Last time Thom Yorke rewrote the rules concerning music distribution, in 2007, it yielded Radiohead’s magnificent In Rainbows album. His latest attempt to “bypass the self-elected gatekeepers” of the music industry sees his second solo album being sold exclusively via file-sharing system BitTorrent. Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes doesn’t match up to In Rainbows – it’s closer in style to 2006’s introspective The Eraser – partly because, delivery method aside, there’s little in the way of surprises: it’s all murmured vocals, glitchy electronic touches, subdued beats and, on Guess Again!, a haunting muffled piano motif. Neither is it without its longueurs, most notably on There is no Ice (For My Drink). Likely to inspire admiration rather than devotion.
