Radiohead has released 18 hours of “only tangentially interesting” material that was leaked online.
In a message shared on Instagram, guitarist Jonny Greenwood confirmed the band was hacked and that frontman Thom Yorke’s minidisk archive “from around the time of OK Computer” was stolen.
Greewood said the hacker(s) threatened to release the material if a six-figure ransom was not paid.
“So instead of complaining – much – or ignoring it, we’re releasing all 18 hours on Bandcamp,” he wrote. “Just for the next 18 days.
“You can find out if we should have paid that ransom.”
Included are unreleased songs, ambient noises, rehearsal recordings and demos that Greenwood said were “never intended for public consumption” – although tracks like “I Promise” and “Lift” appeared on reissues of OK Computer.
Proceeds from downloads of the set, available for about $30 CAD, will benefit climate change organization Extinction Rebellion.
