I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a very bold prediction. Something that, if proven wrong, may jeopardize my lofty standing in the blogging community forever. Here it is: the new Radiohead album is going to be really good.
Just saw their concert last night and, predictably, it was magnificent. I lost count but they must’ve played seven or eight new songs. Between a couple of them, Thom said “Some of these are sketchy. Some of these are very sketchy.” But they sounded great, and more notably, they have a more upbeat vibe to them. The electronics were kept to a minimum and mostly used to supplement the rhythm, the drummer was putting out some pretty funky beats, there were handclaps and tambourines. Thom even beatboxed on one song. It seems like they’re drawing influence from modern dance music and assimilating it into their sound.
The general vibe of the band just seemed happier, too. When I saw them last, there was absolutely no chatter between the songs and they pretty much just played their music, but this time it was different. It sounds like they have something to be happy about now, and it’s showing in their new material. Needless to say, I’m super excited about their new release and it can’t come soon enough.