AURAL INTERCOURSE

Thursday, June 12, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Aural Intercourse: Radiohead, in its right place

By Mike Prevatt

Before U2 released its 1997 album Pop, its organization sent out thousands of promo postcards that simply read, "Expect nothing." What initially seemed to be a working title for the forthcoming collection now reads a lot like the band's answer to fan and media speculation of the musical direction U2 was taking, fueled by rumors of a dance-oriented record.

Had Radiohead countered the rumor-mongering of its own admirers, its cards might have read, "Nothing is ever good enough for you." The sentence is a lyric from the engaging "A Punch-Up from a Wedding," which resides on the just-released Hail to the Thief. But it sums up the anticipation many hold for the Oxford band to revitalize rock 'n' roll, as it did once before with its 1998 album, OK Computer.

It's a tall order Radiohead has no wish to fulfill, evidenced on the experimental yet high-charting follow-ups, Kid A and Amnesiac. With Hail, full-length number six for the band, atmosphere and musical expression are still the priorities, but it feels balanced and fleshed out, benefiting from a gestation period when songs were tested during last summer's European tour.

There are obvious elements of previous Radiohead albums on this latest effort. Kickoff track "2+2=5" is reminiscent of "Paranoid Android"; "Where I End and You Begin" allows guitarist and resident gizmo manipulator Johnny Greenwood to boogie down a la "I Might Be Wrong"; and "Sail to the Moon" evokes the piano grandeur of "The Pyramid Song."

In fact, one must ask, has Radiohead established a musical identity? The filtered and treated guitar squalls are in place ("Myxomatosis"), as are the tribal rhythms (live fave "Go to Sleep"), the prog bop/IDM pop ("The Gloaming," "Backdrifts") and singer Thom Yorke's pithy, us-against-them pronouncements ("Sit Down. Stand Up"). Melodies and song structures are again redefined, but the music feels developed, associative and even nostalgic at times. It's where the band should be, if only for one record, to coalesce the ideas born from Kid A and Amnesiac.

You can be sure just as any suggestion of formula has been voiced, Radiohead will go back into the studio to come up with something that defies its former self. Yorke has said nearly as much when contemplating the Next Album, that mythic concept where the band really saves the world. But, by this point, its fans should know better than to expect anything--except nothing.

Quickies

The first Field Day festival--held near New York City on June 7 and inspired by Palm Springs' annually revered Coachella festival--couldn't have had a rougher debut. First, Suffolk County officials initially denied permits to organizers just a week before the two-day festival was to take place, in Calverton, located on Long Island. Then, after permit and security talks broke down June 4, the event was moved to Giants Stadium, in East Rutherford, N.J. This subsequently chopped the festival down to a single-day show, causing many acts to cancel or be eliminated from the bill, and required ticketholders to discard their existing tickets (which were immediately refunded) and quickly buy new ones.

The festival went on, though plagued by rain and low attendance (numbers weren't available by press time). Reports claim a well-received and stadium-appropriate set by Radiohead, which closed the show, as well as a sleeper set by electronic duo Underworld that got much of the crowd up and dancing. However, critics allege the Beastie Boys' set felt unrehearsed, and Beck pulled out at the last minute because of a backstage injury he has since recovered from. Blur, Spiritualized and nine other acts also performed.

Speaking of Blur, the British rock act has the distinguished honor of contributing a song to the British space program. Its tune, inspired by both mathematic sequence and fragments of tracks from its 13 album, will act as a touchdown signal for Beagle 2, Britain's contribution to the European Space Agency's June trip to Mars. The trio is currently touring behind its recently released seventh studio album, Think Tank, hitting Las Vegas June 12 for an 8 p.m. show at the House of Blues. Tickets: $25-$35. Info: 474-4000.

Linkin Park leader Chester Bennington was released from an L.A. hospital Monday after suffering concert-canceling pains in the abdomen and chest. The singer was admitted May 30, and even after 11 days of tests and medical staff vigilance, the cause was hypothesized to stem from either an intestinal disorder or a parasite. Some Linkin Park appearances in June were scratched, but the band's stint with Metallica's Summer Sanitarium tour, which starts July 4, remains unchanged, as does its June 27 one-off gig at the Joint.

A fan was fatally electrocuted at the Red Hot Chili Peppers' June 6 show Sunday in Charlotte, N.C. Ashley Faris, 23, was walking barefoot on a set of lighted, metal-edged stairs in the rain when he was shocked. A witness who tried to help him was also shocked, but he was released from the hospital the next day. Various authorities and other local investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of the incident, which took place inside the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.

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