It’s curious, given the cultural currency of having Thom Yorke feature on your track, just how many artists choose to turn his vocals down in the mix. Modeselektor, Burial and Flying Lotus have manipulated, buried and distorted his spectral presence on their songs. Maybe it’s testament to how Yorke’s instrument-like voice transcends the egocentric posturing of the indie rock singer stereotype, or perhaps it’s a badge of solidarity – emphasising that his work with artists on the outskirts of mainstream music requires no fanfare, no big deal.
Or maybe Yorke hates being the centre of attention. In Radiohead’s 2016 shows, Yorke has been enjoying his role front and centre of stage like never before in the band’s 20-year career – unselfconsciously dancing and interacting as if he was in the audience, rather than narcissistically absorbing the adoration.
Illuminated by the ambience and stillness of Mark Pritchard’s intoxicating electronic instrumentation, Beautiful People, a collaboration originally released in March, finds Yorke hiding in the shadows once more.
“The original instrumental to Beautiful People is a personal song about loss, hopelessness and chaos, but the message is love and hope,” Pritchard says of the track. “Thom’s contribution to this collaboration captured perfectly what the piece is about. I will be for ever grateful to have worked with such an immense talent.”
Now the track comes with a video, first premiered in cinemas at Sundance and arriving online today via Guardian Music. The eerie imagery created by Polish filmmaker Michał Marczak captures a nomadic sense of isolation, a space-like excursion of Beta Band and Björk-like proportions, set to the gently shuffling bossa nova, and led by the hologram of Yorke as he navigates his way around the misty mountains.
Take a look at the video below.
