The World's First Newspaper Album

I'm not sure what that means, but that's what Radiohead are calling the deluxe version of their new album The King Of Limbs, which comes out in fancy schmancy very expensive form on May 9. The package will contain two 10 inch vinyl records, one CD, plus "many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradable plastic to hold it all together." All that plus a bunch of mp3 files for $48, or .wav files for $53. (The announcement came with an asterisk attached to the word "perhaps," suggesting that Radiohead aren't in fact sure whether or not The King Of Limbs is in fact "the world's first Newspaper Album." Whatever that is.)

All this is very interesting, but it buries the lede, which is this: the digital only version of The King Of Limbs comes out on Saturday. Last time, with 2007's in Rainbows, the British rock band famously allowed fans to pay what they wished. For all of the fawning media attention the Thom Yorke-fronted outfit received, there's a clear acknowledgement that that strategy didn't work in the new pricing plan. Which is this: Pay what Radiohead, not you, wishes. It's $14 for .wav files or $9 for mp3 files. Get it at thekingoflimbs.com. And after you do, read about it, in the newspaper.

Previously: More Philadelphia Grammy News: Stanley Clarke Wins Best Contemporary Jazz Album