Took My Melody

"Is that all, then?" is the response of some Radiohead fans far more intense than I to the King of Limbs. Only eight tracks? Why you do us like you do, Radiohead?

It's leading to all sorts of conspiracy theories. Is there a second half of this album coming? Why are there going to be two vinyls when the physical album gets released? Why is the last song on the album titled "Separator," and why does it contain the lyrics, "If you think this is over/Then you're wrong"?

Then there's the below mysterious video clip of mysterious trees (You know, King of Limbs and all that), posted on YouTube on Feb. 18 by someone named "branchesandlimbs," whose profile says they live in the U.K. Complete with morse code that, translated, reads "BranchesBranchesBranches" and some lyrics looped in that plausibly could have come from Thom Yorke's brain, it has the AtEaseWeb message board - where the most hard-core of Radiohead fans lurketh and the rest of us tread only when we REALLY REALLY want some b-side or another - in a bit of a tizzy.



The ones who hope for more say it's evidence that the Radiohead MOTHERLODE is coming: a song called "Burn the Witch" that Thom has been teasing fans with for years, without ever playing more than a few bars of (click here for those few bars). The naysayers point to all sorts of reasons why this is just another fake (and Radiohead fans do love playing tricks on their hapless, gullible peers!): it's Separator reversed! I recognize those trees, they're in a park near my house! The technology behind this video is different than the technology behind the official video!

Time, I suppose, will tell. In the inbetween space, the new album is more than deep and wide enough for me to swim around in for a while. I'm enjoying listening to the songs that have had demos and live versions floating around for years that the band has finally managed to record to their liking. "Good Morning Mr. Magpie" in particular - what a gem.

Click here for the album version. And here's what it used to sound like: