I had a lot of time to burn today. I accompanied my wife to school and waited outside each of the classrooms and played on my ipod or listened to music. During her last class, I was sleepy and relaxed and her class lasted around an hour fortyfive, so it felt like a good time to get into a set of really good songs. As usually happens when I have the chance to really focus on a bunch of music, I usually switch from Radiohead song to Radiohead song, takingin the unique majesty and genius of each composition. I have yet to meet anyone else in my life who loves this band as I do, so often I feel as though I lack a proper outlet with which to share my thoughts and feelings on their oh-so-miraculous tunes. This is a band that has shifted styles in a big way over the years, from the early inverted arena-rock feel that turned the popular U2 sound on its head, to the progressive dub-step sound they seem to be leaner toward these days. And yet I still manage to fall in love with each of their albums.
Along come bands that seem to be the next big thing. The bands that really seem to "get it" in ways that seem illusive to most other similar groups. These are the U2s, the Nirvanas, the Metallicas that are typically embraced publicly and critically. Not only do they practically redefine popular music by creating new genres, but they make it look so effortless. Radiohead has continuously remained a part of said group since 1994 by releasing a remarkable stream of superb albums the likes of which hasn't been seen for decades. They're like the Pixar of the music world. When a new Radiohead album comes out, it isn't a question of whether or not you should buy it, but how quickly and efficiently you can get into your hands and coming out your speakers.
In honor of this band that continues to astound me and the music world, here's a link to my favorite "live" performance ever. It's just a live recording of Radiohead playing in the studio, so there's no audience. But it's live in that there are no second takes or post-processing or any of that nonsense that tends to remove some of the magic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8byXSML4bY
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