Radiohead surprise fans with early release of new album

RADIOHEAD surprised music fans around the world today by releasing their long-awaited eight studio album a day earlier than expected.

• Thom Yorke is the only member of the band to appear in a new video

Last weekend the Oxford band posted on their website that The King of Limbs would be available from Saturday, but today guitarist Ed O'Brien announced its immediate release.

"It's Friday... It's almost the weekend...It's a full moon.... You can download 'The King of Limbs' now if you so wish," he wrote on radiohead.com.

The album's release has been accompanied by a black and white video on YouTube for the song Lotus Flower, in which singer Thom Yorke, wearing a bowler hat, performs a characteristically unusual dance.

Radiohead sent shockwaves through the music industry in 2007 when, after quitting EMI's Parlophone label, they released the album In Rainbows on a pay-what-you-choose basis.

Although they have ditched that radical approach this time round with a set price depending on the format ordered, The King of Limbs is only available via the band's website for now.

A CD and vinyl version of the new album will be available in a few weeks through independent label XL, with a luxury box set to follow in May.

The album features eight tracks with titles such as Bloom, Morning Mr Magpie, Feral and Give Up The Ghost.

A statement on behalf of Radiohead said: "With everything ready on their website, the band decided to bring forward the release by a day as there was no need to wait until the planned date of Saturday Feb 19 to deliver the music."