Radiohead roundup, vol. 2: ads, remixes, etc.

Welcome to the second edition of Paste's weekly Radiohead roundup, where the only subject that's off limits is bowel movements. It wouldn't matter, though, since the members of Radiohead no longer have to engage in the lowly task of digesting physical foodstuffs, but rather feed exclusively on sound itself.

Here's the scoop:

In Rainbows ad hits the web, Pitchfork promptly gives it a 9.6:
Radiohead has never been big on advertising its wares. You might recall Thom Yorke's solo debut, The Eraser, dropping with minimal fanfare last summer, or Kid A's quiet release before that. But given that these guys have now leaped headfirst into digital marketing, it figures that they would post a couple of quick ads on YouTube for the physical release of In Rainbows (Jan. 1 in the United States).

Below is the full 30-second version of the commercial, which shows off the album's unique, construct-it-yourself packaging through the use of magical, white-gloved hands:

A stunning visual commentary on the nature of consumerism and music, to be sure.

Thom Yorke gets remixed on vinyl:
Speaking of The Eraser, Yorke's little laptop project sure has some legs on it. As Pitchfork reports, XL Recordings will issue a trio of 12" singles from the album, including remixes by The Field, Four Tet and Burial. These packages hit U.K. stores on Feb. 4.

In Rainbows remixed as well:
Radiohead are perhaps some of the palest, most decidedly un-funky gentlemen in the music world. Thank goodness Oakland DJ/producer Amplive is here to funk those mothers up. Starting Jan. 10, he's offering a free In Rainbows remix album, entitled Rainydayz Remixes, to those who downloaded a copy of the original album. The remix comes in a 320 kbps .zip package. In Rainbows downloaders need only forward the confirmation e-mail they received from W.A.S.T.E. for ordering the record to amplive@onesevensevensix.com. Stereogum has an early look at Amplive's reworkings of "Weird Fishes" and "Nude." Both remixes prompt a descriptor one might never associate with Radiohead: "booty-shakin'."

Radiohead loves Dublin:
Yesterday, the group added a second date in Dublin to its 2008 European tour. No, there are no U.S. dates scheduled yet. Stay patient, and check out the full list of dates here.

Thom Yorke takes on the critics:
Now here's an odd one: the U.K.'s Daily Record has a series of quotes from an exasperated-sounding Thom Yorke fighting against some of the backlash that his band has encountered as of late.

"Taking on the music business was completely not the point at all," Yorke said of the decision to release In Rainbows digitally, among many other interesting thoughts.

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Tune in next week to the Paste Radiohead roundup, when we'll dive deep into the black heart of labyrinthine Radiohead websites past and present. They are truly the last frontiers of human exploration.

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