Radiohead: Difference between revisions

Radiohead is an extremely popular [[Alternative Rock]] group from England. Originally your usual type of alt-rock band, the sound on their early albums (''Pablo Honey'', ''The Bends'') gave way to more ambitious albums that incorporated spacey rock (''OK Computer'') and experimental electronic sounds (''Kid A'', ''Amnesiac'', ''Hail to the Thief'') before returning to a slightly more mainstream sound (''In Rainbows''). Their latest album, ''The King of Limbs'', sees the band dabble in electronic experimentation once more, with a distinct dubstep influence in places.

 

 

The band is known for its anti-establishment lyrics and, since ''Kid A'', rejecting much of the standard promotion forms of the industry. Most notably, the band opted to promote ''Kid A'' (which was highly anticipated after the success of ''OK Computer'') with a series of one-minute long viral videos featuring snippets of each song from the album. Furthermore, the group opted to allow fans to name their own price for the right to download their album (''In Rainbows'') online off of their website.

* ''Kid A'' (2000)

* ''Amnesiac'' (2001)

* ''In Rainbows'' (2007)

* ''The King of Limbs'' (2011)

** Some fans have memorized the entire [[Piss-Take Rap]] of "A Wolf at the Door" and chant along with it in concert.

** Mass lie-downs, mimicking the "Just" video, have apparently been planned among fans for performances of the song

** For "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors", Thom actually sang the lyrics but ran the vocals through autotune with ridiculous pitch-shifting settings to create a disorienting effect.

** "Kid A" qualifies for this too, though it's a slight subversion - it's still up in the air whether it's autotune or a vocoder effect. Thom's voice is distorted almost to the point of incomprehension, allegedly in order to distance himself from the brutal and horrible subject matter.

* [[Call Back]] - The lines "I don't know why I feel so tongue tied/don't know why I feel so skinned alive" were first used in "Cuttooth", a track that was supposed to be on ''Amnesiac'' but was held off for unknown reasons. They later show up in "Myxomatosis", which is about [[Executive Meddling]].

** The "no no no no no" [[Madness Mantra]] in "A Wolf at the Door" may be callback to "A Punch Up at a Wedding."

** From "2+2=5:"

{{quote| YOU HAVE NOT BEEN PAYING ATTENTION YOU HAVE NOT BEEN PAYING ATTENTION YOU-HAVE-NOT-BE-EN-PAYING-ATTENTION}}

* [[Creator Breakdown]] - Thom Yorke's periods of depression largely inspire the bleak tone of much of his work. Most notably, his trouble coping with the attention that the band received after the success of ''OK Computer'' largely caused the much more challenging music in ''Kid A'' and ''Amnesiac''.

* [[Dark Reprise]] - "Bloom (Mark Pritchard RMX)" for "Bloom," and "Separator (Anstam RMX Part ii)" for "Separator (Anstam RMX)."

** Possibly "Nude", depending on your interpretation.

*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbWBRnDK_AE&ob=av2e The video] asserts this approach. It's a rather unsexy performance-as-masturbation allegory, complete with feather ejaculate. Yes, really.

** [[Sixth Ranger]]: Nigel Godrich/Stanley Donwood

* [[Four More Measures]] - In "Creep", Jonny Greenwood came in too early before the chorus (some sources say this was intentional and that he wanted to ruin the song). However, the rest of the band liked it and decided to [[Throw It In]].

* [[Genre Roulette]] - Many albums, especially ''Amnesiac''. It's got electronica ("Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box", "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors", "Like Spinning Plates"), rock ("I Might Be Wrong", "Knives Out"), jazz ("Life In A Glasshouse"), and some things that don't quite fit into any genre.

** ''The King Of Limbs'' is especially outstanding. Is it jazz? Folk? Electronic? Alternative? A mishmash of everything? The mind is boggled.

*** Strangely, a recent interview in late 2011 had Thom denying that TKOL was 'experimental music', and was a result of their learning and alleged 'stealing' of other artists' works.

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: The video for "Paranoid Android" has frontal nudity in it (and [[Hard Gay|gay leathermen]]), although it is animated. Nevertheless, the unedited version was only played on MTV post-watershed.

** Before they were Radiohead, they were called On A Friday, this being the only day of the week they were allowed to rehearse at school.

* [[Greasy Spoon]] - In the American version of the "High and Dry" video.

** "Little by Little (Shed RMX)."

* [[Intentionally Awkward Title]] - "The Amazing Sounds of Orgy." Yeah.

* [[Large Ham]] - Despite the subtlety and darkness of most Radiohead songs, Thom enjoys indulging himself in hamminess occasionally, particularly in "Bangers + Mash" and live performances of "Idioteque".

** 2+2=5 is quite hammy as well.

* [[Perishing Alt Rock Voice]] - Thom tends to this.

* [[Perma Stubble]] - Thom had this for a while, although it's become a fully grown beard since ''In Rainbows''.

* [[Precision F-Strike]]

** The famous strategically placed "you're so fucking special" in "Creep".

** The line "dance you fucker" in "A Wolf At The Door".

** "Myxomatosis" also applies.

** A couple occur in "Talk Show Host": "If you want me/fuckin' well come and find me" and a bit later "Fucking come on and break the door down".

** A milder version: the jarring Precision S Strike in "Fitter Happier" ("that's driven into / frozen winter shit").

* [[Promoted Fanboy]]: Just about all of the collaborators on "TKOL RMX 1234567."

* [[Real Person Fic]] - A [[Vocal Minority|small but vocal community]] on atease is notorious for this. They're called [[Fan Nickname|cheesecakers]] for an infamous slash fic involving [[Rule 34|Thom Yorke,]] [[REM|Michael Stipe,]] [[Rule 34|and (you guessed it) cheesecake]], and have a [http://www.cheesecakearchive.info/ website] dedicated to archiving slash fics (there is little Radiohead fanfic out there that isn't slash in some way, shape, or form). Drummer Philip Selway is aware, and is not happy with this.

** Colin Greenwood's confirmed [[Bi the Way|bisexuality/bicuriosity]] does absolutely ''nothing'' to stem the flow of cheesecake.

* [[Spoken Word in Music]] - "Fitter Happier" has a computer doing the vocals.

** There's also a repeated sample from a movie in the background, along with some other unsettling noises.

* [[Stop and Go]] - "Just".

* [[Studio Chatter]] - At the beginning of "2+2=5".

* [[Word of God]] - Averted by the video for "Just": the final line that the man lying in the street says is not subtitled, and the cuts between odd camera angles make lip reading impossible. The band have refused to say what the line is. {{spoiler|Lip-readers making the attempt have said it seems to be [[Un Reveal|"I like banana yoghurt"]].}}

** Thom himself stepped in with the true lyrics of "Pearly" ("Darling use me") when he saw that fans were hearing it "Daddy hurts me."

{{quote| "Where'd you park the car? / Where'd you park the car? / Clothes are on the lawn with the furniture / And I might as well / I might as well / Sleepy jack the fire drill / Round and round and round and round and round and round and round..."}}

** This song isn't nearly as random as it appears, however, as it's about the dissolution of a marriage, and most of the imagery connects to this.