Radiohead confirm LP8 for 2010!!

[Ian]

http://www.ateaseweb.com/2009/10/07/radiohead-to-record-new-album-this-winter/

omgomgomg

[murlough23]

[bloop]

Formerly the most gigantic lying mouth of all time.   

It's good to hear, but I won't be "OMG" excited until it's a bit closer.

[spacebrat311]

[murlough23]

Formerly the most gigantic lying mouth of all time.   

Right, I was trying to indicate that the lie was told earlier this year, not that it was being told now.

Seriously, they should have just kept their mouths shut about the "we're not making any more albums" thing. All it did was freak people out. The decision they came to a few months later means that there will actually be a shorter-than-normal length of time in between albums (since their average seems to be 3-4 years anyway).

[bloop]

Hmm.  I'm almost thinking they were doing a bit of market research with the whole "we're not making any more albums" thing.  Then again, Yorke just announced a new band to basically back his solo tracks, so I'm just happy the breakup isn't upon us.

[murlough23]

Hmm.  I'm almost thinking they were doing a bit of market research with the whole "we're not making any more albums" thing.  Then again, Yorke just announced a new band to basically back his solo tracks, so I'm just happy the breakup isn't upon us.

I didn't think they were breaking up, just that were being lazy asses by implying they'd just randomly release a track whenever they felt like it. If the bit about being tired of making LPs wasn't true, they shouldn't have said it. Hence the "big gigantic lying mouth" accusation. If they wanted to gauge listener interest, they could have polled us. Honestly, the way this band communicates with the fans (many of whom diligently support them even when they go off the deep end) is a bit disingenuous.

I watched the clips of Yorke's "solo" shows with his newly formed backing band. Those guys were anything but lazy asses.

NP: "Love's Gonna Getcha", Tal & Acacia

[bloop]

Hence the "big gigantic lying mouth" accusation.

I did not come up with that one.  The band has apparently since changed that line. 

Also, you have to remember that Yorke has genuine psychological issues.  He may very well have been completely sincere when he said he was tired of making LPs.

If they wanted to gauge listener interest, they could have polled us. Honestly, the way this band communicates with the fans (many of whom diligently support them even when they go off the deep end) is a bit disingenuous.

I don't see where they owe the fans quite that much slavishness.  I was just thinking he was maybe floating the idea and listening to the internet buzz about it . . . maybe.  It's kind of hard to know.

I watched the clips of Yorke's "solo" shows with his newly formed backing band. Those guys were anything but lazy asses.

Yeah, Flea killed it on Harrowdown.

[murlough23]

I did not come up with that one.  The band has apparently since changed that line.

What specifically are you trying to draw my attention to with this link?

Also, you have to remember that Yorke has genuine psychological issues.

Yeah, no shit.

He may very well have been completely sincere when he said he was tired of making LPs.

Maybe. But that renders your previous defense moot.

And honestly, it seems like the poor guy wears himself out every time the band makes an album. By now I'd think he'd be aware of himself enough to think, "OK, that was tiring, so I'll take a break and get back to it when I'm in the mood". He should know those feelings aren't permanent. I realize he can't predict the future, but come on dude, learn from your past.

I don't see where they owe the fans quite that much slavishness.

You implied that they had intentionally lied to us to see how we'd react. Asking them to not do this isn't exactly a tall order.

If he was telling the truth at the time, then this is a non-issue.

NP: "Mr. Brightside", The Killers

[bloop]

Market testing an idea isn't quite lying about it.  I think they do mess with people a bit, though, whether it's personal demons, marketing, or whatever, but I think that's part of their relationship with fans, and it seems to have served them well enough.

Perhaps this link will make it clearer.

[murlough23]

Market testing an idea isn't quite lying about it.

It is if what they said they felt isn't really what they felt at all, but they just conjured up the idea to see how we felt about it.

I think they do mess with people a bit, though, whether it's personal demons, marketing, or whatever, but I think that's part of their relationship with fans, and it seems to have served them well enough.

I don't mind if the music leads me to expect something and then pulls a switcheroo or takes me down a bunny trail, or if the liner notes, packaging, whatever, contribute to the fiction they've constructed. That's part of the art. But I think that's fundamentally different than lying to fans about what you're working on or whether you're working on anything at all. We should at least be able to expect what they tell us to expect. Any expectations beyond that which we construct on our own are our problem.

Perhaps this link will make it clearer.

That's a blog entry from 2008 about touring and carbon footprints. I don't see the relevance.

[bloop]

We should at least be able to expect what they tell us to expect. Any expectations beyond that which we construct on our own are our problem.

I disagree.  I don't think they even owe us that much.  If they want to toy with us, then I'll take whatever they say as perhaps toying with us, though.  Whatever the behavior is going to create some expectation.  I expected they would change their mind, were lying, tired, or something that would eventually lead to a full album from the moment they made that initial announcement.

That's a blog entry from 2008 about touring and carbon footprints. I don't see the relevance.

Only that the "gigantic lying mouth" thing is what they call said blog.  It wasn't some accusation I or anyone was leveling at the band.  Maybe something the band was accusing itself of, though . . . idk.

[murlough23]

I disagree.  I don't think they even owe us that much.

Sorry, but if they're going to out-and-out lie, they should rightly be criticized for it. Maybe you won't call them on their crap because you're too invested, but I don't have a problem with doing it.

If they want to toy with us, then I'll take whatever they say as perhaps toying with us, though.

The art itself can toy with me. I expect that. But at some level when they're speaking outside of the artistic medium about the art that they make, they should be truthful about it.

I'll use Lost as an analogy. That is a show that often intentionally misdirects its audience. I've come to expect that, and I enjoy it. However, if I listen to an interview with the writers or a podcast recorded by the showrunners, etc., I fully expect that whatever they tell about the process of how the show is made or their plans about the show, or whether they fired an actor for a particular reason or were asked to change the content of an episode by the network, or whatever, is the truth of the matter. of course I can't hold them to comments they make about what they might do in the future, but if they say "We're ending it at Season 6" and then change their mind as Season 6 gets underway and decide to drag it out, that's more than a bit disingenuous. (That's not directly analogous to what Radiohead is doing; I'm just trying to establish that I expect some degree of truthfulness from an artist when they discuss their art.)

I expected they would change their mind, were lying, tired, or something that would eventually lead to a full album from the moment they made that initial announcement.

Well, stupid me for taking them at their word. That'll never happen again.

Only that the "gigantic lying mouth" thing is what they call said blog.  It wasn't some accusation I or anyone was leveling at the band.  Maybe something the band was accusing itself of, though . . . idk.

I posted the image (which sometimes doesn't show up) right before you posted the text saying "Most gigantic lying mouth of all time, indeed". I thought you were agreeing with or replying to what I had posted in some way. Maybe that's why I wasn't sure why you brought the blog to my attention. I was aware that the band had used this title for one of their video collections in the past, so I looked it up and included an image of the cover to be funny.

NP: "Believe Me Natalie", The Killers

[bloop]

Sorry, but if they're going to out-and-out lie, they should rightly be criticized for it. Maybe you won't call them on their crap because you're too invested, but I don't have a problem with doing it.

Whether it is or isn't, I've learned to take all of their prognostication as theater.  I can understand others reacting differently, though. 

In a way, you care more than I do.

I posted the image (which sometimes doesn't show up) right before you posted the text saying "Most gigantic lying mouth of all time, indeed". I thought you were agreeing with or replying to what I had posted in some way. Maybe that's why I wasn't sure why you brought the blog to my attention. I was aware that the band had used this title for one of their video collections in the past, so I looked it up and included an image of the cover to be funny.

Your image didn't show up for me at all.  Great minds think alike.

[murlough23]

In a way, you care more than I do.

I care because I don't want the album, as a format, to go south. Whether it takes the physical form of CDs, vinyl, or digital downloads, I don't want music to start trending towards one-off songs and away from groupings of songs that have a reason for being together and that can be discussed as a full body of work. When a band puts out a good song, we'll discuss it for a little bit when it's new, but I just don't see folks raving about a single song years down the line unless it is enough of a hit to become a worldwide phenomenon. Making a great album is a much bigger accomplishment than just making a great song.

Maybe for some bands, they prefer to work in EP-size chunks, and maybe others can fill multiple discs. I don't want the format to be restrictive in terms of length, but I do want artists to continue thinking about making long-lasting bodies of work (with the understanding that from time to time they'll have material that just needs to be heard and can't wait for an album, or wouldn't fit into one - "Harry Patch" is a good example of this).

But especially for bands like Radiohead, who don't just arbitrarily pile songs together and call it an album (Amnesiac may frustrate the hell out of me, but I can see that its jarring nature was fully intentional), and for whom nearly every album they put out is a major conversation piece among music critics, it would be a damn shame for them to forego the format. Because of this, I don't exactly enjoy being teased with the possibility of it happening.

Honestly, most of the time when I catch wind that some band I like has put out some random song, I don't really bother hunting it down, even if it's streaming for free somewhere, because unless I know it's meant for an upcoming album, I figure I'm never gonna remember to keep going and listening to just the one song enough to really let it sink in the way I would with an album track on a disc that I'm compelled to play again and again. I don't listen to the radio, either, so honestly, one of my favorite bands could release a great single and I wouldn't get around to hearing it until the album came out.

[bloop]

I like the album as a format as well, and I think it's a format in which Radiohead excels.  But, they are one of many who do.  If the industry is trending toward one-off singles, Radiohead would be a mere drop in the bucket. 

They've been around for, what, 17 years?  I wouldn't be surprised if they called it quits sometime soon, tbh.  I wouldn't believe them if they told me that, though.   

[murlough23]

I like the album as a format as well, and I think it's a format in which Radiohead excels.  But, they are one of many who do.  If the industry is trending toward one-off singles, Radiohead would be a mere drop in the bucket.

I'm truly surprised to hear you say that. I'd almost rather see a band make a clean break and move on to other projects, rather than teasing us with a one-off now and again. Those one-offs are never going to generate Kid A or OK Computer levels of excitement.

They've been around for, what, 17 years?  I wouldn't be surprised if they called it quits sometime soon, tbh.

It's commendable that they've continued with all of their original members for this long; few popular bands can claim this. (U2 is one of the only others I can think of.) I think it would be a shame for them to stop at this juncture because they're only just getting started as a truly independent band. But I realize that being indie also allows them the freedom to set their own schedule and take time off to pursue other interests. When they're together and creating music, I just want it to be memorable music. They have a lot to live up to because they've done so well in the past.

I wouldn't believe them if they told me that, though.   

In a world where rappers fake retirement and bands break up only to realize a few years down the road that they can't remember what they broke up for (or that those reasons are no longer relevant), I kind of think folks should think it through longer before announcing a breakup/retirement. I'd be especially pissed if a band lied about a breakup just to get attention (especially when they were already getting plenty of attention - when do the critics not hang on every word that comes out of Thom Yorke's mouth?), and then told us "Just kidding" a few months down the line.

I'm not saying I want everybody to go on indefinite hiatus like Nickel Creek and dc Talk or anything. Nor am I saying that anybody I like has broken up without seriously thinking that they'd have no reason to make music together ever again. But when some of these bands get back together, I'm left thinking, "You only broke up a few years ago; you could have just said nothing and we'd have assumed your album was taking longer than normal. Or you could have just said you needed a little time off."

I'll say this much: If Jars of Clay announced tomorrow that they didn't want to make any more albums, I'd actually prefer for them to make a clean break and never to release another song as Jars of Clay, rather than to hang around and release a one-off track every now and then and get our hopes up for a project that would never materialize. I'd rather see a band quit at a high point than sputter on and on for years until nobody cares any more. dc Talk unfortunately did this by faux-reuniting for a song here and there; Nickel Creek has thus far gotten it right by remaining committed to their various side projects (even if 2/3 of the band is pretty much joined at the hip due to being siblings) and not getting our hopes up with random reunions that lead to nothing permanent.

[bethany]

I watched the clips of Yorke's "solo" shows with his newly formed backing band. Those guys were anything but lazy asses.

Link?

[murlough23]

There was an article that had all of the YouTube videos embedded; I thought I had gotten it from bloop, but now I can't find it.

But look up "Thom Yorke live" at YouTube and I bet you'll find it all, perhaps even organized into a playlist if the person was diligent about it.

NP: "Oh, Happiness", David Crowder Band