Com Lag (2plus2isfive)

Com Lag (2plus2isfive) is a compilation EP by the English rock band Radiohead, released in March 2004 in Japan and Australia. It collects many of the B-sides from Radiohead's sixth album, Hail to the Thief (2003), along with remixes by Cristian Vogel and Four Tet and two live performances.

Com Lag (2plus2isfive)
EP by
Radiohead
Released24 March 2004
RecordedSeptember 2002 – February 2003, 26 November 2003
GenreExperimental rock
Length36:21
LabelToshiba-EMI
ProducerNigel Godrich, Radiohead
Radiohead chronology
Hail to the Thief
(2003)		 Com Lag (2plus2isfive)
(2004)		 In Rainbows
(2007)

Music

"Paperbag Writer", whose title references the Beatles song "Paperback Writer", features "sinister fractured funk".[1] "I Am a Wicked Child" is a "tainted, eerie missive" with harmonica.[1] "Where Bluebirds Fly" is a "rattling, fidgety" electronic piece Radiohead used as the introduction music for their Hail to the Thief tour.[1] "I Will (Los Angeles Version)" is an alternative version of "I Will" from Hail to the Thief,[1] and "Fog (Again)" is a live performance of the Amnesiac B-side "Fog", rearranged for piano.[2]

Cover art

Artist Stanley Donwood, who has designed all artwork for Radiohead since 1994, said of the cover: "We added a Dutch influence by imagining a range of Delftware that featured despotic sperm monsters and genetically modified bears. Also, the packaging will have a very shiny varnish. Like a glaze."[3] A jigsaw puzzle based on the cover art was released in 2020.[4]

Release

Com Lag was released in Japan and Australia on 24 March 2004, in Canada on 13 April 2004, the United Kingdom on 16 April 2007,[5][6] and in the United States on 8 May 2007.[7][8][9] Early Japanese pressings were printed with a fault that produced static in some tracks.[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[11]
NME7/10[1]
Pitchfork4.0/10[2]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[12]

Com Lag received mixed reviews. NME critic Anthony Thornton wrote: "Never content with relaxing into an accepted way of doing things, this record, while being flawed - it is a B-sides compilation after all - confirms Radiohead as the true inheritors of the Beatles' legacy rather than Oasis."[1] Adam Downer of Sputnikmusic wrote: "While Com Lag does have its flaws, it's not a bad set of B-sides. Some of it is actually fantastic."[12]

Paste critic Jeff Elbel described the EP as "an appealing but inessential curio".[13] Allmusic's Andy Kellman wrote: "Naturally, the release isn't nearly as cohesive as Hail to the Thief; its apparent intent is to supply the fans with another stream of the band's recordings, regardless of both how they fit together and how mixed the tracks are to begin with."[10] Chris Ott of Pitchfork wrote: "You'd expect more from ideas that Radiohead fleshed out as a unit, but the stolen-time experiments and solo performances on this EP's tail end far outshine its exhausting first half."[2]

Track listing

All music is composed by Radiohead.

No.TitleLength
1."2 + 2 = 5" (live at Earls Court, London, England, 26/11/03)3:34
2."Remyxomatosis" (Cristian Vogel RMX)5:08
3."I Will" (Los Angeles version)2:13
4."Paperbag Writer"3:58
5."I Am a Wicked Child"3:05
6."I Am Citizen Insane"3:32
7."Skttrbrain" (Four Tet RMX)4:26
8."Gagging Order"3:35
9."Fog (Again)" (live)2:19
10."Where Bluebirds Fly"4:23

Personnel

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[14] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Thornton, Anthony (12 September 2015). "Radiohead : Com Lag : 2+2=5". NME. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  2. Ott, Chris (4 April 2004). "Radiohead: Com Lag EP | Album reviews". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  3. "Stanley: Com Lag Art Legit, New RH.com Coming Soon". ateaseweb.com. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  4. Monroe, Jazz. "Radiohead to Release Jigsaw Puzzle". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  5. "Radiohead post update on new album". muse.ie. 24 April 2007. Archived from the original on 20 November 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  6. "Com Lag (2Plus2IsFive) EP set for re-release". ateaseweb.com. 12 April 2007. Archived from the original on 16 April 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  7. Chammas, Joe (18 April 2007). "Radiohead Reissue 'Com Lag (2+2=5)' EP". soulshine.ca. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  8. Mason, Taylor (16 April 2007). "Radiohead Re–Release". CMJ.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  9. "For The Record: Quick News On Outkast, David Banner, Radiohead, Joey McIntyre, Metallica, Ruben Studdard & More". MTV. 11 February 2004. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
  10. Allmusic review
  11. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Radiohead". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  12. Downer, Adam (15 May 2006). "Radiohead - COM LAG (2plus2isfive) (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  13. Elbel, Jeff (1 June 2004). "Radiohead - Com Lag". Paste. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  14. "Japanese album certifications – Radiohead – Com Lag (2plus2isfive)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 5 October 2019. Select 2004年3月 on the drop-down menu
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