Whether or not Radiohead actually stole the title of their very good, yet imperfect new album, it’s worth a few listens. There’s no doubt that Thom Yorke believes what he says about not being a thief himself. The album is a pessimistic and forlorn sound landscape painted by layers of crying vocals and guitars. There’s a bit too much anguish in it all, but I’m not one to call the kettle “black.”
But what I’m really curious about is the cover art, which looks like a modernized Philip Guston dipped in Los Angeles highway culture. (I’m writing a story in my mind about MP3s, cover art, and the loss of the visual in music so this might be a good place to start that piece.)