Radiohead's Secret Influences, From Fleetwood Mac to Thomas Pynchon

M.I.A.'s Arular

[Listen Now]

"I really try to limit [listening to other people's music while working on new songs], but M.I.A.'s first record really seeped in. M.I.A. takes this complete block and chop repeat, chop repeat, chop, not finished [method]. Which really reminds me of that thing of just picking up a guitar and the first three chords you write and being like, yep, that's good. Stop. End. Not sort of sitting there fifteen hours later agonizing over the hi-hat sound. That seems to be what happens with programming and electronica a lot of the time. You can feel the pain going on." — Thom Yorke

[Related to Radiohead Cover Story in Issue 1045 — February 7, 2008]