Studio report puts Radiohead's new album in early 2006

Radiohead hope to finish their new album by December for release in February or March 2006, the fan site Green Plastic reported on 12 May, from a contact of its own rather than the band. About 15 songs are in progress, and two are described as done and amazing. Touring may start in February.

The sessions go back to January, when Thom Yorke played the others a batch of new songs they had never heard, and they started adding their parts on the spot. The contact describes a band in high spirits and glad to be playing together, recording in an unorganised way unlike anything Radiohead have done before. In March, Ed O'Brien said at the Ether Festival that they had already had about four weeks in the studio.

Radiohead's contract with EMI ended with Hail to the Thief, and it is open whether they re-sign, move to another label or, as Green Plastic suspects, put the album out themselves.

A second Green Plastic post, on 17 May, says it is still not known whether Nigel Godrich, who has worked with Radiohead since The Bends, will produce the album. For now the band are working alone, with Godrich dropping in now and then to hear how it is going, and Yorke has given him CDs of the new songs. He is busy producing Paul McCartney's new album and is expected to join Radiohead once that is done.