Call it Zen and the Art of Radiohead. Colin Greenwood (above, left, with bandmates) takes a decidedly existentialist approach to his role as bassist for one of the most important rock bands of the past 15 years.

"It's half-seven, and I'm eating reheated kedgeree," he said, when reached at home in Oxford, England, a few months back. The dish, he explained, is an "Indian-British hybrid, a mix of fish and rice in a curry." Thus began a 20-minute conversation about Radiohead's revolutionary approach to selling its latest album, In Rainbows; how the band fell in love with Montreal on its last visit; and how Greenwood and his mates came up with their freshest batch of songs in some time.

Radiohead sent the music industry for a loop last fall, releasing In Rainbows exclusively online in October, with a "pay what you can" price tag. In doing so, the group elbowed out the middleman, i.e. the record label, and set a precedent for fan-band relations. (The album was eventually released in regular CD format in January.) "It's very exciting," Greenwood said of the process. "It feels like all the decisions we've made with this record have had to be made in real time. Everything moved so quickly once we released the record." Things are different when you don't have a major label charting your every move months in advance. By taking the helm of its own ship, Radiohead brought music back to the people, even if just for a little while. It was more of an experiment than a set-in-stone blueprint for a new way of doing things. Greenwood explained: "What was cool about it is that it worked for us then and there. It was like a snapshot. To do the same thing again, we would fall into (a whole other trap)." So where to from here remains an unanswered question. One thing is certain: The parameters have changed, and things will never be the same. Despite its capacity for abstraction, the Internet is a surprisingly intimate medium. When fans logged on to purchase In Rainbows, they weren't dealing with some faceless multinational; they were a mouse click away from their favourite band. By allowing people to choose their purchase price, Radiohead put trust in its audience. Re-establishing that bond brought with it a lesson about what it means to make music in the first place.

"It taught us that the most important thing is the people who like our music - our relationship with them," Greenwood said. "The fact that we can talk to people, we can share our music with (them) in concert, on CD and on the Internet - it can all be part of the same thing. It doesn't have to be so mediated by going through a traditional record company." So has the band cut all ties to the corporate machine? Not exactly. "At the same time, we're still working with the same people at EMI and Parlophone," Greenwood said. "If you're talking about Canada, we're very grateful for the work from EMI Canada for all our records." And yet this interview was set up by Canadian indie imprint MapleMusic, denoting a scaling-down of operations. But wherever Radiohead ends up, the band won't forget where it came from. In this case, for Greenwood, it seems to be about the people - friendships struck up at the intersection of art and business, and the efforts of individuals working together on something, even while under the watchful eye of a major music conglomerate.

Having mentioned Canada, above, he begins talking about Montreal: "I remember playing the Spectrum in '93," he said. "We played the Spectrum a few times. It's such an amazing place to be and play. For OK Computer, we played an indoor arena (the Molson Centre). We have gratitude for being part of a city's cultural life. It's just an important thing to us." When I informed him that the Spectrum closed its doors just last summer, he gave his condolences. "It's a real shame." On its last visit, in 2006, Radiohead performed two nights at Place des Arts' Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, where it previewed songs from In Rainbows. Greenwood recalled the venue.

"It was this modern concrete building. It was really cool. I remember working on the bassline for 15 Step upstairs in the dressing room. (Place des Arts) is like the Montreal version of the Royal Festival Hall, or the Queen Elizabeth Hall." As enthusiastic as he was in talking about the spots his band has played in our city, Greenwood's voice warmed a few degrees in recounting the grand tour he and his bandmates were given courtesy of some notable local guides.

"Arcade Fire came to see us," he said. "It was really fun. They took us up to their part of town (Mile End), where they live. We had bagels and coffee on the church steps. It was really cool. We went to some bar - this European community centre - and watched football during the World Cup.

"They came and saw both shows. They took me, Ed and Phil to see some gaming/Dungeons and Dragons thing in the park (that would be the weekly, theatrically recreated battle scenes that take place during the summer, just up from the tam-tams on Mount Royal), then we walked to the top of the hill and looked down across Montreal with them.

"We talked to Régine and Win about life and touring. It was really cool. It relates to what I said earlier, about how it's important to be in one place and space. It would be mad, otherwise - if you didn't connect to the places where you were touring." It can't be easy, as an internationally acclaimed rock band, to keep things on a human scale. Particularly the music. And yet, while the creation process was disjointed, In Rainbows is a refreshingly personal album that injects a welcome sense of soul into the Radiohead equation. While sounding as alienated as ever, singer Thom Yorke also comes off more human - even while delivering lines like, "Has the light gone out for you? / Because the light's gone out for me / It is the 21st Century." (on Bodysnatchers) "Confused and inspired," is how Greenwood described the recording of the album. "More confused than inspired. Things started to take shape when we started recording in this studio in Oxford. We recorded two songs - 15 Step and Weird Fishes (/Arpeggi) - and compiled everything around there. We managed to get the backing tracks relatively quickly. The songs themselves, before we recorded them, were inspired. It was about getting the right emotional and rhythmic measure." Emotion is at the forefront on In Rainbows. Par for the course, Yorke's lyrics walk the line between post-millennial angst and human vulnerability/ tenderness. But there is more room in the music, a patience and textural playfulness that denote a band colouring outside the lines. Greenwood prefers not to overthink his analysis: "I just really love the songs," he said, "the way they unfold." But don't be fooled by the simplicity of the result. Getting everything just right was not easy. Even after performing the material live on the 2006 tour, things continued to change.

"We played the shows, and went in (to the studio) thinking we could record them as we played them live. But then we realized we couldn't do it. It wasn't going to be a live album. It wasn't good enough. We had to start again. I say that, but it was more about recording it 'til we realized how the emotion should come across." Yes, that would be two mentions of the music's emotional tone - an elusive quality that makes Radiohead's music so much more than mere experiments in form. Even Greenwood is unsure what the secret is.

"When it all comes together - if I knew what it was, I wouldn't have to worry about how to achieve it." With the album in the can, and in the hands (or hard-drives) of fans, the band can now concentrate on the easy part - performing. And that kind of here-and-now focus is right up Greenwood's alley.

"I never plan ahead," he said. "And I'm rubbish at looking back, too. It's all about living in the moment." Radiohead performs Wednesday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. at Jean Drapeau Park. Tickets cost $50, available at Admission. Call 514-790-1245 or go to

www.admission.com

tdunlevy@thegazette.canwest.com