Not yet.

A few years ago -- maybe more than that, maybe it was just after In Rainbows was released -- there was a story running around that there was some big hidden message in the albums, either through cover art or album/song titles or some such thing. Does anyone recall something similar to that, and would you happen to know if that was resolved? I've been googling this and I'm getting nowhere, maybe I need to use more vague search terms.

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I think you are referring to the "binary theory" - it had to do with OK Computer and In Rainbows and the number 10. You should try the playlist they suggest between the two albums - it is pretty cool (if only a novelty). This was all I could find with a quick Google search:

Radiohead's In Rainbows came out on 10/10/2007, 10 years after OK Computer, and there are 10 letters in the names of both albums. Additionally, OK Computer's original working title was Zeroes and Ones, or "01," (the mirror image of "10" ... obviously). Even that last part alone is enough to make Radiohead fans start looking for a crazy conspiracy, as you're probably aware if you've ever had to spend a long car ride sitting beside one. The scary part? This time they'd be totally right. This is what doing a whippet on the highway looks like. There's a way to combine the tracks from OK Computer (hereinafter referred to as 01) and In Rainbows (hereinafter referred to as 10), to form one huge mega-album. As Puddlegum explains, "To create the 01 and 10 playlist, begin with OK Computer's track one, "Airbag," and follow this with In Rainbow's track one, "15 Step." Alternate the albums, track by track, until you reach "Karma Police" on OK Computer, making "All I Need" the tenth track on the 01 and 10 playlist." It's not that they sound nice together; it's that these songs were definitely meant to make us shit our pants when played like this. In the way that "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" and "The End" all flow into each other on The Beatles' Abbey Road, these songs all flow into one another as well, as if they were all recorded in one big session. Don't believe us? Just listen to it. To get the full effect, you need to set your player with a 10-second crossfade between tracks (more 10s!), but you can notice most stuff without doing that. Then shit your pants. Is Thom York moody, or is he acting like he just crapped his pants as a really subtle clue? This blogger points out that the song "Nude" (10 album), starts with the reverb from "Subterranean Homesick Alien" (01 album) still lingering, and the beats at the end of "Airbag" (01) set the tempo for "15 Step" (10). There's nothing unusual about that ... except when you consider that those songs were written and recorded 10 years apart. The pants-shitting synchronicity also applies to the lyrics. Puddlegum gives some examples and says: "There appears to be a concept flowing through the 01 and 10 playlist. Ideas in one song [are] picked up by the next." In fact, one of the songs from In Rainbows was originally written for OK Computer and not used for 10 years, and the title of another seems to sum up the whole thing: "Jigsaw Falling Into Place." Alternate way to sum it up. Remember all that "10" stuff we mentioned up top, about the date, the time between albums, the number of letters in the titles and whatnot? Want more? Radiohead themselves announced In Rainbows only 10 days before it came out (which is rather unusual), and the announcement was followed by a series of 10 cryptic messages posted by the band on their website. That's nothing new: Cryptic messages might be the only way alternative rock musicians know how to communicate. But then Radiohead fans, being Radiohead fans, noticed that the messages emphasized the letter X (one image was titled "Xendless Xurbia"). And, say, isn't "X" the Roman numeral for 10? Plus, let's take a look at this cover art real quick. Oh, look, two 10s. Huh. The band has never officially confirmed any of this, though Puddlegum claims Thom Yorke was annoyed by how long it's taken people to figure it out. Come on, dude -- not all of us are insane alien geniuses.

Yep, that must be it, I remember the bit about Thom Yorke being annoyed that no one figured it out. I was expecting it to be more substantial, guess that threw my google-fu off.

Thanks, Javery!

Listened to the Bonnaroo set last night. Hella good.

Originally Posted by dothog Yep, that must be it, I remember the bit about Thom Yorke being annoyed that no one figured it out. I was expecting it to be more substantial, guess that threw my google-fu off. Thanks, Javery!

No problem - the playlist is definitely worth a few listens. There is a certain flow to it but that could also be because both albums are really good no matter what order you play the songs.

Originally Posted by DT778 Listened to the Bonnaroo set last night. Hella good.

yeah, I've had it on repeat for a few days now basically. The In Rainbows songs are really cool since you can kind of tell they weren't 100% finished writing them yet.

So what's everyone think of Atoms for Peace?

Originally Posted by dothog So what's everyone think of Atoms for Peace?

I haven't heard the new album yet, but Atoms For Peace was one of my favorite shows at Coachella 2010.

Originally Posted by dothog So what's everyone think of Atoms for Peace?

I'm still undecided. The first 2 tracks are outstanding. I'm still digesting it I guess but I haven't been listening to it repeatedly like I would for a new Radiohead album.

Honestly, I think it needs more Flea - if he was brought to the front of the mixes and they allowed him to be a little more funky with the basslines I think it would blend together well with everything else going on. I never thought I'd say that since I'm not a huge Flea/RHCP guy.

In their live shows Flea definitely gives their music an extra kick.