Thom Yorke wants to finish an Atoms For Peace album by the end of this year. Recordings with Flea and Nigel Godrich features a lot of solo stuff too.

In a Rolling Stone interview Thom Yorke talked about Radiohead’s upcoming plans, but also on a follow-up on The Eraser, played live with his other band Atoms For Peace last year.

Rolling Stone:

Thom Yorke is determined to finish his new Atoms for Peace album by the end of the year. It is likely to feature recordings from the sessions Yorke did in 2010 with his touring band of that name, whose members include Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich and bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The album has “a lot of solo stuff as well,” Yorke adds. But, he confesses, “It’s not good enough yet.” He and Godrich “were excited about it for so long, then we kind of lost our way. So we’re taking some steps back.”

Producer of Radiohead’s and Thom Yorke’s albums and part of Atoms For Peace added: “The genesis was more like The Eraser – Thom and I in the studio,” Godrich says, referring to Yorke’s 2006 solo album. “The idea was to generate the music, then record the band. We did that. Some of it worked. We also went back to some of the electronic stuff. It’s still in flux. We’re waiting for the lightning bolt to strike.”

In an earlier interview in that same Rolling Stone, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea talked about the forthcoming album:

“At the end of the tour we went into a studio for three days and just jammed – totally improvising,” says Flea. “Thom and Nigel have taken that stuff and done shit with it. I’ve heard little bits and pieces. I have no idea when it’s going to come out. Not real soon though.”

Flea says that many people have the wrong perception of Yorke. “People always think about him and talk about as this really cerebral artist,” he says. “Especially when we were playing together. People would go, ‘Thom is so cerebral and Flea is just an animal.’ But Thom is the type of musician who doesn’t think at all. He goes totally on feeling and intuition. Whereas I’m like, ‘You can try a G7 chord with a diminished fifth, that might be proper.’ My point is that he’s such a beautiful, natural and exciting musician. Also, his relationship with Nigel is so cool, Nigel being this organizational, producery-type guy. They’re going to have something incredible. I have complete faith in them.”

He refuses to describe the sound of the new material. “I kinda feel like it’s not really my place to talk about that stuff,” he says. “The mystery should be the mystery.” He does think they will tour again at some point. “I imagine that will probably happen,” he says. “I hope that happens. I just have a warm place in my heart and my mind and my balls for the whole fucking concept.”

Radiohead news on this day..

• Radiohead live in Paris (Night 2) – Live Report – 2012
• Help build the ultimate Radiohead playlist, exclusive material in Thom’s 6Music Mix – 2011
• Radiohead return to recording studio this winter, on and off live shows to follow – 2011
• Alternative ‘In Rainbows’ covers – 2007
• VOTE FOR RADIOHEAD AT MTVE – 2003
• Everything in its Right Place remix – 2002