surprises me that it made it’s way into a Radiohead show.

Download – I Want None of This (live in Blackpool)

Thanks nudesp00k!

this is just a note to say that something has been kicking around in the background that i have not told you about.
its called The Eraser.
nigel produced & arranged it .
i wrote and played it.
the elements have been kicking round now for a few years and needed to be finished & i have been itching to do something like this for ages.
it was fun and quick to do.
inevitably it is more beats & electronics.
but its songs.
stanley did the cover.
yes its a record!
no its not a radiohead record.
as you know the band are now touring and writing new stuff and getting to a good space so i want no crap about me being a traitor or whatever splitting up blah blah…
this was all done with their blessing. and i don’t wanna hear that word solo. doesnt sound right.
ok then thats that.

i think its out in july and im pretty certain XL are going to put it out.

love thom

——-

Check out the site: The Eraser

Well I’ve probably already lost some readers for the non-stop Radiohead action so far this week. And this ain’t going to win them back. During the band’s second show in Copenhagen they debuted a full-band version of ‘Arpeggi’ which had previously been played once acoustically (@ Koko on May 1) and twice with the London Sinfionetta last year. This new version takes what I thought was kind of a meh track and turns it into a song I’m really starting to love.

Radiohead – Arpeggi (live May 7, 2006)

And if you’d like to download the entire May 6 gig in Copenhagen (which features the highest quality versions of the new songs thus far) check out San Diego Serenade.

In non-Radiohead content, MarathonPacks has written my favourite piece of writing from the blogosphere in this homage to the genius of the Beatles.

UPDATE: See this post for a link to better versions of the songs posted below (as well as a new one)

These aren’t the best recordings but until a proper bootleg turns up they’ll have to do. Here are ALL the new songs Radiohead played in Copenhagen on May 5. This was the first of two shows in the city and the band unleashed some of the bands rockingest songs ever. ‘Bangers ‘n Mash’ features Thom on drums. ‘Spooks’ sounds like the Pixies. ’4 Minute Warning’ is perhaps their most straightforward “ballad” since ‘Fake Plastic Trees.’ I’ve also included ‘Let Down’ and ‘Black Star’ because they haven’t been played since 1998. And ‘Planet Telex’ because it’s still kind of a new return to the Radiohead live show. Go forth and download and let me know your thoughts on the new songs. What about this new version of ‘Nude’?

Intro Music
Planet Telex
Bangers ‘n Mash
Open Pick
Black Star
Nude
15 Step
4 Minute Warning
House of Cards
Spooks
Bodysnatchers
Let Down

Those mp3s are from the first night, here’s the setlist from the second night in Copenhagen (May 6). ‘Arpeggi’ made it’s full-band debut.

1. Everything In Its Right Place
2. The National Anthem
3. 15 Step
4. Exit Music (for a film)
5. 2+2=5
6. Bangers ‘n’ Mash
7. Nude
8. How to Disappear Completely
9. I Might Be Wrong
10. Black Star
11. Morning Bell
12. Arpeggi
13. Fake Plastic Trees
14. Spooks
15. Idioteque
16. Bodysnatchers
17. There There
—–
18. House of cards
19. Let Down
20. Planet Telex
21. Karma Police
—–
22. The Bends

Photo by Christina P. courtesy At Ease