Goddamn it Radiohead. This year has been intense and crazy enough for surprise music releases without your weird and wonderful cryptic clues.
Last week, the band sent out a bunch of mysterious flyers, threatening fans with the note “BURN THE WITCH.” Yesterday, they proceeded to deleted themselves entirely off the internet. Their social media accounts were emptied, and their website is completely blank. In fact, the URL is literally titled radiohead.com/deadairspace.
Now, they’re back online. Just a couple hours ago, the Thom Yorke-fronted five piece, responsible for some of the greatest indie songs of all time, posted this strange little video of an animated bird chirping to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. It is also now showing up on their website.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!
It’s been five years since Radiohead released their last album King of Limbs. On Christmas last year they posted a new track, Spectre, which had reportedly be written for consideration as the James Bond theme song. It eventually went to Sam Smith.
Then came the news that they had registered a new company name, DAWN CHORUS LLP, sparking album rumous, as they had done the exact same thing before both King of Limbs and In Rainbows.
After sending out these strange flyers bearing the message “Sing a song of sixpence that goes/Burn the Witch/We know where you live,” the band and its members emptied their social media accounts entirely.
Now comes this video.
Piecing it all together, the bird is quite possibly chirping the aforementioned “song of sixpence.” Furthermore, considering that a chirping bird is often associated with the morning and the rising sun, it ties in well with the Dawn Chorus idea, whatever it may be.
Interestingly, both Dawn Chorus and Burn The Witch are names of old and oft forgotten Radiohead deep cuts. Who knows – maybe this release will actually be a rehashing of lost b-sides and rarities?
Image: Radiohead / Instagram