"Daydreaming" / Radiohead Come Full Circle

From the beginning, Radiohead kept their focus on the future. When critics heralded OK Computer as the savior of rock, Radiohead renounced the genre and turned to the electronic sounds of Kid A. When the band perfected a hybrid acoustic sound in In Rainbows, they pivoted next to the digital loops and polyrhythms of The King of Limbs. Every record was an opportunity to experiment and to reinvent themselves. So when fans heard the reflective tone of Radiohead’s ninth studio album, several wondered if it was their last. Instead of heralding the band’s next move, the record offered a thoughtful rumination on their 24 years together. A bookend to their story. In this episode Pitchfork Senior Editor Ryan Dombal and I will explore A Moon Shaped Pool’s reckoning with the past through the “Daydreaming” music video. Although this video spawned numerous fan theories, we’ll condense these ideas into three distinct lenses of interpretation. We’ll discuss why this open-endedness is one of the video’s greatest strengths and what it reveals about Radiohead’s attitude towards their fans.