Radiohead on Time Traveler

The band have just produced a record themselves for the first time. Thom Yorke is upfront that it is a less easy listen than its predecessor. They do not think in terms of singles at all, though they do think about every song on its own, treating each one differently in production instead of pursuing a concept.

They try to beat the skip culture the CD encourages by making records people will sit through, he says, while being just as happy for someone to dive in and take what they want from single songs.

Asked about the mood, he lists neurosis, uncertainty, excitement and boredom, with stress underneath because they were producing it themselves and knew it. His own aim was to enjoy as much of the process as possible, in reaction to the previous record, made in London during what he calls the group's growing pains. Some of it was enjoyable and some was not, which he expects will always be the case.

They recorded string overdubs at Abbey Road, where within living memory the engineers had worn white coats.