Radiohead singer debuts new songs on online music show

Two new Radiohead songs performed live by singer Thom Yorke became available for downloading on Tuesday, December 19th, at fromthebasement.tv. The web site is the location of a new online program called From The Basement, which features artists playing songs live in a London studio with no host and no audience. The show is the brainchild of producer Nigel Godrich, who has worked with Radiohead, Beck, U2 and others. Yorke performed the two songs, titled "Videotape" and "Down Is The New Up," on the show's debut episode, which premiered on Monday (December 18th).

Yorke said in a statement about the program, "From The Basement was exciting because it came from the desire to cut out the crap that lies between the music and the viewer...No producer director egos messing it up."

The debut show also featured a performance from the White Stripes.

Yorke, meanwhile, was cagey about whether the songs would appear on the next Radiohead album, which the band is currently recording. Responding to press reports that they would, Yorke wrote at the band's web site, "We don't know what will make it to the record, neither (does the press), neither do you. It drives me nuts the way people take it upon themselves to fluff stuff up like this."

The vocalist also wrote that the band was taking a break before resuming work on the album in January, and wished their fans a happy holiday.