We reported over the weekend that Radiohead wanted in on the Record Store Day action at the last minute. And today, we reap the benefits of the gesture.
“The Butcher” and “Supercollider” can be heard in full, streaming, below. According to guitarist Ed O’Brien, both were recorded during the “King of Limbs” sessions, though the latter was finished only after the album was done.
“Supercollider” is a pretty, easy-to-listen track, with Thom Yorke’s yawp evened out with a dance-floor synth pounding on-beat throughout. It’s a song to get spaced-out on, like seeing the same flat scenery from a fast-moving train.
“The Butcher” on the other hand is a little more troubled, with a tribal drum beat and shuffling vocal treatments swirling around an unpenetrable ozone of atmosphere. Plus Yorke call his enemy “a little bitch,” which is sort of startling when you catch it.
The British band hasn’t been trying too hard to promote “Limbs,” considering these tracks aren’t officially part of the release. The was the respectable, limited run of the “Universal Sigh” newspaper, but no tour dates have been announced, nor much of a push to radio or online social networking sites. There have been scant interviews with O’Brien, for instance, but it looks like Radiohead are already primed for whatever’s next in their career arch.
Unless Yorke would like to show us some more of his moves, a la “Lotus Flower.” Because that was kind of dope.
[Tracks after the jump…]
Did you get your hands on “The Butcher” / “Supercollider” 12″?