| Rather than follow the predictable path of a hits collection to fulfil their Parlophone contract, Oxford's Radiohead instead release, Com Lag, a compilation of recent B-sides (plus an exclusive and explosive live take of "2+2=5") from the ground-breaking Hail to the Thief. The schizophrenic mix of clattering technology and traditional (yet inventive) guitar rock is all the more pervasive here than anywhere else in the band's catalogue, with wildly differing results. Although this is mostly desirable to completists and the curious, that isn't to say they're not good; even on a bad day, Radiohead manage to be far more interesting than their contemporaries--as the eerie bass and strings of "Paperbag Writer" or the acoustic "Gagging Order" prove. Though these songs don't quite hit the heights of previous B-sides, such as "Polyethylene" and "Killer Cars", they almost get there; the live "2+2=5" is incendiary, while the Los Angeles version of "I Will" is a fuller much improved version of the Hail to the Thief track, but the highlight has to be "Fog (Again)", stripped down to a simple and beautiful piano and vocal, and proves to be one of Radiohead's most affecting recent moments. --Thom Allott |
