Com Lag (2plus2isfive)

Performer: Radiohead
Engineer: Graeme Stewart; Darrell Thorp
Producer: Radiohead; Mr. Nigel Godrich
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Useful only to the most devoted Radiohead followers (who will probably have most of the contents to begin with), Com Lag is a patchwork of live material, remixes, B-sides, and other assorted scraps. Naturally, the release isn't nearly as cohesive as Hail to the Thief; its apparent intent is to supply the fans with another stream of the band's recordings, regardless of both how they fit together and how mixed the tracks are to begin with. The B-sides aren't nearly as solid as the ones collected on the Airbag/How Am I Driving EP, not to mention most of the intervening extras that trickled out between that release and this one -- though the live, solo piano version of Amnesiac-era B-side "Fog" is a definite standout, and the likes of "Paperbag Writer," "I Am Citizen Insane," and "Gagging Order" are hardly throwaways. A Cristian Vogel remix of "Myxomatosis" is far more nerve-racking than the original, full of clattering percussion; Thom Yorke's vocals are placed higher in the mix and possibly multi-tracked to make them sound as if they're on the brink of lunacy. Another standout is a ferocious live version of "2+2=5" recorded at London's Earls Court. To make the release a little more enticing, no expense was spared with the packaging. ~ Andy Kellman

Radiohead burst onto the Britpop scene in the early 1990s with a clamorous, post-U2 take on guitar rock, buoyed by the hit "Creep." They subsequently developed their songwriting and production skills on THE BENDS and achieved iconic status with their breakthrough album OK COMPUTER, making art-rock cool again in the process. The mercurial band's long-awaited follow-up three years later was a sharp left turn full of ambient electronics and Can-like sonic deconstruction, and they've continued the trend with subsequent albums and solo projects. The connecting thread through all the band's phases has been Thom Yorke's intense vocal frenzy.

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