
Everything in its Right Place
Analyzing Radiohead
Brad Osborn(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 8. December 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
248 pages
978-0-19-062923-6 (ISBN)
Description
More than any rock artist since The Beatles, Radiohead's music inhabits the sweet spot between two extremes: on the one hand, music that is wholly conventional and conforms to all expectations of established rock styles, and, on the other hand, music so radically experimental that it thwarts any learned notions. While averting mainstream trends but still achieving a significant level of success in both US and UK charts, Radiohead's music includes many surprises and subverted expectations, yet remains accessible within a framework of music traditions. In Everything in its Right Place: Analyzing Radiohead, Brad Osborn reveals the functioning of this reconciliation of extremes in various aspects of Radiohead's music, analyzing the unexpected shifts in song structure, the deformation of standard 4/4 backbeats, the digital manipulation of familiar rock 'n' roll instrumentation, and the expected resolutions of traditional cadence structures.
Expanding on recent work in musical perception, focusing particularly on form, rhythm and meter, timbre, and harmony, Everything in its Right Place treats Radiohead's recordings as rich sonic ecosystems in which a listener participates in an individual search for meaning, bringing along expectations learned from popular music, classical music, or even Radiohead's own compositional idiolect. Radiohead's violations of these subjective expectation-realization chains prompt the listener to search more deeply for meaning within corresponding lyrics, biographical details of the band, or intertextual relationships with music, literature, or film.
Synthesizing insights from a range of new methodologies in the theory of pop and rock, and specifically designed for integration into music theory courses for upper level undergraduates, Everything in its Right Place is sure to find wide readership among scholars and students, as well as avid listeners who seek a deeper understanding of Radiohead's distinctive juxtapositional style.
Expanding on recent work in musical perception, focusing particularly on form, rhythm and meter, timbre, and harmony, Everything in its Right Place treats Radiohead's recordings as rich sonic ecosystems in which a listener participates in an individual search for meaning, bringing along expectations learned from popular music, classical music, or even Radiohead's own compositional idiolect. Radiohead's violations of these subjective expectation-realization chains prompt the listener to search more deeply for meaning within corresponding lyrics, biographical details of the band, or intertextual relationships with music, literature, or film.
Synthesizing insights from a range of new methodologies in the theory of pop and rock, and specifically designed for integration into music theory courses for upper level undergraduates, Everything in its Right Place is sure to find wide readership among scholars and students, as well as avid listeners who seek a deeper understanding of Radiohead's distinctive juxtapositional style.
Reviews / Votes
"Osborn has given fans the tools to study the music and has given what is probably the most intelligent bunch of musicians to ever sell out an arena their proper critical due."--PopMattersMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
432 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-062923-6 (9780190629236)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
12/2016
Oxford University Press Inc
€210.50
Shipment within 15-20 days

E-Book
10/2016
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€21.99
Available for download

E-Book
10/2016
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€21.99
Available for download
Person
Brad Osborn is Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the University of Kansas. His articles on Radiohead and other recent rock music are published in Music Theory Spectrum, Perspectives of New Music, Music Analysis, Music Theory Online, Gamut, and in several edited collections. Brad writes and records atmospheric rock music under the artist moniker, D'Archipelago.
Author
Assistant Professor of Music TheoryAssistant Professor of Music Theory, University of Kansas
Content
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and Notational Conventions
Complete Track List
Chapter 1: Analyzing Radiohead
Chapter 2: Form
Chapter 3: Rhythm and Meter
Chapter 4: Timbre
Chapter 5: Harmony and Voice-Leading
Chapter 6: "Pyramid Song"
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and Notational Conventions
Complete Track List
Chapter 1: Analyzing Radiohead
Chapter 2: Form
Chapter 3: Rhythm and Meter
Chapter 4: Timbre
Chapter 5: Harmony and Voice-Leading
Chapter 6: "Pyramid Song"
Bibliography
Index