Radiohead's 'Genius' Again on Display in King of Limbs

Band continues to self-release; download available Saturday

(NEWSER) - Radiohead is rolling out new album The King of Limbs this Saturday in digital format, the Telegraph reports, and it's once again forgoing a trifling thing like a record label. (The band notably self-released 2007's In Rainbows.) Fans eager to hear the album ASAP will have to take advantage of the $10 digital download, but will also be able to order CD and 10" vinyl editions on release day. More»

Thom Yorke doesn't care if you like him, and honestly, you shouldn't

(NEWSER) - We all listen to them, grin plastered on our face, blocking out “that guilty nagging feeling that actually, in some ways, when you think about it… Radiohead kinda blow.” Everyone’s convinced Radiohead defines the cutting edge, but Chris Norris of Spin isn’t fooled. Go to one of their concerts, and sometime after the fifth vague, open-ended groove-poem, you’ll realize what Radiohead’s become: “an exceptionally well-dressed jam band that you can’t even dance to.” More»

Radiohead frontman teams up with 'sock-penised' Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist

(NEWSER) - Radiohead purists, prepare yourselves: Frontman Thom Yorke is teaming up with, of all people, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The "sock-penised" bassist, along with Beck drummer Joey Waronker, percussionist Mauro Refosco, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, will back Yorke up as he performs material from his 2006 solo album, The Eraser, at two Los Angeles gigs, New York reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Radiohead made waves when they let fans download their last album for whatever price they wanted, yet a new online-only track has been released in the past week to far less fanfare. "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)" commemorates the last British veteran of World War I, who died last month aged 111, and proceeds from downloads are going to a military charity. The lush, orchestral song is a "masterly achievement" far from their traditional sound, writes Wall Street Journal critic Jim Fusilli. More»

Lennon, Marley, Berry rock on

(NEWSER) - "Towering natural abilities" and "exceptional creative powers" infuse the most memorable music of generations, forged by Blender's top 50 pop-music geniuses. The top 10:

1. Bob Dylan: Each of his brave self-reinventions is "an authentic American original."
2. John Lennon: "His drive pushed the Beatles from a covers band to the world’s best-loved and most influential pop act."
3. Chuck Berry: His guitar riffs are still the "bedrock" of rock and roll five decades on.
4. Bob Marley: "No one did more to define and popularize a musical genre."
5. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards: Duo created "decade of classics."