Photo by Nate Slevin

Last night at Manhattan’s Roseland Ballroom, Radiohead performed their first of two surprise, last minute gigs for an intimate crowd of just over 3,000 fans blessed with incredible luck. Aside from the novelty and inherent specialness involved with seeing a band that is one of the world’s biggest and probably its best, the first night at Roseland Ballroom unveiled a wide range of new material as road-ready

Recently, Radiohead gave a not-so-secret performance at Glastonbury with second drummer Clive Deamer in tow. Focusing largely on material from The King of Limbs, the Glastonbury set came across as an experiment in developing the live identities of the new material. Three month and a few television performances later, the songs feel fully realized.

The spirit of Atoms for Peace still lingered, with “Little by Little” and “Staircase” enjoyng irresistibly funky grooves. Currently unreleased, “Staircase” has come a long way since its debut at Roseland last year. The formerly solo haunter made the crowd shake their exhausted bodies. Show-stopper “The Daily Mail” was the kind of forceful piano-driven rocker/ballad hybrid that Coldplay often attempts but rarely accomplishs.

Photo by Nate Slevin

Standing out among the “classic fare” was an ultra-rare performance of “Subterranean Homesick Alien”, but more recent selections from In Rainbows proved just as popular. “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” and “All I Need” have become surprising singalongs, with “15 Step” and “Bodysnatchers” offering energetic thrills.

After a brief three song encore, the crowd lights came on and music chimed over the PA. Nobody at Roseland was having a short-for-Radiohead 18 song set (plus one R.E.M. teaser), so the band resurfaced even as the crew began dismantling and distributing setlist souvenirs. Giving a rare unplanned encore, Radiohead sent everyone home overwhelmed with emotion via “Street Spirit (Fade Out) and “Nude”.

If last night at Roseland was any indication, then Radiohead is at last ready to properly tour The King of Limbs. Additionally, it is possible the forward-thinking band is tired of their older songs, with cuts from their first five albums comprising just one fourth of the entire set. Per long-standing tradition, the songs of Radiohead continue to shine brightest on the stage.

Radiohead Setlist:
Bloom
Little By Little
Staircase
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Feral
Subterranean Homesick Alien
All I Need
Everything In Its Right Place (with “The One I Love” intro)
Lotus Flower
15 Step
Myxomatosis
Codex
The Daily Mail
Bodysnatchers
Reckoner
Encore:
Give Up The Ghost
The National Anthem
Morning Mr Magpie
Encore 2:
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Nude
———-

Gallery by Nate Slevin

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“Absolutely that is what we are talking about that the moment, it felt exciting doing [Glastonbury] and it felt like we had something else to offer musically.”

– In an interview with BBC 6, Radiohead’s Phil Selway hints at the possibility of that long-awaited tour. You know, because god forbid a member of the band gave us a straight answer.

Less than year after releasing his solo debut Familial, Radiohead drummer Phil Selway is ready to unleash a brand new EP. Titled Running Blind, the effort’s four tracks were originally written and recorded at the same time as Familial. However, after deciding the material would work best as a separate entity, he re-recorded it with a full band.

Running Blind will be released in the UK on July 25th via Bella Union. A stream of the album’s title track follows. The names of the other tracks are after that.

Running Blind Tracklist:
01. What Goes Around
02. Every Spit and Cough
03. Running Blind
04. All In All

Film critics love to throw around the word “Lynchian” to describe genre films that borrow a few of those elements. These pieces shift dramatically in tone, and rather abruptly so, too. There’s this dreamlike quality to them that baits its audience and it’s been programmed that way. There’s a specific reasoning for every image, every sound, and every action. Or, is there? That’s the game. Not to throw around labels too much, but Thom Yorke’s style tends to be very Lynchian. He teases his fanbase with cryptic clues, whether it’s a reference to past lyrics or sentence fragments that start an impromptu scavenger hunt (that usually lead nowhere, anyhow), only to turn the wheel unexpectedly. If we’re to analyze the musical landscapes he creates, they typically start grounded and work their way out into abnormal terrain that we’re, more often than not, left to discover on our own. Or, it’s just vice versa. These compositions beg to be analyzed, scoured, and processed. They’re cult-like in nature, but only because there always seems to be some deeper implicit meaning. It’s a mythos, essentially. It’s why Radiohead remains one of the most powerful bands on this clusterfuck of a planet. Well, that and because they happen to be extraordinary musicians, too.

On The King of Limbs, the group’s already highly celebrated eighth studio album (it’s only been three days, by the way), Yorke continues his formidable hi jinks, kicking off what will undoubtedly be another decade blistered with lyrical mazes, influential instrumentation, and critical gift baskets. Now, a preface before we go forward. This isn’t anything new for the band. They’ve been playing these games since the ’90s. (What exactly does the man say at the end in “Just”? What? What?) It’s only now, in an age where communication is instantaneous, abundant, and at times superfluous, that the games have really just begun. Ever since they shocked the music industry by releasing 2007′s In Rainbows in a pay-what-you-want on-sale, everyone, fans or not, has come to believe that “anything can happen with these guys.” It’s true.

But, you have to merit such actions. You can’t spin populations without probable cause. You need to deliver. Any hack could attempt to make their own version of Mulholland Drive (oh, they have) but most of them just fall flat on their face (that’s happened, too). It’s not just about the games, it’s about what’s on the other end. Radiohead carries an incredible resume. Each of the band’s records are remarkably hard to argue against — even 1993′s Pablo Honey, still an incredibly underrated effort; it’s essentially ’90s alt. rock bliss, people — and for that they can continue to post obscure paintings, tweet Japanese locales, and make vague, ominous “prophecies” that fans can hope and pray come true. It’s all deserved.

Okay, so how do they still fare? With The King of Limbs, reasonably well. Let’s focus on the format, shall we? At just eight tracks long, the whole effort feels less like an LP and almost like an adrenaline-charged EP — at least by Radiohead’s standards. The songs aren’t even necessarily lengthy, either. Its entirety is under 40 minutes and the longest song clocks in at 5:20. Certainly disheartening to its devoted fanbase, but then again, they treat clips on YouTube like nuggets of gold. It’s musically where things get tricky…for everyone, really.

On first listen, the most obvious question is, “Where’s the band?” If you recall, their last effort, In Rainbows, packed a punch that hit the heart again and again. Although short, too, with 10 tracks, it left little room to complain; instead, it assumed an authority about itself: It knew what it wanted to be and it arrived concise and distinguishable. What’s more, it humanized the band. It felt like five people in a room, crafting their best work, and honing in on their talents for, what, their sixth time? Maybe their seventh, depending on how devoted to each album you are. With The King of Limbs, it’s still incredibly alluring, but something’s changed.

It’s the unity. It’s just not there. Sometimes with a band that’s incredibly versatile and yet personable – you know, like Radiohead – you might hear folks say, “Oh, this is definitely a so and so’s record.” These conversations usually happen with The Beatles. If we’re to use that old adage, then this is definitely Thom Yorke’s show here. In fact, it takes quite some digging to find, say, Jonny Greenwood, or Phil Selway, and especially Ed O’Brien. Colin, too, if you’re that fan. There’s the street corner drumming on “Bloom”, but eventually it just dwindles into this dully electronic sound. Then there’s the light, very “Bulletproof…”-esque guitar flairs on “Give Up The Ghost”, but that could be Yorke, too. That’s not to say his focus is a detriment, but it’s somewhat problematic when he’s done his own thing, and it sounds oddly similar to what we have here.

For example, there’s little separating solo cuts like “Black Swan” or more recently “Hearing Damage” from the trip hop sensibilities that litter Limbs tracks like the erratic, nail biter “Feral” or the graceful-yet-empowering “Lotus Flower”, the latter tune even more of a head scratcher, due to the fact that Yorke originally performed it with Atoms for Peace. He’s just so center stage in all of this that it becomes rather damning and almost, dare we say, cryptically bothersome. It also offers for little variation; in fact, few songs here feel as singular as any of the group’s previous efforts. The very orchestral “Bloom”, for instance, hints at the few genres they’re dabbling with – specifically that dubstep minimalism, no doubt influenced by Yorke’s time spent with Flying Lotus – and it eventually explodes into a blistering aural storm that later subsides into what sounds like an afternoon rain shower. It’s beautiful, but immediately replicated with “Morning Mr Magpie”, which becomes another exercise in repetition, only far more static and less intrinsic. Having collected dust in the band’s archives for years, the track sounds remarkably different than what Yorke premiered during a webcast back in 2002. What started as an acoustic crooner has since evolved into something indistinguishable; the engulfing instrumentation, the roaming pace, and Yorke’s satellite harmonies all, ironically, feel vacuous and nearly nauseating. When Yorke coos, “They’ve stolen all my magic/And took my melody,” he’s not lying. Truth is, nobody’s taken his magic here, they’ve just relied on it too much.

Though given the album’s title, a reference to a 1,000-year-old oak tree in Wiltshire’s Savernake Forest, which was three miles away from where they laid down tracks for In Rainbows, it’s apparent they haven’t abandoned that era just yet. Some of the songs prove this. You can’t listen to “Little by Little”, and not help but picture the band all together, somewhere in a dark Liverpool basement lounge, with Yorke preferably dancing in black leotard amidst cigarette smoke and Euro hipsters. The more humane elements continue. “Codex” complements the lone emotional aspects of previous album closer “Videotape”. When Yorke wails, “No one around,” it’s odd because it’s one of the few moments here where he doesn’t feel alone, even despite the lonely nature of the track. Jonny Greenwood surrounds him with horns and strings, a subtle orchestration that makes you think twice about the other tracks on the record. The same goes for “Seperator” (originally titled “Mouse, Bird, Dog”), which slowly ropes in each instrument as it builds and climbs into a powerful closer, not unlike what fans originally pegged “Videotape” to be. For Jonny enthusiasts, this one should be on repeat, although altogether, these three should stick out immediately.

There’s one last thing to consider here, though. For the entirety of the band’s career, they’ve set out to shatter expectations and go one step higher. Perhaps they’ve shifted their mission? If we’re to take The King of Limbs as a concept, even paying close attention to its more cryptic details, then there’s plenty to conclude. Die hards will no doubt etch the album’s final lyrics (“if you think it’s over, then you’re wrong”) onto their walls and notebooks until they’re finally proven right that there’s a second half to the record. But outside of that, there’s a bigger message here: They’re exploring sound, rather than naming it. Focus on the empty moments (i.e. the 26 seconds after “Codex”), the album name (that aforementioned tree), and the genres they’ve dabbled in (tribal? jazz? dubstep? handclappers united?). It’s essentially a 37 minute jam session; one where they’re carving out their current sensibilities and seeing where they run. While Yorke sounds front and center, he’s not really alone. Those subtle nuances, the little hums, the clattering beeps, and the scratchy percussion? They’re the sounds of five souls, not just one. And while they might not have crafted their best work this time around, they did assemble one of their most absorbing efforts to date. Just remember, nothing’s ever obvious with Radiohead. There’s always something behind those trees and within that mirror – even if you’re convinced at face value. By now, though, you should know how to find it.

So…how about that second half now?

Feature artwork by Drew Litowitz.

There’s a lot of bands to be seen at this year’s South by Southwest, but the Austin-TX based extravaganza is also a film festivalm and its 2011 offering provides a few reasons to arrive early. Several music-related films have been added to this year’s lineup, including Arcade Fire and Spike Jonze’s 30-minute short film, Scenes from the Suburbs, and Joe Cornish‘s Attack the Block, which features original music from Basement Jaxx.

The festival will also feature a trio of must-see documentaries. There’s Diplo, the aptly titled documentary about DJ Diplo; Live at Preservation Hall: Louisiana Fairytale, a film that documents the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and My Morning Jacket’s recent collaboration; and the Foo Fighters’ James Moll-directed documentary, which complements their forthcoming studio album.

There will also be screenings of music videos by Radiohead’s Phil Selway, Cee-Lo, The New Pornographers, and Zola Jesus, among others.

For a complete rundown of this year’s film lineup, click here. SXSW film runs March 11-19, with the music portion to take place from 16-20. For ticket information and all other necessary details, visit sxsw.com.

Come midnight tonight, there will be nationwide theater showings of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1. There will be packed houses, there will be costumed fans, there will be the bittersweet flavor of an impending “To be continued…” moment: J.K. Rowling’s finale to the seven-book series has been translated into a two-picture deal, with Part 2 slated for release in July of 2011. It has now been over a decade, and from beginning to mind-numbingly merchandised end, we have anticipated an ultimate closure. In retrospect, the scores of this film franchise are not anything to go pushing bandwidth or iTunes gift cards over.

To quote Buzz McAllister: “…enough of this gooey show of human emotion.” Let’s get to the glazed meat of the matter.

While The Twilight Saga has produced numerous alternative-friendly soundtracks, the wizarding world has rested upon a John Williams-approved theme piece and some safe orchestration we won’t write home about. In 2005, Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire hit big screens, and during scenes from Hogwarts’ Yule Ball, snippets of a band were seen playing to rabid students and faculty. Contrary to what Flitwick will have you believe, the “band that needs no introduction” warrants precisely that, because The Weird Sisters have graced many a Muggle’s iPod over the years, albeit in fragmented form.

Radiohead fans out there may remember drummer Phil Selway’s recent foray into solo work, as well as guitarist Jonny Greenwood’s hand in the score to There Will Be Blood; it appears that, between Hail To The Thief and In Rainbows, these two joined some other eccentric fellows on a gig originally thought to be Franz Ferdinand’s. Think your band has played everywhere in the known world? Try claiming to have performed for wizards and witches, and see how many laugh you off as if you were Max Denison delivering his Sanderson Sisters warning in Hocus Pocus.

Here is the line-up for The Weird Sisters:
- Jarvis Cocker (Pulp) as Myron Wagtail, vocals
- Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) as Kirley Duke, lead guitar
- Jason Buckle (All Seeing I) as Heathcote Barbary, rhythm guitar
- Steve Mackey (Pulp) as Donaghan Tremlett, bass
- Steven Claydon (Add N to (X)) as Gideon Crumb, keyboards and bagpipes
- Phil Selway (Radiohead) as Orsino Thruston, drums

The Weird (“weird” as in “strange”) Sisters were not credited as such — nor given nearly as much screen time — in the original release, due to trademark disputes from Canadian folk-rock band The Wyrd Sisters (“wyrd” meaning “fate”). With elements of Pulp’s driving Brit-rock aesthetic, Radiohead and All Seeing I’s guitar work and rhythm, and a little avant-garde from Add N to (X), we find a bonus feature on the Goblet Of Fire DVD: a music video of The Weird Sisters’ “Do The Hippogriff”. Truthfully, the resulting song sounds very much like Pulp on a party riot, and we can totally see how Franz Ferdinand would have blended in here.

The fictional band in question has released three songs to date, the others being “This Is The Night” and stereotypical promenade slow number “Magic Works”. Why go with “Do The Hippogriff” as a Break Yo’ TV? Why not just any old video to taunt, tease, and cast a killing curse upon? First off, watch the video below; what would it be like to live in this magical world of wonders, let alone attend a concert in it?

What dynamics would change if you replaced standard Marshall stacks with a literal Wall of Sound that can be enchanted to do anything — from spouting edible peppermint snow with Hogwarts’ magnificent themed ceiling in tow, to adjusting its volume for every individual audience member? If you attended this school dance, would you be a wallflower whimsically listing away with a charmed origami crane? Would you be bold and ask a giantess to waltz? Better still, imagine Greenwood and company had played your prom (minus the wizarding parts).

Secondly, ’tis the season of thankfulness, generosity, and overeating, is it not? What better way to celebrate an upcoming Radiohead album and Harry Potter film than all together as one? Freaks and geeks, hipsters, even the damned glittery vampire folk, dancing the night away in perfect harmony. Just as in the Rowling universe, these are dark times on multiple levels. Imagine yourself here, or even in the dank clique society of high school, having that one night where hopeless romance took over the looming adult cynicism and barking political media circuses.

Now…again…imagine Greenwood and company playing your event. I don’t care who you side with — Twilight or HP, Mac or PC, whatever spiritual familiars strike your fancy — we can all enjoy this. Music is the great unifier in a world of vast divides, so shrug off the nargles and kiss under that mistletoe. Good times, and don’t forget to include the first Potter film with that copy of Home Alone 2 on VHS when spreading the Chris Columbus directorial cheer.

I’m off to have a cup of wassail — care to join me?

For “By Some Miracle”, David Altobelli cast the dark, acoustic track against an equally eerie subject matter: suicide. At just under 3:00 the video, which is available below, focuses on an ill-fated suicide attempt, featuring an alluring red-clad female and extremely unlucky ice cream man. And once again, Selway decided to sit this one out.

Selway is currently touring Europe, and no US dates have been announced. But we’ll be waiting slightly impatiently to break any tour news.

Enjoy the recap. As always, stay tuned…

– Paste Magazine folded.

– Apple will premier a new, Myspace-esque website called “Ping.”

– T.I. was taken into custody (again) for drug possession.

– Kings of Leon teased us with details of their forthcoming LP Come Around Sundown.

– Guns N’ Roses declared “war.”

– The 2010 installment of the CMJ Music Marathon announced its initial bill.

– They weren’t kidding after all. Listen to the Kanye West/Raekwon-helmed Justin Bieber remix.

– Lil Wayne revealed that he will release the highly anticipated followup to Tha Carter III the day his prison sentence ends.

– Arcade Fire put out a groundbreaking new video.

– Maybe Cee-Lo‘s video for his single “Fuck You” isn’t as technoglogically advanced as Arcade Fire’s latest clip, but it sure is entertaining. Watch it right now.

– Feist is busy making the follow-up to The Reminder.

– And speaking of long-awaited followups, D’Angelo‘s new album is in the works.

– Oh, and while we’re still on the subject, Lauryn Hill is reportedly recording her first album in over a decade.

– But wait, there’s more! Aphex Twin is also working on a new album.

– Green Day debuted two “new” songs at a recent gig. So did Belle & Sebastian.

– Here’s a new track from Coldplay.

– DC institution 9:30 Club announced its new record label, along with its first signee.

– Radiohead offered fans a free DVD of one of their shows last summer exclusively via download.

– Jay-Z and Eminem played the first of four co-headlining gigs. It was epic.

– Had enough of “Alejandro” and “Telephone”? Lady Gaga premiered her latest single live this week.

– A UK-based company called And Vinyly…um, even I don’t know what to make of this. Just read it.

– Speaking of vinyl, Queens of the Stone Age announce the re-release of their self-titled debut.

– Glastonbury tickets go on sale next month.

– Phil Cosores gave us the scoop on of Montreal‘s False Priest.

– Daniel Kohn shared his thoughts on Katy Perry‘s Teenage Dream.

– Eric Vilas-Boas reviewed Phil Selway‘s solo debut.

– Dave Buchanan awared a CoS Top Star to Megadeth‘s Rust In Peace: Live. Evan Minsker did the same for Magic Kids‘ debut Memphis.

– Philip Roffman sat down with Romy Madley Croft of The xx for a brief chat.

– Pretty Lights took a few minutes of his busy weekend to talk with Derek Staples.

– Philip Cosores covered the Sunset Strip Music Festival.

– Len Comaratta examined band names in the latest edition of Audio Archaeology.

– Here’s the latest edition of our Friday Mixtape.

Nonetheless, it’s pretty surprising that Selway decided to take the Elliott Smith route on Familial, even if it does sound hopelessly uncomplicated and not particularly original. Selway’s mostly short, sweet, mellow guitar ballads work against him just as much as his reputation.

Too much of Familial happens as Selway perceives it, not so much as he experiences it, to its failure and success. “All Eyes on You”, with its lyrics supposedly referencing Selway’s more-famous Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke might enter and leave your stereo so quickly and so unassumingly that it’s difficult to understand what he’s talking about. Structurally, the song’s two-and-a-half-minute running time limits it from really exploring any pathos or deeper meaning to speak of.

That same reservation carries on through much of the album, and in the end, songs like “All Eyes on You” or the impeccably rhymed (and inscrutably clichéd) “The Ties That Bind Us” start and either sputter, or just drive down the block when they could be hitting the highway. There’s neither imagination nor humor in lines like, “your word is not enough,” “he was caught in the crossfire,” “lights are burning bright, and no one’s home” on “Patron Saint”, which only further piles on overused, unmemorable lyrics like those over a child’s guitar melodies.

It doesn’t help that nearly every song begins and ends formulaically — with very quiet opening chords and whispering on his part.

Listening to Familial almost demands an unbroken 35-minute melancholic stupor that could very easily be filled by a soundtrack comprised of any of the more established subtle songsmiths that Selway’s material draws from. It just seems silly to listen to Philip when you could listen to the work of John Darnielle, or Leonard Cohen, or Elliott Smith’s or Nick Drake’s respective back-catalogs.

What I really want to know is: Why now? Why did the until-now reserved, newly christened “Philip Selway” (as he’s so clearly identified on Familial’s album cover) decide that it was a good idea to do this after 25 years of being in one of the most unimpeachably consistent (and successful) bands in the world? It’s open to speculation until Selway comes out and gives the word on it, but could its release be related to Radiohead’s impending next album?

Selway’s solo project probably sounds and will forever sound the least like Radiohead of any of his bandmates. Still, he’s a great drummer, and he’s proven that, so what is he trying to prove now?

That’s the real question to ponder, considering his work as a frontman does little to provide us with many others.

As the first new offering, “Beyond Reason” is a moody, folklorico ballad brimming with a kind of stunted disappointment vocally. “Broken Promises” is nearly as muted, but with the organ in the background and the song rising toward a climax from a slow, steady acoustic guitar line, it feels much more powerful and assured. Rounding out the new songs, “Don’t Look Down” is in the same vain as “Broken Promises”, but with a much more ambient tinge to it. In all, not bad for a guy known for his work behind the drums.

Familial is out August 3oth via Bella Union.

Familial Tracklist:
01. By Some Miracle
02. Beyond Reason
03. A Simple Life
04. All Eyes On You
05. The Ties That Bind Us
06. Patron Saint
07. Falling
08. Broken Promises
09. Don’t Look Down
10. The Witching Hour

Today, we received our first official preview from the effort, the minimalistic, stripped down, acoustically driven “By Some Miracle”. According to Selway, the track addresses depression, but it’s more shaped by what he calls “taking responsibility for your actions, to have choices in front of you that might have unsavory consequences, despite how strong the draw to them might be to them.” Thus, the song features a somewhat bittersweet sound, as Selway’s Elliott Smith-esque narrative is accompanied by a pleasant yet ominous texture, highlighted by the vocals of album collaborator Lisa Germano and underlying orchestral elements.

Also appearing on Familial are former Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg, Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Sansone. Radiohead collaborator Ian Davenport served as producer.

You can find a stream for the song below and/or download it, for the price of an email address, here. Also, pre-orders for the record are now ongoing on Nonesuch’s online store.

Phil Selway 2010 Tour Dates:
08/26 – Tokyo, JP @ Duo Music Exchange
08/27 – Osaka, JP @ Club Quattro
09/04 – Stradbally, IE @ Electric Picnic
09/10 – North Dorset, UK @ End of the Road
09/11 – Isle of Wight, UK @ Bestival
09/13 – London, UK @ Bush Hall
09/14 – London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall #
09/15 – Newcastle, UK @ Academy #
09/16 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands #
09/20 – Amsterdam, NL @ TBA
09/21 – Brussels, BE @ AB Club
09/22 – Paris, FR @ Le Boule Noire

# = w/ Wilco

“Ideally, it’d be great if it came out sometime this year. It’s got to. I hope so,” O’Brien answered when asked by Buxton when the band’s followup to 2007′s In Rainbows will be released.

He explained that “We’re at the studio at the moment… we’re in the heart of the record,” but added “the finishing line… it’s in touching distance” and, barring any last minute problems, the record will likely be completed in “a matter of weeks.”

O’Brien would give no real specifics, but did feel confident enough to say “I’m really excited… I feel like this is the best record we ever made. It really is genuinely exciting. It’s very different from what we did last time.”

[And breathe]

Radiohead has reportedly been working on its untitled eight LP since July 2009. In December, O’Brien told Rolling Stone that the band is in a “very different place, a very new place.” There have also been rumors that the album may feature some orchestral elements. All that said, no definitive description of the album’s sound has been offered.

Before any new Radiohead record is released, however, both frontman Thom Yorke and drummer Phil Selway have solo tour dates to attend to this summer. Below, you can find a full listing of these dates, as well as O’Brien’s interview in full (via at ease). The Radiohead guitarist also used the appearance to show off his personal mixtape, which includes David Bowie, Diplo, XTC, and of course Radiohead.

Thom Yorke 2010 Tour Dates:
08/01 – Niigata Prefecture, JP @ Fuji Rock *
08/06 – Herefordshire, UK @ The Big Chill

* = Atoms For Peace date

Phil Selway 2010 Tour Dates:
09/04 – Stradbally, IE @ Electric Picnic
09/11 – Isle of Wight, UK @ Bestival
09/12 – North Dorset, UK @ End of the Road
09/14 – London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall #
09/15 – Newcastle, UK @ Academy #
09/16 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands #

# = w/ Wilco

You’ll also find lots of other things, some intriguing and others just plain ridiculous.

Need I say more?

– Let’s begin with the obligatory festival updates: Bumbershoot, Musicfest NW, Outside Lands , and Capitol Hill Block Party unveiled their lineups this week. The North Coast Music Festival debuts in Chicago this September. The economy put an end to the 2010 Canadian Virgin Festivals.

– And now the obligatory Arcade Fire news item: the group will play the first non-festival show of its upcoming tour in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Sorry, Toronto.

– Finally, the obligatory tour announcements: Paul McCartney, Arcade Fire, Belle & Sebastian, Pixies, The National, Smashing Pumpkins, Aerosmith, Robyn, Dirty Projectors, Yeasayer will all be hitting the road in the weeks and months ahead.

Moving on…

– M.I.A. blasted New York Times writer Lynn Hirschberg with a single entitled “Haters”.

– Ali-Ollie Woodson of the quintessential Motown group The Temptations passed away at the age of 58.

– Antoine Fuqua (of Training Day fame) is set to direct the Tupac Shakur biopic.

– Wilco and Coldplay are supporting youth sports teams.

– They might be on hiatus, but look for new material from Stereolab this fall.

– Radiohead‘s Phil Selway will make his  solo debut in late August.

– Nick Freed reviewed Expo 86, the hotly anticipated new album by Wolf Parade.

– Much has been made of the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. reissue. Here’s what Stephen Foster had to say.

– Elias Newman chatted up Chad Elliot of Funeral Party.

– For those of you who missed LCD Soundsystem at Chicago’s Metro last Friday, Meghan Brosnan was there.

– On that note, Ted Maider, Winston Robbins, Kacie McKinney provided an extensive recap of Sasquatch! 2010.

– Oh, and we’re continuing our plot to take over the world.

According to NME, the record was produced by Radiohead collaborator Ian Davenport, recorded at the band’s Oxfordshire Courtyard Studios, and features the talents of Lisa Germano, former Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg, Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Sansone.

In support of the release, Selway will appear at several UK summer festivals, including Electric Picnic, Bestival, and End of the Road.

For those looking for an early taste, might we advise you to scroll down, where you’ll find a live clip of Selway performing the album track “The Witching Room” with Germano.

Familial Tracklist:
01. By Some Miracle
02. Beyond Reason
03. A Simple Life
04. All Eyes On You
05. The Ties That Bind Us
06. Patron Saint
07. Falling
08. Broken Promises
09. Don’t Look Down
10. The Witching Hour

Of course, most of it has to do with the reality that its members are actively engaged in a number of side-projects. For example, on the day that the band’s frontman, Thom Yorke, is scheduled to launch his U.S. tour with Atoms for Peace, two of his longtime compadres are making their own news for their respective upcoming projects.

As previously reported, longtime Radiohead producer and collaborator Nigel Godrich has been given the task of putting together the soundtrack for the upcoming film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. At it turns out, however, Godrich’s participation won’t be limited to rounding up contributions from Beck (early preview here), Metric (early preview here), and Broken Social Scene. According to The Playlist, the U.K. native will also score the film “with a bevy of undisclosed musicians.” This is just getting more awesome by the day! We’ll of course update you when we learn more, but beck.com reports that the soundtrack is scheduled for release on August 13th. A nice post-Lollapalooza treat!

Radiohead drummer Phil Selway is also doing non-Radiohead things these days, as he is currently gearing up for the release of his very own solo album. Currently, Selway is offering Europe an early preview of what’s to come and, thanks to Prefix, we have a few live videos to share. Below, you can find clips of three new tracks, titled “Running Blind”, “Broken Promises”, and “The Witching Hour” respectively.

And of course, there’s always that threat of a new Radiohead album coming down the pipeline sometime this year. You know, because after Thom plays Coachella, he’ll be joined by the rest of the boys in L.A., where they’ll then finish up recording the effort. (That’s just my own wishful thinking/logical conclusion of course…)

Basically, the band recently finished up a three week recording session in Los Angeles. The news comes from L.A. Times contributor Jia-Rui Cook, who posted a blog entry (now removed) detailing the band’s wrap up part last Sunday night. In the entry, which you can read below, Cook writes that Radiohead had been collaborating with Bryan Cook, a music mixing engineer who “helped transform a house in the Hollywood Hills into a recording studio and spent the last three weeks there recording Radiohead with Nigel Godrich.”

Bryan helped transform a house in the Hollywood Hills into a recording studio and spent the last three weeks there recording Radiohead with Nigel Godrich. On Saturday, we waded through a driveway full of Priuses and Minis to get to the wrap party. I was giddy seeing Beck, Selma Hayek and Danger Mouse chatting around the same pool where Dean Martin and the Rat Pack used to hang out. I marveled at the hair on one rock star that resembled one of those fuzzy boom mic covers. How exactly did he describe what he wanted to his hairdresser? I guess it was just proof rock stars can get away with stuff regular folks can’t. Thom Yorke periodically toyed with the iPhone that controlled the speakers. Usually he skipped forward to a Rolling Stones song. The band wanted to record in L.A. to get away from the dismal English winter. Nigel said they were probably lolling about too much in the sunshine when they first arrived. When it started pouring down, they realized someone up there was telling them to get on with it. If their last album was “In Rainbows,” I guess they could call this one “In Rainstorms.”

Of course, being the overly cryptic band that it is, Radiohead hasn’t really commented on the album, aside from noting “We are in a very different place, a very new place.” So, we have no idea the effort’s title, release date, or even if it is already done.

That said, one member of the band has announced a few specifics… for an upcoming European solo tour. With Yorke hanging in Indio, drummer Phil Selway will hit the road this March in anticipation of that solo album he’s been working with. Find the dates below; then go stream the Haiti benefit concert while you twiddle your thumbs and debate whether you should buy a plane ticket to Italy.

Phil Selway 2010 Tour Dates:
03/27 – Turin, IT @ Spazio 211
03/28 – Florence, IT @ Sala Vanni
03/29 – Flerrara, IT @ Sala Estene
03/30 – Bologna, IT @ Covo Club
03/31 – Rome, IT @ Circolo Degli Artisti
04/01 – Milan, IT @ Tunnel
04/03 – Barcelona, ES @ La 2 de Apolo
04/04 – Valladolid, ES @ Auditorium
04/05 – Puerta de Santa Maria, ES @ Mucho Teatro
04/06 – Lisbon, PT @ Aula Magna
04/07 – Porto, PT @ Casa de Musica
04/08 – Vigo, ES @ Museum of Contemporary Art

According to NME, the aforementioned legendary triad are actually apart of Sudan365‘s A Beat for Peace, a project founded by Faithless drummer Jamie Catto. The aim of the campaign is to harbor peace talks and negotiations in Sudan and to prevent further escalation.

In support of the project, the drummers appeared together in an online video, which features a global drum circle that begins in Sudan and hears a beat being passed “like a baton” between 15 different countries, including England and Mexico.

“I wanted to be involved in this project because I think music is such a powerful way of bringing people together,” said Selway. “Of course, I’m biased in thinking that what’s underpinning it all is always the beat – always drummers! Hopefully this film will show that together people can make a huge noise and through this film I hope people’s focus will be brought back to what is happening in the Sudan over this very important next year.”

Other drummers in the video include Ghana’s Mustapha Tettey Addy, Snow Patrol’s Jonny Quinn and Egyptian drummer Yehia Khalil.

You can watch the video below. You can also head here to view pictures from smaller supplementary groups and events that took place during the video’s initial launch.

Selway was born on May 23, 1967, in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. He met all of his future bandmates while attending Abingdon School, a boys-only public school. In 1985 the five students formed the band that would eventually turn into Radiohead. Originally called On A Friday (due to that being their usual rehearsal day), the band played its first show in late 1986 in Oxford’s Jericho Tavern. The band’s trajectory was put on hold for a few years when all of the members, except for Greenwood, gained their university degrees. Selway studied English History at Liverpool John Moores University. He even had a job as an English teacher at one point before his music career took off.

Once everyone had received their degrees, On A Friday began to ascend quickly. Through recording demos like Manic Hedgehog and active gigging, the band caught the attention of Chris Hufford and Bryan Edge, who became the group’s managers. After a chance meeting between bassist Colin Greenwood and EMI representative Keith Wozencroft, On A Friday was signed to a six-album record deal in 1991. Changing its name to Radiohead, taken from a Talking Heads song, the band released its debut EP, Drill, in late 1992. From there, the history is well known.

Selway’s drumming stuck to the classic/alternative rock style for Radiohead’s first two album, Pablo Honey and The Bends. Once OK Computer rolled around, his skills became far more prominent as the music got more experimental. “Airbag” featured an electronic drumbeat programmed from a recording of him playing that lasted only seconds, an experiment with manipulating rhythm that Selway would use greatly on Kid A. “Paranoid Android” highlighted Selway’s speed as well as his ability to quickly move between different timings. If you can tune out the guitar, you’ll hear Selway rip across the drums as he bridges two sides of Greenwood’ solo. On many of the normal 4/4 time songs, he worked in a more repetitive, solid technique, sometimes including a motorik sound.

Once the work on Kid A began, no one in Radiohead stuck with only their known skill set. Everyone was branching out, including Selway. Moving away from the standard drum pads, he started working with drum machines and digital manipulators to create fresh rhythms. The adjustment wasn’t easy for him, though, and he wondered what a drummer was supposed to do on an album without traditional instruments. From the bombastic, apocalyptic “Idioteque” to the slightly stumbling, walking pace of “Morning Bell”, Selway came through to a new territory in terms of innovative timing and the use of technology to advance the songs’ beats.

However, Selway’s ultimate drum track has to be “Pyramid Song”, from 2001′s Amnesiac. The mostly-piano driven piece really begins to take off about halfway through when Sleway’s jazz influenced compound rhythm kicks in. For most people, this song would seem difficult to play along to due to Yorke’s frequent short pauses in the piano melody. However, Selway’s marching jazz beat provides the perfect support for Yorke’s piano and vocals to float over. Just because this was some of his best work, it doesn’t mean that he hasn’t had great tracks as of late. Listen to “There There”, “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi”, and “Reckoner”. You’ll hear the drum pattern of a man who evolved from playing straightforward rock beats to creating some of the most innovative rhythms of the past 20 years.

As many are already aware, while working on Neil Finn’s 7 Worlds Collide Project (with Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien, Jeff Tweedy, Jonny Marr, and others in New Zealand), Selway performed some acoustic ballads of his own at one of the project performances, respectively entitled “The Family Madness” and “The Witching Hour”. Since his January performances, Selway has announced the upcoming release of his own solo debut. While the Radiohead drummer will presumably sing and play guitar, he has rounded up quite a roster to lend their additional services to the effort. The as-of-yet untitled LP will see instrumentation from Wilco’s Glenn Kotche and Patt Sansone, multi-instrumentalist Lisa Germano, and bassist Sebastian Steinberg.

Based on various videos of the performances (see below), “The Family Madness” has a Floyd-esque “Goodbye Blue Sky” vibe, while “The Witching Hour” sounds more like a more stripped-down version of some of the solemn folk that Radiohead has tinkered with in the past (“Gagging Order” or “True Love Waits”). Selway’s voice is surprisingly pretty, which makes some sense, given the background vocals he occasionally lends at Radiohead shows. It’s got a nice, warm whispery texture, and with a little more practice, he could give Sam Beam a run for his money.

Selway has yet to announce a release date, tracklist, or reveal cover art, but the news will probably come soon. With that being said, please guys, “Stay Together for the Kids”.

Some videos of the songs:

“The Family Madness”

“The Witching Hour”

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