Pitchfork

Thom begged you. No surprises, he pleaded! The gentleman even said please. But you wouldn't listen, and so, surprise! Radiohead tribute no. 962: Exit Music: Songs for Radio Heads. Also, surprise! The covers disc arrives April 18 via BBE/Rapster, whose catalog includes folks like Jay Dee/J Dilla (R.I.P.), ?uestlove, Pete Rock, and Princess Superstar. Not exactly your Muses and your Elbows.

Get past the corny-as-shit title and you'll hear all your favourite pre-Thief Radiohead cuts getting the downtempo and neo-soul treatment, courtesy of folks like Matthew Herbert, Rjd2, Bilal, the Bad Plus, Sia, Sa-Ra, Cinematic Orchestra, ?uestlove and James Poyser (as The Randy Watson Experience), and Mark Ronson and the singer from Phantom Planet (that's Alex Greenwald for the non-"O.C." set).

The tourists:

01 Shawn Lee: "No Surprises"
02 The Randy Watson Experience with Donn: "Morning Bell"
03 Sa-Ra Creative Partners: "In Limbo"
04 Pete Kuzma with Bilal: "High and Dry"
05 Mark Ronson with Alex Greenwald: "Just"
06 Rjd2: "Airbag"
07 Matthew Herbert with Mara Carlyle: "Nice Dream"
08 Lo-Freq: "Blow Out"
09 Meshell Ndegeocello & Chris Dave: "The National Anthem"
10 The Bad Plus: "Karma Police"
11 Sia: "Paranoid Android"
12 Osunlade with Erro: "Everything In Its Right Place"
13 Wajeed featuring Monica Blaire: "Knives Out"
14 Cinematic Orchestra: "Exit Music (For A Film)"

Wax fetishist? Fourteen Radiohead covers just too much for you? Try Exit Music in smaller, vinyl-ized doses. Rapster plans to issue four turntable-ready EPs featuring selections from the comp, as well as an exclusive bonus: Telefon Tel Aviv doing "Street Spirit (Fade Out)". Due out March 13, April 3, April 24, and May 15, respectively, here's the skinny:

EP 1:

A1 Mark Ronson with Alex Greenwald: "Just"
A2 Sa-Ra Creative Partners: "In Limbo"
B1 The Randy Watson Experience with Donn: "Morning Bell"

EP 2:

A1 Wajeed featuring Monica Blaire: "Knives Out'
A2 Pete Kuzma with Bilal: "High and Dry"
B1 Meshell Ndegeocello & Chris Dave: "The National Anthem"

EP 3:

A1 Matthew Herbert with Mara Carlyle: "Nice Dream"
A2 Rjd2: "Airbag"
B1 Shawn Lee: "No Surprises"

EP 4:

A1 Osunlade with Erro: "Everything In Its Right Place"
A2 Cinematic Orchestra: "Exit Music (For A Film)"
B1 Telefon Tel Aviv featuring Lindsey Anderson: "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"

Speaking of Radiohead, the internet is presently a-buzz with news that the lads have resurrected the OK Computer-era track "Nude" for inclusion on their forthcoming studio record. Also known as "Big Ideas (Don't Get Any)", the recorded version will reportedly feature a string quartet. Wrote Thom on the always-quotable Radiohead blog:

"jonny is hastily writing out scores for a string quartet who are comign tommoro. right now we are working on nude, it sounds beautiful, as far as i can tell. i hope we dont get i'll. there is a lot of sickness about. especially for the children."

You hear that, kids? Beware the contractions!