Radiohead have started working on the follow-up of ‘Hail To The Thief‘ (2003) in various sessions since March 2005, as revealed by Thom, Jonny & Ed. Jonny Greenwood said in March 2005: "We’re rehearsing at the moment, and again it’s fun. We all want to push forward, and when you have five people who are all like that, you couldn’t ask for a better thing. We’re all kind of *hungry* for new new new at the moment. Good songs".Arpeggi is the first new track, which premiered at the Ether Festival (Royal Festival Hall, London) on March 27th 2005. Arpeggi was performed by the Nazareth Orchestra with Jonny Greenwood on the Ondes Martenot with Thom Yorke on vocals. On April 16th, Thom Yorke did an acoustic set at a London Trade Justice rally, where he played new song House of Cards as well as the still unreleased Reckoner and Last Flowers. Thom mentioned that Arpeggi was nearly finished.
Then it remains quiet for a while. Until August 2005… Radiohead contribute to a new album being put together in aid of War Child. The ‘Help: A Day in the Life‘ album celebrates the 10th anniversary of the original HELP album. Radiohead donate new track ‘I Want None Of This‘.
In August 2005, the band start their own blog (Dead Air Space) on Radiohead.com with posts from the studio. Thom: "i dont know. what do people write in blogs normally?
i could write about how im finding it difficult to finish lyrics.
that there are giant waves of self doubt crashing over me and if i could allieviate this with a simple pill …
"Thom also commented on the fact that the band are out of contract: "What we would like is th e old EMI back again, the nice genteel arms manufacturers who treated music a nice side project who werent to bothered about the shareholders. ah well not much chance of that….."
i could write about how im finding it difficult to finish lyrics.
that there are giant waves of self doubt crashing over me and if i could allieviate this with a simple pill …
"Thom also commented on the fact that the band are out of contract: "What we would like is th e old EMI back again, the nice genteel arms manufacturers who treated music a nice side project who werent to bothered about the shareholders. ah well not much chance of that….."
The band are going back to the studio (Thom: "we are going into a proper studio on thursday with 192 faders, which is a lot of choice, a bit like the supermarket").
Ed O’Brien comments on their August recording sessions: "So apart from a 3 and a half week tour to the other side of the world in april of 2004 the rest of that year was a dormant one for us. We needed a break, the end of another 3 album cycle. They’re not planned like that but thats how it seems to be. We needed to be at home with our families. Lots of babies too. So we reconvened in mid – february and since then we’ve been trying to kick start the old beast."The band are woring on Mornin’ M’lud and Pigsee (or Pig’s Ear). The band end their recording sessions on August 23rd.
The band are back a month later. Jonny said in late September 2005: "We’re back in the studio, and all is fun and well. Stanley’s here too, or at least in the shed out back, painting again."
Thom: im working on something that i think is called PAY DAY. im gonna lay the lyrics line by line on the floor and shuffle them. and im having to play gentle fingerpicking over furious beat. but today i got the words to BURN THE (WHITE?) WITCH.. thats a good un. jonny has losts of orchestration tasks now including this..(‘oh good’ says he exiting stage left)
Radiohead post a picture of the blackboard in the studio on September 30th 2005. Thom: "Blackboard filling up with ideas. lots of things happening all over the studio at once.. which i always like.. although i keep having to remind myself to sit down occasionally. (…) so now we have..
lots of loose ends.
or starts.
two weeks sketching things.
chipping away at structures.
making polyphonic sweeps.
mountains of words.
the blackboard is filling up."
lots of loose ends.
or starts.
two weeks sketching things.
chipping away at structures.
making polyphonic sweeps.
mountains of words.
the blackboard is filling up."
Thom: "Jonnys stepping over guitar leads and pedals and laptop as we
demo. Yet another new tune added to the blackboard called Rubbernecks. At the moment its a demo. when is a demo not a demo? when its in time. whats in time?
demo. Yet another new tune added to the blackboard called Rubbernecks. At the moment its a demo. when is a demo not a demo? when its in time. whats in time?
The band end another two week session on October 22nd. Ed: "It’s always difficult to judge right now but i think we may have got ‘bodysnatchers’. Had a couple of sticky days at the beginning of the week but saw it through. On a roll now. Lots of stuff to be done yet, but so far so good. The studio is fab, its so good to play in and listen. You know what works and what doesn’t. The only problem is you will never hear what you do sound so good as the sound system is outrageous."
In February 2006 the band are back for studio rehearsals. It turns out the band are working on the old unreleased track Nude. Thom: "Jonny is hastily writing out scores for a string quartet who are comign tommoro. Right now we are working on nude, it sounds beautiful, as far as i can tell."
Thom thinks the band is finally getting somewhere as they are listening back to things they are are doing as he writes in March 2006: "There are lots of songs. too many
to get together straight away. so we will be furiously rehearsing and writing as we go. I think we’ve always worked best when we arent bothered
about making mistakes. Theres a lot of baggage about the old way of doing things that is hard to get over…
all the ‘album’ crap..just this level of pressure that is ridiculous..
we’re just going to do what feels right at the time
quite into the idea of singles at the moment(that dont get on the radio)".
about making mistakes. Theres a lot of baggage about the old way of doing things that is hard to get over…
all the ‘album’ crap..just this level of pressure that is ridiculous..
we’re just going to do what feels right at the time
quite into the idea of singles at the moment(that dont get on the radio)".
In the meantime another picture of the blackboard shows up in March with 17 songs the band are apparently rehearsing for their upcoming tour.
In March 2006 Thom & Colin talk to NME (published in April) about the new album: Thom: “I got hold of this computer software where you can do town planning,” he explains. “You can do this thing where you can draw trees and you have nice little men on bicycles, and landscapes and towns and you just build up a town like Sim City or something. That’s what I’m writing about. It’s like that “No Town” nightmare situation thing. We had this phrase kicking about for ages, “New Suburbian”. It’s like a made-up word, but that really sums up what I’m writing about at the moment I think. It’s about that anonymous fear thing, sitting in traffic, thinking ‘I’m sure I’m supposed to be doing something else’. Interestingly enough, it’s similar to OK Computer in a way. It’s much more terrifying. But OK Computer was terrifying too.”
Terrifying, but definitely exciting. Thom likens not having a record deal to those old cartoons there a roadrunner is being chased off a cliff, but doesn’t fall until he looks down. As long as Radiohead keep looking forward, everything will be OK. They do plan to sign a record deal eventually, but on their own terms, and not until the album is finished and they’ve got something to show for their efforts. Thom : “I think it’s a nutty situation to be in to have no definite release system. It’s really liberating not to feel part of the record company structure. It should be an extremely positive place to be in but it’s also an extremely strange situation to be in. One of the things you discover really quickly when you discover you’re not committed to anything is that you need some level of commitment because otherwise you just start fucking about, which is what we did for ages.”
It’s this freedom that makes it possible to do things like V festival, an event that raised more than a few eyebrows among their No Logo loving fanbase. “We’re not plugging an album with a live show,” explains Colin. “We’re doing a live show because we want to get out there and do that. There won’t be cardboard cut-outs in HMV."
After a 13-song set by Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood atLondon’s Koko, Radiohead kick-off a European tour in May 2006. In Copenhagen, Radiohead debut ‘Bangers ‘n Mash’, ‘House Of Cards’, ‘Spooks’, ‘Open Pick’, ’15 Step’, ’4 Minute Warning’ and ‘Bodysnatchers’. On other dates, tracks like ‘Go Slowly’, ‘Videotape’ and ‘I want none of this’ make their live debut.
Before Radiohead have finished their May tour, Thom Yorke announces the release of his solo record ‘The Eraser‘, slated for a released on XL Recordings on July 10th. In June Radiohead debut some more new songs on their North American tour: ‘All I Need’ and ‘Down Is The New Up’. Radiohead play some more shows in Europe in August, finishing with a rescheduled Amsterdam show (their second show in May was cancelled) on August 28th.
Radiohead return to the studio in October 2006. Thom: "weve started the record properly now. starting to get somewhere i think. finally." In December two Radiohead tracks from Thom Yorke’s performance for producer Nigel Godrich’s show ‘From The Basement‘ are released through iTunes as video podcast: ‘Videotape’ and ‘Down Is the New Up’. Radiohead take another break, planning to return to the studio in January 2007.
Thom Yorke posts on January 19th 2007: "back at werk. so we have staRTed up again had a good today.
working on a version of 15step and rebuilding our studio
in the wind". Information from the studio remains scarce except for some photos. IN April Thom says: "Radiohead starts up again having finally caught up on some sleep next week. I have a cd of what we;’ve been up to…and you haven’t.yet.(sorry)." All we get is a tiny samples of ’15 Step’. We’ll have to wait till June 15th, when Ed O’Brien says: "Yes I know its been a while ….. but we’ve been working on this album for a while …… BUT WE ARE NEARLY THERE …..". The next day (June 16th – which marks the 10th anniversary of ‘OK Computer’), producer Nigel Godrich posts several snippets of outtakes of the new tracks, which includes ‘Open Pick’, ‘All I Need’, ‘Down Is The New Up’, ‘Arpeggi’ and ‘Bangers ‘n Mash’. A month later, Radiohead have been spotted in New York City with Nigel Godrich, where Ed O’Brien reveals that the band are mastering the new album.
working on a version of 15step and rebuilding our studio
in the wind". Information from the studio remains scarce except for some photos. IN April Thom says: "Radiohead starts up again having finally caught up on some sleep next week. I have a cd of what we;’ve been up to…and you haven’t.yet.(sorry)." All we get is a tiny samples of ’15 Step’. We’ll have to wait till June 15th, when Ed O’Brien says: "Yes I know its been a while ….. but we’ve been working on this album for a while …… BUT WE ARE NEARLY THERE …..". The next day (June 16th – which marks the 10th anniversary of ‘OK Computer’), producer Nigel Godrich posts several snippets of outtakes of the new tracks, which includes ‘Open Pick’, ‘All I Need’, ‘Down Is The New Up’, ‘Arpeggi’ and ‘Bangers ‘n Mash’. A month later, Radiohead have been spotted in New York City with Nigel Godrich, where Ed O’Brien reveals that the band are mastering the new album.
In September 2007, Radiohead tease the fans with cryptic messages in the form of ‘Worm Buffet’ images. Fans posting on the At Ease message board decode the symbols sooner than the band expected. Although the messages are still vague, it was clear an announcement was expected fairly soon. However, the announcement made by Jonny Greenwood on Dead Air Space was a surprise. Shortly after midnight on October 1st Jonny posted: "Hello everyone. Well, the new album is finished, and it’s coming out in 10 days; We’ve called it In Rainbows. Love from us all."
Here are the lyrics of the songs in In Rainbows:15 Step
Bodysnatchers
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
All I Need
Faust Arp
Reckoner
House of Cards
Jigsaw Falling Into Pieces
Videotape
Down is the New Up
Go Slowly
Last Flowers
Up on the Ladder
Bangers and Mash
4 Minute Warning
Sources:
http://www.ateaseweb.com/
