Radiohead truly is an alternative band. I first noticed this term "alternative" being thrown around MTV and the radio in the early 90s and it was applied to bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana. This band stood out from the rest with the 1992song "Creep." Their last album In Rainbows was released in a most non-traditional way -- you got to pick your price and download it from their (not a record label's) website. Well, earlier this week they announced that they were releasing a new album this weekend. That is not anything like the way records are normally hyped for weeks or months in advance of their Tuesday release date. Now here is a video from that upcoming release, The King of Limbs.
Today the term "alternative" is overused and improperly used. It depends on who you ask and how they determine it. It is certainly not a genre anymore as it may have been in the early 90s. That is not say that alternative artists don't exist today - it is just different now. We have to realize that much of what is considered mainstream now was marginal, or alternative, and on the periphery of music at some point. Some easy examples would be Louis Armstrong's trmupet solos, Elvis Presley's race music, and the Grateful Dead's concert scene.
Enjoy the tunes!
Hey, T Rav, thanks for the post. I have been looking for this song and am glad to have found it. This song, as In Rainbows, seems a bit more listener friendly to me. In Rainbows is, in fact, my favorite Radiohead album (if I can still use that term). Could it be this is an alternative to Radiohead's alternative? Hmmm...I just hurt myself thinking about that.
ReplyDeleteAh, YES. This music does something to me. I love this video too. Something primal about their sound and his movements. Love, Love, Love.
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