‘True Love Waits’ Illuminates Radiohead’s Mysterious Creative Process

After a week of cryptic teases, Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool dropped on May 8.
After a week of cryptic teases, Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool dropped on May 8.

The last few weeks have been a bit nuts for surprise album releases from music’s biggest names: Beyonce’s Lemonade, Drakes’ Views, James Blake’s The Colour In Anything. And that’s not even counting sudden releases a few months ago from Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. So yeah, it’s already been a busy winter and spring.

As if that wasn’t enough, Radiohead then dropped hints of a new something, first by sending cryptic mailers to anyone on their UK mailing list — hinting at the a song “Burn The Witch” and a data privacy-alluding tagline “We know where you live” — and then removing all traces of content from the band’s internet presence and social media. Considering fans knew Radiohead had been working on and off on new music, plus a looming tour this summer, clearly something was happening soon. And then, Radiohead dropped a few breadcrumbs in the form of video teasers on Instagram. And later, the first full song and music video for “Burn The Witch,”

A few days later, they dropped “Daydreaming,” which coupled with a breathtaking short film video by director Paul Thomas Anderson.

Then, the new album dropped on Sunday at 2 p.m. and people like me threw away the rest of the weekend to download and listen.

There’s much to discuss and unpack with A Moon Shaped Pool, but after a few days I’ve yet to wrap my head around what Radiohead is doing. I’m sure there’s more thoughts to come about the band and its frequently evolving sounds and shapeshifting ambitions and themes.

Over at NPR Music, the staff was practically all hands on deck, listening to the record at the same time, and each jotting down some loose first reactions to the music, the moods and more. It was a ton of fun to be able be part of the genre-diverse array of writers and critics and producers and editors from the site, all coming together to weigh in from their various areas of expertise. So go check that out.

My short contribution about “True Love Waits” is there as well. And below, I have a longer version fleshes out a little bit of what I’m getting at. It’s messy and unedited and likely rambling, but putting it here for posterity.

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Pop Culture Happy Hour: On Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Paper Girls And More

I got the chance to crash the Pop Culture Happy Hour party again.

This time, we gathered to discuss the fantastic, hilarious show Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which in the absence of Parks And Recreation is now my favorite network comedy.

Also on the show, we discuss a topic I originally suggested as a joke, mostly because due to being so busy with the day job and writing so much for NPR Music — plus the Royals being in the playoffs all of October — and not having much time to catch up on movies or TV. The topic title still cracks me up: Pop Culture I Hop To Finally Get Around To One Day When I Have Some Damn Spare Time To Myself Oh God I’m So Tired I Just Need To Lie Down For A Second But I Promise I’ll Get To It Soon.

Then, in What’s Making Me Happy this week, I talk about the first issue of a great new comic series Paper Girls, by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang. It’s already so good.

One other note: This podcast was originally taped on Oct. 26, the day before the Royals started the World Series — but it dropped a few days after the team won it all. So you can prob hear a little bit of my hesitant optimism here because I’m sure I was a) just thrilled to be in the playoffs and World Series; and b) nervous that they might fall short. Luckily, in present day, I know we didn’t and won! So, relax Oct. 26 Mike, everything turns out just great in the end!

First Listen: Bill Ryder-Jones, ‘West Kirby County Primary’

Bill Ryder-Jones' new album, <em>West Kirby County Primary</em>, is out now. (Rachel King/Courtesy of the artist)
Bill Ryder-Jones’ new album, West Kirby County Primary, is out now. (Rachel King/Courtesy of the artist)

I’m surprised Bill Ryder-Jones has not been on my radar at all until now, but it’s been excellent delving into his old music with the 1990s\2000s U.K. band The Coral, and now his solo work. This new record, West Kirby County Primary, is gorgeous and mellow but is also a colossal bummer, with songs about depression and mental illness and crumbling relationships. Check out what I wrote about the record as part of NPR Music’s First Listen series.

First Listen: Beach Slang, ‘The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us’

Beach Slang's new album, <em>The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us, </em> is out now. (Jessica Flynn/Courtesy of the artist)
Beach Slang’s new album, The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us, is out now. (Jessica Flynn/Courtesy of the artist)

Few bands sing with the kind of earnest, live-in-the-moment feels quite like Beach Slang, which has become one of my favorite new bands of the year. These songs crackle with energy, while getting into some pretty heavy topics of depression and escape and heartbreak, while also being anthems for people don’t fit in and find community in the punk scene. It’s a tremendously powerful album.

Check out what else I had to say about the record as part of NPR Music’s First Listen series.

Songs We Love: Pity Sex, ‘What Might Soothe You?’

Pity Sex's forthcoming album, <em>White Hot Moon</em>, comes out in Spring 2016. (Joel Rakowski/Courtesy of the artist)
Pity Sex’s forthcoming album, White Hot Moon, comes out in Spring 2016. (Joel Rakowski/Courtesy of the artist)

One of my favorite go-to records the last couple years has been Pity Sex’s Feast Of Love, which combines shoegazey noise with sweet pop punk melodies — it’s all very ’90s sounding, but fresh all the same. It’s blistering and emotional at once, and even better live, where those songs can wash over you. So needless to say, I’m anxious for the band’s follow-up, White Hot Moon, which was just announced to be coming next spring.

I got the chance to debut and write about “What Might Soothe You?,” the first new song from that upcoming record, for NPR Music’s Songs We Love series. Can’t wait for this to come out.

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Songs We Love: Sports, ‘Get Bummed Out’

Sports' album, All Of Something, is out now. (Courtesy of the artist)
Sports’ album, All Of Something, is out now. (Courtesy of the artist)

I first came across Sports back in February on a great bill at Baby’s All Right in Williamsburg and fell in love with these impossibly catchy hooks and lyrics that capture the feeling of being young and in transition — be it the beginning or end of a relationship, or the looming real-life responsibilities after college is over and figuring out what to do and who to be. Those themes are all over Sports’ tremendous new album, All Of Something, and the song “Get Bummed Out,” which is a portrait of feeling the all consuming ache of love for someone but paralyzed by not being able to tell them. It’s so good, so I had to write about it for NPR Music’s Songs We Love series.

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Songs We Love; Air Waves, ‘Thunder’

Air Wave's new album, <em>Parting Glances</em>, is out now. (Ebru Yildiz/Courtesy of the artist)
Air Wave’s new album, Parting Glances, is out now. (Ebru Yildiz/Courtesy of the artist)

Here’s a piece I wrote for NPR Music’s Songs We Love series about the very cool New York band Air Waves, and its song “Thunder” which features Lower Dens’ Jana Hunter buried deep in the vocal mix. The whole album, Parting Glances, is really excellent and worth a listen!

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First Listen: Telekinesis, ‘Ad Infinitum’

Telekinesis' Ad Infinitum is out now. (Chris Beck/Courtesy of the artist)
Telekinesis’ Ad Infinitum is out now. (Chris Beck/Courtesy of the artist)

I’ve been a big fan of Michael Benjamin Lerner since his first Telekinesis album, and he’s put on some of my favorite shows when I’ve had a chance to see his band live — including one during CMJ where Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan and Fred Armisen served as his backing band. Wow.

So yeah, I was pretty excited to delve deep about the sonic changes and challenges of his latest record, Ad Infinitum, for NPR Music’s First Listen series.

First Listen: Ben Folds, ‘So There’

Ben Folds' <em>So There, </em> is out now. (Allan Amato/Courtesy of the artist)
Ben Folds’ So There, is out now. (Allan Amato/Courtesy of the artist)

I wrote about Ben Folds’ new album, So There, over at NPR Music for its First Listen series. But after mulling over this album and what Ben Folds’ music once meant to me, I also have some other rambling thoughts, too.

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