So, Thom Yorke from Radiohead is doing a side project with Flea (from the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich on guitar and keyboard, Joey Waronker (Beck/ R.E.M.) on drums, and Mauro Refosco on percussion. In case you haven’t heard of this “supergroup,” which was formed in 2009, they are called “Atoms for Peace.” First of all, don’t even get me started when people in a successful band/ tv show/ project feel like they need to go off do a “side project.” Dude—you’re a creative type, and you’ve got a PAYING GIG. As Richard Pryor said to Eddie Murphy (famously retold in “Raw”): “Do they pay you to say that sh$t? Then SAY THAT SH$T.” Something about the “side project” strikes me as ungrateful and ridiculous, and it pisses me off, and I’m sure that’s just the sour grapes talking, so let’s just move on to this actual musical effort that Atoms for Peace is finally putting out. I actually like all of the bands, the members of which form this supergroup, so let’s give their debut single a listen and then we’ll discuss,shall we?
Here’s the thing—this is a cool song, but does it not just sound like a new Radiohead track? How is this sound so different from Radiohead that it deserves its own band name? It is as if Flea, Joey Waronker, and Mauro Refresco went over to Thom Yorke’s house for a playdate and Tom Yorke and Nigel Godrich got there first, and they were all “This is the sound we’re going to make, and if you don’t want to, you can’t use our stuff—meehhhh,” and that’s what happened, and now you can’t hear Flea at all in there.
Oh wait, maybe you’re not a Flea fan (yet). That’s insane, but I guess that’s fair. Let me show you an example of his work, because he is undoubtedly one of the greatest bass players living today.
So— yeah. Now let me try to put myself in Thom Yorke's shoes. I'm Thom Yorke, I want to do a side project that sounds just like my main project, and what I do is take a freakishly awesome bassist and buy him in electronia. I don’t get it. Watching this video of Flea playing bass made me more excited than any of the Atoms for Peace songs I’ve heard so far, is all I’m saying. This “side project” issue is also what I thought was going to happen when J Tillman broke off from Fleet Foxes to form Father John Misty last year, but I actually think his music sounds cool and unique, so color me wrong. Maybe J Tillman was sick of doing those Fleet Foxes harmonies and felt boxed in? Maybe they wouldn’t let him get as lyrically weird as he wanted to, so he busted out on his own? Who knows. At least he didn’t take a world-famous bassist and hide him behind his own sound, because that kind of thing is definitely not cool, Thom Yorke.
Oh, this video is kind of NFSW, in that it has strange themes and weird lyrics. Still cool though.
In case you’re wondering, yes, this is the kind of music I’m into, and the place where I listen to it is Sirius XMU, which I probably can’t recommend highly enough. Get Sirius. Get it now!
