What seemed quieter, even when the band was rocking pretty hard, was actually just a whole lot cleaner. This made for a couple of the best live versions of "Paranoid Android" and "There, There" that I've ever heard.
On these two songs — both of which they have to be pretty sick of playing by now — Radiohead pulled off the seemingly impossible task of breathing new life into them. But aside from a frenetic Thom Yorke turn on "Idioteque," these would prove to be the extent of the more familiar crowd-pleasing songs. The rest of the show was divided between songs from 2011's The King Of Limbs CD; newer, unreleased songs like "Identikit" and "Staircase"; and obscure B-sides like "The Amazing Sounds Of Orgy."
Several of these new songs also spotlighted the new Radiohead lineup with two drummers — longtime member Phil Selway and new addition Clive Deamer. On the unreleased "Staircase," this made for a surprisingly funky sound brought even further home by a mix so tight you could hear the sticks hitting the rims. On "Bloom" (from The King Of Limbs), the busy sounding drums served as a launchpad into borderline Coltrane jazz territory, with Ed O'Brien's sharp guitar jabs providing the darker shades.
Here is the remainder of the schedule for Austin City Limits 38th season on PBS:
October 20, 2012 | Bonnie Raitt with Mavis Staples
October 27, 2012 | The Shins | Dr. Dog
November 3, 2012 | The Civil Wars | Punch Brothers
November 10, 2012 | ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2012 (Hosted by Jim Lauderdale and featuring performances by Carolina Chocolate Drops, Richard Thompson, Alabama Shakes, Lifetime Achievement Honoree Bonnie Raitt and more)
Article comments
1 - Charlie Doherty
Minus The Bear is one of my favorite (newer) groups of the past 10+ years. They are friggin' geniuses and every bit as alternative and experimental as Radiohead (but obviously not nearly as influential or with a catalog of impressive songs/records as them, I know). But just note that they shouldn't really be lumped into "quirky pop," given all their heavy, aggressive and moody songs (mostly from their early years), but if you're thinking of songs like "My Time," I can see why you would call that "quirky" ('cuz of the synths).
2 - Glen Boyd
It was more of an aside than anything else, but still a point I've been dying for an opening to make for a little while now. I may have over-generalized just a bit though, and your comment is certainly noted, Charlie "The" Doherty....LOL.
-Glen
3 - Big Dave
It was a great episode. They definitely played a *lot* of obscure stuff though. I was surprised to see them on ACL. Nice article as usual buddy.