Useful only to the most devoted
Radiohead followers (who will probably have most of the contents to begin with),
Com Lag is a patchwork of live material, remixes, B-sides, and other assorted scraps. 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. The B-sides aren't nearly as solid as the ones collected on the Airbag/How Am I Driving EP, not to mention most of the intervening extras that trickled out between that release and this one -- though the live, solo piano version of
Amnesiac-era B-side "Fog" is a definite standout, and the likes of "Paperbag Writer," "I Am Citizen Insane," and "Gagging Order" are hardly throwaways. A
Cristian Vogel remix of "Myxomatosis" is far more nerve-racking than the original, full of clattering percussion;
Thom Yorke's vocals are placed higher in the mix and possibly multi-tracked to make them sound as if they're on the brink of lunacy. Another standout is a ferocious live version of "2+2=5" recorded at London's Earls Court. To make the release a little more enticing, no expense was spared with the packaging. ~ Andy Kellman