No more Radiohead CDs

In a recent interview Thom Yorke spoke out about his "hatred" of CDs, and hinted that in all likelihood, Radiohead will never release a full album again. Instead, they will distribute songs--and possibly EPs--under the theory that online music distribution has single-handedly brought back song-based perferences (e.g., "singles") to the forefront of music consumerism. There's without a doubt a ton of truth to this: the ability to pick and choose songs off iTunes and other digital music portals has led to less emphasis on the album as a whole. Why buy the filler when you can selectively filter at a cheaper price?

In theory, Yorke is right; this is the model which most consumers would prefer, and theory has extended into practice. But there's still a large contigency of album purists out there--including myself--who prefer getting the whole package. I've always believed that the album is that sacred unit of music, meant to be listened to from beginning to end to achieve the full context of why it was made. Individual songs are great, but it's placement and positioning of songs within an LP that, for me, shift ideas, create new meanings, and displace any static notions of what music can mean to a person time and time again (think "Treefingers" off Kid A). Whether an album was meant to be conceptual or not, the listener's conceptions will be lost in a system of piecemeal consumption. It will become music for consumption, rather than listening.