Actually that’s not entirely fair. It’s more like “just in case you haven’t heard that In Rainbows‘ price may no longer be ‘up to you,’ but its packaging is.” Watch the jazz hands demonstrate (video via P4K):
Quite an Informational clip, eh? Awesome they’re trying (sort of) new things, mining unorthodox channels of getting people excited about an album’s release. Honestly — and, okay, selfishly — this last stab has left us conflicted: Anyone else wish Radiohead would go back to appearing a little more, erm, hands off (pun, for once, not intended)? It’d be more fun if they’d let their brilliant music do the talking instead of seeming, a little more everyday, to be incredibly shrewd, market savvy gents. But we guess their apparent interest in marketing and distribution this time is just an extension of this album’s “return to earth” vibe. Human, after all.
Anyway, Thom, let us do the marketing for you: The Eraser‘s got some sick looking remixes out early next year, including efforts from the Field (yes), Burial (yes), Modeselektor (yes), and those previously posted online from Surgeon. Jump for details.
12″ Number One (out 2/4)
01 “Harrowdown Hill (The Bug Remix)”
02 “The Clock (Surgeon Remix)”
03 “Cymbal Rush (The Field Remix)”
12″ Number Two (out 1/28)
01 “Atoms For Peace (Four Tet Remix)”
02 “Black Swan (Christian Vogel Remix 1)”
03 “Black Swan (Christian Vogel Remix 2)”
12″ Number Three (out 1/21)
01 “And It Rained All Night (Burial Remix)”
02 “Skip Divided (Modeselektor Remix)”
03 “Analyse (Various Remix)”
All will be released via XL, and the UK gets vinyl treatment on 2/4. And yes, we realize Number Three comes out first and Number One, last. It’s like a countdown. “The Clock.” Dig.
Here’s the 15-second version of the spot, which apparently will begin rotating in the commercials for the shows you’re busy not watching because of the writers’ strike.
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You really think so? I’m almost as big a fan as the rest of yous and I just think this is kind of fun/some sort of joke to amuse the band.
Everyone who will have wanted to hear Radiohead’s new album has probably already heard it, so I don’t see what’s so bad about trying to appeal to those outside their current target market. It’s just an advert – nothing more, nothing less.
call me old-fashioned, but i didn’t like the sticker packaging for ‘the information’ and i think this looks even worse. so i spend the money (which i will anyways) on the cd to have the packaging/liner notes, only to head home and assemble what will resemble a cheap mix cd for a friend? maybe that’s irony – a full-circle back to what ultimately became the album’s ‘free’ download.
“you guys want to give us nothing to use our server bandwidth? fine. here’s your ‘packaging’.”
don’t blame the band..the label has to do everything it can now to make sure people still buy the physical album. i think the media is just blowing the payment “model” out of proportion. they need to refocus on the album’s quality rather than all this hype that surrounded its release.
i’d like to see arcade fire make a “just in case you haven’t heard about neon bible” video. would it include an interactive hands-on[win] demonstration?
[that pun, dear sirs, was intended.]
How much did they pay that Yacht guy to do this commercial?
‘It’d be more fun if they’d let their brilliant music do the talking instead of seeming, a little more everyday, to be incredibly shrewd, market savvy gents.’
This is utter flamebait. Yeah, let’s turn up our noses at them because they know how to bring a record to market better than the douchnozzles at every major label. Let’s do that. Why? Because the internet lets us.
well, technically you don’t have to use a jewel case, you can just keep it in that little box. I like digipacks better than jewel cases.
Like this album needed any more hype? it’s great though.
http://paidandpopular.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/thefashiondk
I think they could reach a wider audience if they sell it on QVC
Anyone wanna decode this for hidden messages?
From: info@theeraser.net
Date: December 15, 2007 4:54:05 PM EST
To: scott
Subject: fRm thom y
please excuse this addiTion to YouR pile of email.
ThIs is not stricTly junk.
this
is a quick notE to Let YoU know thAT there will be shorttlY be a bunch of rmxs
of some of the songs from the ERAser album made available to download from boomkat.com.
on the 17th of Dec a BURIAL rmx of anditrainedallNight
a ModeSeleKtOR rmx of skipdivideD
& a VAriouS rmx of aNaLYse
on the 18th of Dec a FoURtet rmx of AtoMS for PEace
& two Christian Vogel rmxs of ‘Black sWAn’
on the 19th of Dec the SuRGEon rmx of the CLock
a rmx of HarrOWdown HiLL by THE buG
& a rmx of Cymbal RUsh by The FIEld
that’s it. apoloGIes for the disturbanCE. check themm out if you get amoment.
i Hope yours is a pEaceful CHRistmas.
>
thom yorke.
that four tet remix is going to fucking own 08.
ThIs is not stricTly junk. = TIT, obviously.
I didn’t even realise it was a code, assumed it was Thom trying to be arty.