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This song debuted at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in 1999 with Thom solo on the piano. The running name for it at the time was Nothing to Fear. It has since been called Egyptian Song and finally Pyramid Song.
It begins with simple piano and singer Thom Yorke intoning non-verbal, falsetto noise, against what sounds like the buzz of conversation. An assortment of sounds plays out in the background as jazzy drumming joins the mix and the track builds to a more conventional, full arrangement. There was nothing left to fear/Nothing dark, Yorke (apparently) sings. (from Jam!)
Pyramid Song creeped up next, as a piano-laden intro quickly gave way to a minor howl from Yorke. A lush and stormy backing track persevered throughout, giving off the impression that the band is symbolically lost at sea. When the drums kicked in, the song almost became a big band-era jam (more on that later). As the crowd at Plush became lost in the track (many folks were seen with their eyes shut, as if in some sort of trance), a large, overpowering orchestral crescendo rose and fell, bolting those lost in the music back to reality that this is Austin, Texas, not a Pentecostal sermon. (from SXSW by Allstar) |
