Customer Reviews

There There / Paperbag Writer / Where Bluebirds

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There There: While there are better songs on Hail to the Theif, this is probably the best choice for a first single. It's a great guitar-rock song. 5/5

Paperbag Writer: A creepy techno/funk song with an excellent bassline. Definately not album material but still incredible as a B-Side. 4/5

Where Bluebirds Fly: One of the most experimental songs Radiohead has ever put on record. You will probably either love it or hate it... I love it. Again, this would not be a good song to put on an album, mainly because it's a bit too weird. My favorite song on the whole single. 5/5

There There is propably the most straight-foward rock song on the new album. I really appreciate the use of guitar on this song.

I can see, or better yet, hear why the the two Bs, Paperbag writer and Where bluebirds fly, are Bs. They are inconsistent in sound with the songs on the LP. That doesn't mean they aren't good songs. I don't think Radiohead knows how to make bad songs. Just don't expect rock.

Paperbag writer: Henry Mancini meets 80's funk guitar and hip-hop beats. It's kind of weird, but all very cool. Funky.

Where bluebirds fly has three main elements: a kind of tribal african electronica polyrythmic groove, what sounds like a fast moving diminished arpegio, and long-tone ghostly vocals with synthesizer in the same diminished scale or something. Haunting, creepy, beautiful.

Being a devout Radiohead follower, I had to plunk down my coins for this single. I was already impressed with the Go To Sleep b-sides, and was thrilled when I heard these 2 new tracks. Track 1 is just the album version of There There. Track 2 Which is called Paperbag Writer, is a great Radiohead song, but is easily identifiable as a b-side. Thom and the boys tend to put these melancholy songs aside and then they pop up when they need to fill a single with extras. Track 3, However, was worth the price of this cd on it's own!!! Where Bluebirds Fly. This track got me up on my feet and moving like no other Radiohead song has before. The melody is haunting, the bass is pure trance and the hushed vocal chanting seams it all together. Be warned: This is only for the die-hard Radiohead fan, casual listeners should just buy Hail To The Thief and take it from there(there).

You've probably already heard 'There There' by now. It is, of course, a fantastic song, and one of Radiohead's most guitarry for years. The funky arrangement, with tom-toms and crunchy, buzzy guitars, seems to amble along pleasantly for the first two and a half minutes, until the chain-gang-like second half. The catchy lines are repeated and build until the drums and guitar properly rock out. It is an amazing exercise in how to build up a song until breaking point.

The two B sides carry on in the vein of Radiohead's more recent electronic outings, and both are really quite disturbing. 'Paperbag Writer' reminded me of another Readiohead B-side, 'The Amazing Sounds of Orgy', with it's loping groove, discordant string sample and sarcastic vocals. It's strange and initially a little flat, but it is actually quite funky. If you like freaky, harsh funk from hell, that is.

'Where bluebirds fly' is even more extreme, and demonstrates Thom Yorke's love affair with artists such as Autechre is far from over. The song is a clash of skittering, junglist beats, odd, screechy computer noises and what sounds like the vocal equivalent of free-jazz. If that sounds strange, well, it is, but again, bear with it for a few listens and you have an oddly beautiful and utterly nightmarish track.

After listening to the single, I couldn't help but think that There There is probably not only the best song on the new single, but on the album as well. Paperbag writer reminds of me of Idioteque, the song has a very catchy beat, and a some good guitar to complement it. It is definitely as catchy and hard to get out of your head, as was Idioteque. Where bluebirds fly is very electronic and the opening beat makes you think that you are on a cat and mouse chase. Some of the electronic beats remind me of an Smashing Pumpkins remix of 1979. All in all, the single is great. A must for true Radiohead fans.

Radiohead never ceases to amaze with their creative beats. I was blown away by Kid A's "Idioteque" because the beat is just so mesmerizing. I love Radiohed's other songs, but I was disappointed that the style used in the making of "Idioteque" was not to be found in any other songs during the Kid A/Amnesiac session. Finally, when I bought this cd and heard "Paperbag Writer" I saw that same creativity. With a good bassline, African drum sounds, and haunting violin chords thrown into the mix, "Paperbag Writer" might be the greatest and most haunting song I have heard in a while. This beat is unlike anything I have ever heard. Simply amazing.
"Where Bluebirds Fly" is another good experiment of a song. It is haunting in a different way. Very abstract.

This single is similar to what you would get from the knives out or pyramid song singles. It is in no way a return to rock...but I kind of like it. Paperbag writer is the better of the two B-sides. Still both very Kid A/Amnesiac like. Final Verdict: its worth picking up.

"There There" is a very good song. However, since it's also on Radiohead's latest album, Hail To The Thief, there's absolutely no reason to buy this single unless you're a completist like myself.
"Paperbag Writer" (is that title supposed to be a joke?) is a typical Radiohead b-side (a lot like the stuff they put on their albums except not as grandiose), though quite a bit below par compared to the b-sides from Amnesiac's singles. "Where Bluebirds Fly" begins, ends, and runs throughout with THE most irritating percussion loop I've ever heard. The echoey, ghostly vocals have also become a bit much by this point. It's obvious that they didn't put a lot of effort into these songs, and that worries me since this is the lead-off single for the album. Hopefully, future singles' b-sides will be a lot better, but I'm not holding my breath.

Track #2 is simply the best Radiohead b-side since "talk show host"...pulsating bass, amazing lyrics, haunting sound. Don't listen to the morons that say it isn't up to par....Track #3 is good, but very similar to the Amnesiac sound....

We all know There There is a good song, and a great first single for the HTTT album, and I was anticipating these songs greatly. Well, they don't dissapoint here, with 2 songs DEFINATELY not meant for the HTTT album, but are great nonetheless on their own. Paperbag Writer is nice, funky, and shows colin's bass expanding in its part of the band's sound, like on Punchup or I might be Wrong. Next is Where Bluebirds Fly, a totally experimental-sounding track which will, I'm sure, annoy the hell out of anyone not as open-minded as myself at first, but give it a couple listens, and the deep groove and airy keyboards will hook and hypnotize you. My only reason for not giving this single 5 stars? because there are 3 songs!! Jeez, I just paid the same price for the Flaming Lips - Fight Test single, and that has 7 songs totalling about 30 minutes (well, one is almost 9 mins long, but hey).