I just found out that Radiohead has made the decision to only release singles and EPs from now on.
This makes me incredibly sad. I am a firm believer in records, not individual songs. One of the reasons that I cannot stand itunes is that people now only purchase the songs that they like, and therefore do not get the full experience intended behind the music. It's like looking at only a portion of a photograph or watching 20 minutes of a film or eating the crust of the pie. It's incomplete, and although it might keep you occupied for a moment, it doesn't leave any lingering satisfaction.
And it seems that this has affected the way that some musicians view their craft.
Thom Yorke says it'll kill the band to release another LP. Well how convenient, some of the industry's most creative people have gotten sick of their jobs. I guess creating music for crap films like Twilight is more appealing than the purity of art.
Don't get me wrong, I think Radiohead have done really great work so far. Kid A, Ok Computer and In Rainbows are all amazing albums. I just hate this decision. For me, I'd rather they didn't release anything anymore rather than only work on singles. For me, singles and EPs are for bands in their early stages, who are experimenting with their sound and trying to get gigs booked. They're also nice to satiate the fans' hunger for new tunes between albums. But they're never as good as the proper full length efforts.
But what do I know?
This will probably be the last time that I ever post about Radiohead. I'll just keep myself occupied with their old albums. I'm not interested with what they have to offer anymore.
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees (acoustic) [mp3]
6 comments:
I think you got it a bit wrong. Radiohead are perfectionists and they spend a ridiculous amount of time recording one album. It's always been kind of a painful process for them. I got the impression that they're just taking a break for now. Not that they'll NEVER make an LP again. Plus, they've always made EPs. I think it's cool if they keep doing that.
And the Twilight thing still seems to be unconfirmed. Let's hope it stays that way.
Yeah, I agree. I don't think they'll never release full albums ever again. That new song that leaked yesterday, was leaked with a pdf file that had a clue. I think that the band realized that everyone took Thom's comments too seriously so they leaked the song to reassure fans that they may still make albums.
http://www.greenplastic.com/2009/08/12/new-radiohead-song-leaked/#comments
I think it's all the media hubbub that's turned this comment into the furore it is now. At the best of times Mr. Yorke seems to be a little over-emotional and over-enthusiastic, and I think this is a product of the same thing. Needless to say, if Radiohead gave up making records, I would be so unbelievably devastated, I might explode, but I really don't think they will, just that they'll take another lengthy break.
I don't know much about Radiohead beyond listening to their LPs, so I hope you guys are right.
Did you ever think that some people just buy one or two songs on iTunes because that's all they can afford? Not everyone has tons of money to spend buying the whole album. I love your blog by the way, just don't know why you hate digital music so much, especially since you upload so many mp3s that people can get without paying for them which is worst to me. Oher than that keep up the good work.
well a lot of the mp3s are covers or live songs, and I know it's short-changing some of the artists but I see it as promoting the bands themselves, and exposing new people to them, which is a good thing. also, I don't keep them up indefinitely.
as for the digital music thing, I'll post an explanation right now.
as for the concern about not being able to afford it, music is a commodity like anything else, and people decide where they want to spend their money.
the last time I bought clothes and a new pair of shoes was for my college graduation, knowing that my mother would kill me if I didn't. before that, it had to be years. I'm not joking. I spend my money on music because I think it's more important. and people who buy mp3s obviously have a player, and those aren't cheap.
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