Bodysnatchers (And Their Ensuing Invasion)

It’s been quite a week for those of us that have been waiting patiently for music artists, especially acts with an established following, to dump their record companies and begin to interact directly with their fans. Of course, some artists (Harvey Danger, for example) have done so long ago, but this week saw Radiohead capture the collective imagination of the media and receive nearly wall-to-wall coverage of the self-release of their new album. I never would have guessed back in 1993 when I bought my first Radiohead album that they would be the proverbial canary in the music industry coal mine. Once other artists saw the free media hype that the band was getting for their new album, suddenly it became a “me too” game as The Charlatans, Nine Inch Nails, and Jamiraquoi all announced that they had left their record companies behind and were going to start selling directly to their fans. I could have included Madonna in that list as well, except that she dumped her label only to sign a similar contract with a tour promotion company. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. But that’s fine, she’s never really been on the cutting edge of music industry trends.

So, was the hype for Radiohead’s new album worth it? The music, I mean. Did the content of this industry-breakthrough album live up to its historical importance? After nearly constant listening since Wednesday morning, my opinion is that it is a solid release that continues to unfold listen after listen, but it is far from Radiohead’s best work. That being said, there are a couple of fantastic tracks, one of which I’ve chosen for the trackoday:

Bodysnatchers by Radiohead from In Rainbows

Purchase In Rainbows Directly From Radiohead

Now for the funny bit. The album download came without album art of any kind. A bit of a bummer, but I understand that they intend to use cover art as an additional carrot to purchase the CD/LP combo box set for about $80. I don’t currently have that kind of disposable cash laying around since my dog, Babbage, has had more income than me since I quit my corporate job in March (“When starting a new venture, be prepared for a long period of putting in before you can begin taking anything out.”). Instead, I improvised and made my own cover art from a screen grab of the In Rainbows website. However, while reading Global Nerdy this morning, I saw much more inspired fan-art:

(via Global Nerdy)