Radiohead finally release new LP, reveal deluxe edition details

After months of teasing, vague postcard mailings and two great videos last week, Radiohead have finally released their new LP, A Moon Shaped Shaped Pool.

The album is available digitally now via the band’s own website, where pre-orders have also been launched for physical copies of the album, ranging from a standard CD and double-LP to a deluxe edition which includes bonus tracks, an elaborate hardbound cover, a piece of analog tape from the band’s recording history and more. Below are the details on the deluxe edition, which is scheduled to ship this September:

• Case bound album, inspired by the albums for 78rpm shellac records in the library of La Fabrique, France
• 32 pages of artwork
• The 11 track album on two heavyweight 12″ vinyl records
• Two compact discs: one with the album and one with two extra tracks
• Recording tape belly band applied *
• 320kbit MP3 or 16-bit WAV of the 11 track album available to download immediately

* This is a piece of a Radiohead ½ inch master tape from an actual recording session.
The tape degrades over time and becomes unplayable. We thought rather than it ending up as landfill we would cut it up and make it useful as a part of the special edition. A new life for some obsolete technology…
Each loop contains about ¾ of a second of audio – which could be from any era in the band’s recording past going back to Kid A. You may have silence, you may have coloured leader tape, you may have a chorus… It’s a crapshoot.
We have copies. Don’t worry.

The deluxe edition runs a pricey 60 GBP (approx. $118 CAD) including shipping. Pre-orders are available here.

Radiohead will be on tour throughout the summer, including a headlining slot at this summer’s Osheaga, running from July 29 – August 1, 2016. Passes are available here.