Proof that I am a psycho-fan

Oh Lord, am I fucking exhausted. Why you ask? Because I stayed up ALL night waiting for the Radiohead pre-sale to start.

I refreshed my browser dozens of times and on top of that at least once every hour on the hour.

Instead of sleeping took a series of oft interrupted micro-naps.

Ultimately though, I prevailed.

At around 6:16 AM, the "buy ticket" button magically appeared before my bleary, bloodshot, sleep-deprived eyeballs and for a moment, I didn't know what to do. GA or Reserved Seating. Type credit card number. Email address. Pesky card number on back that's like three digits long. Get confirmation. Save confirmation page. Fall back asleep.

For everyone who didn't attend the electronic vigil I did, tickets will go on sale for Radiohead's Houston date at 10 a.m. Saturday on Live Nation.

Making sense of The King of Limbs

I've intentionally waited a few weeks to formally analyze this album but now the time has come. I can look at this album honestly without noise from people hyping or haranguing.

Unlike a lot of their past efforts which all received resounding accolades, Radiohead's latest efforts have left some fans- how would you say- high and dry? People complained that the album didn't have any immediately radio ready tracks like "Reckoner" or "House of Cards". As I read the opinions of other critics, I noticed the word claustrophobic mentioned a lot and I can concur. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The King of Limbs is far more Album Oriented than any of their other efforts. The only other album that seemed to alienate fans this much was "Amnesiac" but even that has grown to be a fan favorite among hardcores. The most accessible tracks off this release are "Morning Mr. Magpie", "Codex", and "Little by Little" and these are even more minimalistic than songs on "In Rainbows". A lot of it is obviously reminiscent of Thom's solo work.

While it might not be everyone's cup of tea, The King of Limbs certainly is not garbage. The only uncompromisingly negative comments I've heard come from the washed up, egomaniac, Noel Gallagher. He dissed the record because of its title and proceeded to go on some strange, protracted rant about trees.

This album required a few listens to really grow on me but it was worth the time. It's gloomy, contemplative, and in its own way, truly beautiful. Don't throw this one out just because there's no "jigsaw falling into place" or "bodysnatchers" on here.

Phil Selway goes solo

Phil Selway, Radiohead's excellent drummer, is currently working on his debut solo album Familial. You can listen to one song here. The sound of track is definitely distinguished from his work in Radiohead but retains the band's dark beauty.

No Surprises (not really anyway)

Radiohead is rereleasing a couple albums with bonus material. But I wasn't too surprised when I saw what the bonus tracks were. Most of these songs have been floating around the internet for years but I'll probably buy one or two of the rehashed albums just to support the band. I was sort of bummed to see that there was no announcement of Kid A or Amnesiac rereleases though.

What I'm really waiting for is a price drop for the 2 disc box-set edition of In Rainbows. It costs eighty bucks US; so it would be nice to see it released just on CD or iTunes, minus the vinyl for those who can't afford it. I only know a couple Radiohead listeners who have even heard of the second disc and I think the high price tag is what has kept it from catching on. The second disc is amazing and I hope it gets more exposure in 09 than it did last year.

08 picks

These albums are in no particular order:
Cut Copy> In Ghost Colours
The Wombats> A Guide to Love, Loss, and Desperation
Ladtytron> Velocifero
Hercules and Love Affair> self titled
Sigur Ros> Whateverthefuck it's called, I can never remember any of their album names except for Takk
Wolf Parade> At Mount Zoomer
Secret Machines> self titled
Man Man> Rabbit Habbits
M83> Saturdays=Youth
Minus the Bear> They Make Beer Commercials Like This
Minus the Bear> Acoustics
The Presets> Apocolypso
Radiohead> In Rainbows
Slow Runner> Mermaids
Vampire Weekend> self titled
TV on the Radio> Dear Science
Metronomy> Nights Out
Margot and the Nuclear so & so's> Animal! (and the alternate version of the album) Not Animal!
Justice> Cross
Black Kids> Partie Traumatic
Bloc Party> Intimacy
The New Pornographers> Live from SoHo (iTunes Exclusive)
Black Moth Super Rainbow> Drippers
Tobacco> Fucked up Friends
Animal Collective> Water Curses
CSS> Donkey
Oxford Collapse> Bits


v Big Trouble

Shows in 08

May- Mobius Band/Black Kids/Cut Copy, Boston MA
June - Ringo Starr/Edgar Winter/Billy Squire etc. Uncasville CT
July - The Killers, Ledyard CT
August - Wintersleep/Wolf Parade, Boston MA
--------------Grizzly Bear/Radiohead, Mansfield MA
September - The Wombats, Boston MA
----------------- The Swell Season (with Glen Hansard), Boston MA
----------------Cut Copy/The Presets, Boston MA
October - Annuals/Minus the Bear, Boston MA
-------------Hercules and Love Affair, Boston MA
------------The Who, Uncasville CT

I regret not going to more shows this year but with my busy academic schedule and travel plans
it was hard to plan ahead long enough to buy tickets too far in advance.



^ 15 step live in Mansfield Mass. Watch Thom Yorke do his Thom Yorke dance. Brilliant.