2016's A Moon Shaped Pool was like a lot of latter-day Radiohead: Inspiring, confounding, elusive, melancholy—and for the most part, awfully quiet. So if you’re expecting a long-awaited B-side from the record to be a bold stylistic change-up, you haven’t been following Radiohead lately.
“Keep your distance,” goes the first line of “Ill Wind,” a track that has until now only been available on a CD that accompanied the vinyl edition of Moon Shaped Pool upon its release three years ago, paired with the band’s would-be James Bond theme song, “Spectre.” But as of today, your distance is no longer required: The song has finally been made available on streaming services, and if you haven’t heard it before, your response can probably be determined by your thoughts on the record for which the track was recorded. If you miss the verses and choruses and melodies that were present in the first half of the band’s career, then this likely won’t do much to change your mind. If, however, you’re among those of us who continue to be fascinated and enthralled by the stutter-step rhythms, subtle musical themes, and languid minor-key explorations of its recent work, this should be right up your pensive, anxiety-ridden alley. You can listen to “Ill Wind” below.
11 Comments
they should make an album with no drummer.
their literal most integral member? naaah man. his jazz drumming is sublime on this one.
Which drummer? The Portishead guy or the bald dude?
haaaaaah gottem
I was not struck with awe. It was ok, but no awe. It was not awesome.
“Ill Wind”So many fart jokes, so little time.The track sounds great, though.
this is great “walking home from work on a dark, cold, friday night in the middle of january” music.
Love it, sounds inspired by the music in the Jon Pertwee Doctor episode “The Sea Devils”.
Damon Albarn > Thom Yorke AND I WILL CREATE A MOUNTAIN OF CORPSES DEFENDING THIS TAKE
I once had a whim and had to obey it to buy a Radiohead vinyl in a second hand shop. I polished it up and started to play it, in spite of the neighbors who begged me to stop.
I actually prefer this to any song on the album.