Thought/Pretensions on the New Radiohead Album

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Dalton

Dalton

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Ok, so I have been playing God (in my head this works amazingly well - you all do exactly what I want you to do), and I have conjured the ability to make all of our favorite band (come on and admit it) - Radiohead - do what you want on their next album.

So I want you to take the next few minutes on what direction you want to take the band and share it with us. If you are a moron - please do not post.

Ok, here we go. I want to know who will produce the album, how many songs, and what the album will sound/feel like. Go.
 
Ok, so let me stark out by saying that I am tired of ambient music?

Then you say, "what the hell do you mean you are tired of ambient music, Dalton?"

And then I, because I don't know you and don't know if you are asking because you don't know what I consider ambient music or if you are asking because you are offended by my statement, reply, "Ambient music is all well and good, but right now I am in a cycle in which I appreciate artists who will take the classic pop song structure and then fuck it up - not by deconstructing it - rather, I want to see the artist limit him/her/themselves to the format and then create something genius and something new with in it."

I was disappointed with HTTT. I think it has beautiful moments and clever ideas, but it lacks the artistry (in the sense of unity and sharpness not in the sense of soundscapes and ideas) that I was hoping to hear.

That being said, I would like to see Radiohead make a Pop album in which they try to write 11-12 perfect songs that only Radiohead could make.

"Hey Dalton, your a dumbass, they already made that album - it was called OK Computer!"

I say, "First of all jackass its "you're" not "your", and second of all I would like to see the band limit itself even more to the pop song format than they did on OKC. On OKC, they start out making a pretty little pop song and then blow the hell out of the back end of it. Not this time! This time they will limit all of their creative genius to the 3.5-4 minute song that sticks to the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus format."


Ok, so who will produce this album? I am glad you asked. I will have the band draw on the perfect sensibilities of Butch Vig.

You say, "What the hell? You want the Nirvana guy to produce Radiohead? You are one old fucker. Why don't you go watch Reality Bites."

I say, "listen, that is a great damn movie, so shut up. Yes, I want the nirvana guy to produce the band. He has proven through out his career that he can allow the bands that he produces to maintain their raw sound (nirvana, etc), while still crafting interesting and powerful pop songs (see Garbage's album "Beautiful Garbage").


You say, "I am now intrigued, please tell me more."

I say, this post is already WAY to damn long. Perhaps if you didn't act like such a smartass in the beginning we could have taken this further."
 
My favorite song off that hypothetical, not yet released album you just described is "Creep," with "You" a close second.
 
Producer should be either someone who hasn't been produced something for a band as big as Radiohead, or alternativelt, the band could take on the production duties entirely by themselves.

The musical direction must divert away from anything Radiohead have done before. Introduce even more synthesizers, and maybe make the percussion more prominent. A drum orientated sound possibly?

Yorke's vocal also needs a new lease on life. Something completely different. He was on the brink of almost growling on some tracks from HTTT. He should attempt to further that growling on the next album. Keep the vocal low. The whine is getting tiresome.

11-12 tracks. 14 was OK for HTTT, but like U2's HTDAAB and The Beatles White Album, there did not seem to be any musical theme running through the tracks. Keep the sound consistent amongst all or most of the songs, like U2's Achtung Baby or The Smiths Meat Is Murder.

...and unlike Kid A, singles should be released from this album.

Aim for a release date in March-April 06
 
I'd hope Ed & Phil could sway the band to go to Karekare Beach in NZ and set up shop for 6 months or so... just recording away... being inspired by an environment these British lads are very, very unaccostomed too. A far less ambiet, more conventional and industrious record I hope would be the result. Strip it back lads.

I'm again not to fussed on a producer... but I'm a big fan of Killing Joke's Youth.
 
Kieran McConville said:
WOw, looks like you guys have it all sorted. Send a fax to the band, I'm sure they'll be glad to get it.
Click to expand...



See, that is EXACTLY what I thought! But I kept faxing and calling, and writing, and visiting, and following, the band until they finally responded to my suggestions. The letter they sent me was classic Radiohead, I think it is written in code, so I still don't know exactly what it says. Something to do with not coming with in 250 ft of any band member....

I'm sure that is a clue as to who will produce the new album!
 
Dalton, I could not be in more complete agreement with everything you just said.

Well done. :up:
 
I don't know if OK Computer is a good comparison to POP. Every song on POP was unique and had its own style, whereas OK Computer is much more downbeat, and the songs tend to sound the same. While it makes for a cohesive and focused recording, it's the reason I listen to Computer much less than The Bends, HTTT, or Amnesiac.

Also, in defense of HTTT, I thought they should have been commended for covering so much musical and stylistic territory. Dalton your comparison to The White Album is apt, but that happens to be my (and many other people's) favorite Beatles release. Yeah, it's all over the place, but it's the best example of what the Beatles were truly capable of as songwriters and musicians. I suppose you could make the same argument for HTTT, although I wouldn't call it their best. And certainly you don't think HTTT is as safe a move as HTDAAB. We're not talking about a band 25 years into its career.

I will agree with your take on Thom's voice. I'm not expecting the guy to go back to crooning, but damn a guy that can do something as breaktakingly beautiful as Bulletproof or Fake Plastic Trees should showcase his vocal talent a bit more oftern.

Lastly, I wouldn't even THINK of replacing Nigel Godrich. I can't think of a more reliable producer at this point. He's followed them down this whole path for 10 years and I don't believe that his work on HTTT was subpar. If you want to question the band's songwriting, so be it, but I don't think a new producer is the answer.

Of course, if Nigel couldn't do Radiohead's next release because he was working on U2's, I'd be o.k. with that...
 
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Personally I would like a 57.34 minute composed of one epic song. But that will never happen.

I agree with you in terms of having a more structured yet experimental album. An AB or Zooropa.

Nah, I just want something very strang disorienting and fanaticly weird with some rock mixed in.

Well maybe I dont know what I want besides alittle more banjo.

Just anything beyond my comprehension would be fine.
 
Nevermind. I want it to be haunting. Like the "I've seen it all" song Thom did with Bjork.

With gituar of course. And Banjos.
 
I want to hear a cover of "Twist and Shout".


No, sorry to say it, someone has to, please go back to a style similar to that before the horribleness that is KidA.


*scarpers*
 
lazarus said:
I don't know if OK Computer is a good comparison to POP. Every song on POP was unique and had its own style, whereas OK Computer is much more downbeat, and the songs tend to sound the same. While it makes for a cohesive and focused recording, it's the reason I listen to Computer much less than The Bends, HTTT, or Amnesiac.

Also, in defense of HTTT, I thought they should have been commended for covering so much musical and stylistic territory. Dalton your comparison to The White Album is apt, but that happens to be my (and many other people's) favorite Beatles release. Yeah, it's all over the place, but it's the best example of what the Beatles were truly capable of as songwriters and musicians. I suppose you could make the same argument for HTTT, although I wouldn't call it their best. And certainly you don't think HTTT is as safe a move as HTDAAB. We're not talking about a band 25 years into its career.

I will agree with your take on Thom's voice. I'm not expecting the guy to go back to crooning, but damn a guy that can do something as breaktakingly beautiful as Bulletproof or Fake Plastic Trees should showcase his vocal talent a bit more oftern.

Lastly, I wouldn't even THINK of replacing Nigel Godrich. I can't think of a more reliable producer at this point. He's followed them down this whole path for 10 years and I don't believe that his work on HTTT was subpar. If you want to question the band's songwriting, so be it, but I don't think a new producer is the answer.

Of course, if Nigel couldn't do Radiohead's next release because he was working on U2's, I'd be o.k. with that...
Click to expand...



What's most interesting about your post, Laz, is that I don't think I actually posted ANY of the things you attributed to me.

Thanks for the opinions though.:wink:
 
I want the new Radiohead album to be amazing, other than that I have no wishes/qualifications for it.
 
Dalton said:

What do you think about my choice of producer, Gibson Girl?
Click to expand...

I honestly don't care, just as long as it's not someone crap. That's a good philosophy to live by, is it not?

As for musical direction, I have nothing really in particular that I'm hoping for or expecting to hear from them. I find that tends to only bring disappointment when you don't get what you want. I do hope, however, that it's something completely different. And with Radiohead, that's never a problem. I'd actually like to see them expand on the ambience and maybe add a few new twists or two, but with more direction this time than on Hail To The Thief. I really like HTTT, actually (A Wolf At The Door, Myxomatosis, 2+2=5, WIEAYB etc. are all great) but it was...lacking somewhat in direction, I agree. The songs just didn't go as well with one another as they did on albums like The Bends, Kid A, or OK Computer.

OK, I lied, so I do actually want to hear something in particular. As an alternative to more atmospheric ambient stuff, I'd LOVE to hear Jonny go mad on the guitar like he used to. I don't want him to repeat OK Computer or anything like that, but I want him to do something so utterly mind fuckingly awesome that I wouldn't be able to think straight for a month. Not that I think it will happen, of course, but you never know. Hoping for guitar albums never really seems to work with me (I'm sorry, The Edge, but HTDAAB is about as guitar orientated as my effing reborn Christian "I-am-so-holier-than-thou" aunt!)
 
GibsonGirl said:

(I'm sorry, The Edge, but HTDAAB is about as guitar orientated as my effing reborn Christian "I-am-so-holier-than-thou" aunt!)
Click to expand...


:lmao:


I have absolutely NO idea what that means, but I have already ordered a t-shirt of it. :wink:


On a serious note, I do not debate that HTTT has great moments on it, I just can't get around to saying it has great songs. All the big ideas seem to miss it in the end. I too would like to see Mr. Greenwood go nuts on this album. Write pop songs that are perfect and fucked up.:drool:
 
I like, even love, some ambiance in the music I listen to, but Radiohead have been SO atmosphere/ambiance-oriented and cerebral on everything post-OKC that I'd like to see them just tackle real pop music now. And 'real pop music' doesn't even mean Bends/OKC type stuff. It means pop music like John Lennon's solo stuff. You know, those melodies that sound like they came from angels, but very minimalist in how they are played instrumentally, just an acoustic guitar here, a keyboard there(this being Radiohead I feel the need to specify that I mean a keyboard that is used as a keyboard, not as a weird-sound-producing instrument), drums here, etc. I'm thinking 'Jealous Guy', 'Love', 'Working Class Hero', 'Imagine', 'Oh My Love', 'Look At Me', etc etc.
 
i DON'T ever want them to say "we're going back to our roots".

we all know what that means after seeing what happened to u2.

really, i hope radiohead keep pushing themselves and never sell out their fans like certain other bands. that's all i ask.
 
This is a tough topic to handle.

Firstly, I love every radiohead album, and yet they are so different from each other.

I found HTTT amazing, and scatterbrain/WIEAYB are definate steps in the right direction.

I would like a slightly shorter album ... some beautiful acoustic tracks (in the vein of gagging order/true love waits)..

admittedly I tend toward radioheads more ambient and downbeat tracks, but would love to hear something with some edge and big instruments (I keep thinking Airbag or The National Anthem)

Because I can only go by their past work, these are just examples I know of.. but without a doubt, I would love to just hear something different (which we surely will get).
 
Maybe radiohead are gonna split up and reform as the wilco tribute band, I heard they might. Someone told me. Some guy.

Nah not really.
 
Kieran McConville said:
Maybe radiohead are gonna split up and reform as the wilco tribute band, I heard they might. Someone told me. Some guy.

Nah not really.
Click to expand...


You know, that really isn't funny. I would appreciate it if you only only posted your thoughts or REAL rumors in my thread.

Like I heard that Jonny Greenwood might leave the band because he has unlocked the secrets of "audio enemas". Feeling a bit "blocked"? Go see Jonny. He and his trusty guitar will have you back to regular in no time.

Yeah - he's THAT good with a guitar.:wink:
 
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