Keith Doughty discusses songs, albums and artists that are unappreciated, unknown, and/or unfairly-maligned by the general public. This is Hidden Tracks.
Radiohead - "Cuttooth"
I don't know why I feel so tongue-tied;
I don't know why I feel so skinned alive.
While not as currently popular as they were in the late 1990s/early 00s heyday, Radiohead is still one of the biggest bands in the world. They are clearly not unappreciated nor are they unknown. Yet there is still a wealth of good-to-great Radiohead material that the average listener doesn’t know about. Like many bands, Radiohead frequently releases completed songs that didn’t make the final cut of their albums as b-sides on EPs and singles. However, unlike many bands, Radiohead’s b-sides can actually be quite good. This is particularly true of the b-sides off of OK Computer and Amnesiac. Clearly, Radiohead was in peak form during this time period because many of these b-sides hold their own against the album tracks.
One b-side that I particularly like is "Cuttooth," an Amnesiac b-side that was released on the "Pyramid Song" single in 2001. At its core, "Cuttooth" is a very simple song. It doesn’t have a particularly expansive melody line; in fact the simple melody barely changes throughout the entire song. The only real changes occur during what could be considered the chorus (the lyrics quoted above) and during the ending coda. Musically "Cuttooth" is anchored by a piano part that repeats through much of the song as well as a very simple drum part. But from these straightforward roots Radiohead builds something more complex.
The melody line may be simple, but Thom York’s delivery is anything but, especially when complimented by his own background vocals. Although the core instrumentation is basic and repetitive, Radiohead uses these parts as a base to build a complex sound collage around using guitars, keyboards, and other studio effects. This is particularly evident during the instrumental breakdown in the middle of the song.
This is not to say that "Cuttooth" is as great as the best songs on Amnesiac. It’s probably not. But I do think it’s a good song and a worthy addition to the Radiohead catalog. I also think it’s a lot better than many lesser bands’ album tracks (looking at you, Coldplay).
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Keith Doughty is a non-profit finance professional who in his spare time dabbles in music, politics, and interesting food. He lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.
Contact him at neuroticmonkey.com