Thom Yorke - ‘Harrowdown Hill’ (XL) Released 21/08/06

Warning: If you are looking for an uplifting summer single to light up this dreary August, this song isn’t for you. Thom Yorke’s song about the death of Dr David Kelly is a magisterial piece of melancholic snore-core. ‘Harrowdown Hill’ glitches around the simplest of cyclical riffs and air pressure dub beats, Yorke’s now trademark pained vocals tell the story, questioning - “Did I fall or was I pushed? Did I fall or was I pushed? And where's the blood? And where's the blood?”. It’s all pretty heavy stuff but exactly what we’ve come to expect from the Radiohead man. Experimental and dense yet still accessible enough with its steepling chorus drawing us in to something that might otherwise be impenetrable. Mesmerizing.