By now you’ve heard of the recent rash of net hijinx involving Radiohead, enough to keep the busy bees at atease buzzing for the past week or so. But for how much of it is Radiohead personally responsible? Whatever’s turning up on deadairspace is coming from the band at least, and apparently they’re communicating some sort of message with odd, square shaped symbols. NME says fans have cracked the code, and it goes a little something like this:
September 20: YES WE ARE STILL ALIVE
September 21: BLINK YOUR EYES ONE FOR YES TWO FOR NO CODE CODE CODE
September 22: PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY
September 22: XENDLESS
September 23: MIGHT NOT OPERATE PROPERLY
September 24: A FLATLINE WE ARE IN A MEETING
September 25: CONSIDERING DISSEMINATION
September 25: SEMAPHORE ELEMENTS
September 26: MARCH WAX
That last meessage could be hinting at release date, and maybe that they’ve settled on a label (Wax or Earwax Records?). Either way, that uncertainty’s probably feeding the frenzy over the other round of ‘netty speculation regarding the recently launched URL RadioheadLP7.com, a mysterious site which has had its authenticity denied by band management. Understandably, ateaseweb’s been sleuthing this through, and last night shit went from having an uncrackable login/password prompt to a big ol’ doomsday clock, counting down to 9AM EST at which point … who knows what the fuck happens. ‘Cause really … this thing’s gotta be a hoax. Let us count the ways:
1. Just look at that login page. Not very design forward.
2. Why would they move back toward Kid A-style font?
3. Some domain registry info:
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: RADIOHEADLP7.COM
Created on: 25-Sep-07
Expires on: 25-Sep-08
Last Updated on: 25-Sep-07
Administrative Contact:
Private, Registration RADIOHEADLP7.COM@domainsbyproxy.com
Domains by Proxy, Inc.
DomainsByProxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd., Ste 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States
(480) 624-2599 Fax — (480) 624-2599
Godaddy? So lowbrow, Thom!
For added fun, check out what the site’s saying across the bottom.
Moral of the story, kids: Don’t believe everything that you read. Unless it involves a sex tape.
UPDATE: Radiohead’s publicists confirm to Stereogum it’s phony. “Unless band and mgmt are deliberately keeping it frrom me.” Not likely.
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How DARE you say “sex tape” on your site! How DARE YOU!
i work at a vinyl pressing plant and we’ve been pressing up copies of radiohead’s “tryptych” this past week. our biggest order yet. put two and two together and you’ll see that this is counting down to the online-only release of lp7 followed a week or two later by the vinyl release. no cd packaging going to waste. just like thom wanted. except with a shitty album name.
A radiohead sex tape?
wouldn’t be so pretty.
I agree too, it’s fake. But fun watching, I just wanna know what’s going to happen. If for some reason it is radiohead, those boys are tricky!
I can’t wait for new radiohead.
This is such an obvious hoax. I mean really people…
Am I the only one that thinks that was one of the worst written pieces ever. “By you’ve heard…” “That last meessage one a possible release date?” I’m not a grammar nazi, but at least write complete sentences. I need some eye-bleach after reading that. Step it up Stereogum.
That’s an exciting life you lead there Chris, pouring bleach in your eyes after you see a typo.
Nice job with them scripts, ‘Gum.
http://www.radioheadlp7.com/count.swf?id=FOR%20STEREOGUM%20TO%20SELL%20TO%20MTV%20NEWS
be sure. we’ll be watching…
Looks like the countdown has been changed. We’re only an hour and 35 minutes away?
Told you so: http://www.nme.com/news/31449
The countdown now says it is less than 2 hours away… Is this just the countdown that never stops counting down? I don’t think there is anyone out there who has enough time to just sit for two hours and watch this thing to see why/when it keeps changing.
ok the countdown is up and nothing is happening, this sucks.
This was so lame. Usually a good hoax has some kind of entertainment value, not so with this one.
Check it out now… sadness and pity.
Enter the code before the timer reaches zero (or else!)
4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42
I love Radiohead to pieces but I sure wish they would stop with the C.I.A. act and be straight with their fans. The cryptic business isn’t fun anymore.
DwD
It was a fucking rickroll. Possibly the world’s most ingenious, well-orchestrated rickroll.
What’s so cryptic? Your ass got rickrolled, plain and simple.
Put aside Radioheadlp7.com for a moment. I’m talking about their actual site, the blurts of “news” that come from Yorke and Greenwood that are as screwy as Alan Greenspan’s market forecasts, the icon games that substitute clear web navigation.
That Radioheadlp7.com was able to rig a convincing con was because they used the cryptic crap that’s been so commonplace with the band for so long. It’s time to break their own stereotype and come clean, don’t you think?
DwD
i totally disagree, DwD. i think it’s commendable of radiohead to remain so cryptic in an age where a fan of a band can find out every single minute detail about their favorite musicians by looking on the right blogs. if we knew about thom yorke’s bowel movements, would we really care?
This site, Shitgum, blows!
lol
holy shit the album is coming out in 10 days!
GO TO RADIOHEAD.COM RIGHT NOW.