Historically, either solo or with Radiohead, Thom Yorke has not been the sort of guy who plugs his new music with chummy interviews and performances on late night talk shows. But for whatever reason, he’s making the rounds now, a few months after the release of his quite solid third solo album ANIMA. Earlier this month, he gave an interview about politics and music on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and last night, he was the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Yorke, along with his Tomorrows Modern Boxes touring band of Nigel Godrich and Tarik Barri, performed three songs from ANIMA: “Traffic,” “The Twist,” and “Dawn Chorus.” The performances of the first two added a new feral energy that’s not quite present on the album versions: Yorke dug hard into certain syllables, and danced and gesticulated in a way that felt halfway between pop star and performance artist. For the gorgeous “Dawn Chorus,” he sat at an electric piano, gently tapping out the chords and delivering the surreal monologue of the lyrics. Watch all three performances below.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=q57f1KLHk-0
https://youtube.com/watch?v=4Yo54Xoxq3g
