‘Bodysong’ by Jonny Greenwood

Pity the collector. To most people, the news that Jonny Greenwood, lead guitarist for Radiohead, had recorded the soundtrack to an obscure documentary film would register no interest whatsoever. To a certain type of person, however, the very existence of this record was reason enough to own it. It’s not even as if I didn’t know what to expect – I knew it would sound like this, and I was proved right.

Even by the standards of what Radiohead were releasing at the time, this is a difficult album to listen to. Creative, yes, fascinating, yes, but not especially enjoyable. That said, it’s to Greenwood’s credit that he is able to keep things interesting. There is a good bit of variety on this album, from piano led tracks to violin, to brass, to percussion. Sadly, each track sounds like a group of musicians warming up for a proper song. I’m sure it was constructed very carefully, but if you were to play it backwards by mistake, I’m not sure you’d notice the difference.