Ed: Philip Selway plays drums on “Sweet Spot” and “Blue Morpho.” I just felt they needed Phil. He’s such a beautiful drummer — he always brings his full heart and soul to everything he does. So I asked him, “Do you fancy coming along?” He came for an afternoon and absolutely nailed it. Colin Greenwood played bass on “Brasil” from my first record. You ask because you want them to play on it, not because it’s some big deal or a marketing purpose.
Spin: That particular track, “Blue Morpho,” is very cinematic with the strings. It must have been quite an experience to record.
Ed: It was about letting go. I’d met Tõnu in Estonia at this music conference, and we’d been sat next to one another at a dinner — same age, and the same kind of very interesting reference points, but he’s a classical composer. I listened to his stuff, and it was beautiful. And about three months later, there were a couple of tracks that could benefit from strings. And rather than go to the usual very good string arrangers in London, I was like, I met this guy, and his music’s beautiful. So I emailed him. And I sent him “Blue Morpho” and “Sweet Spot.” And what came back was amazing. They’re like Scott Walker strings.
Ed: It was about letting go. I’d met Tõnu in Estonia at this music conference, and we’d been sat next to one another at a dinner — same age, and the same kind of very interesting reference points, but he’s a classical composer. I listened to his stuff, and it was beautiful. And about three months later, there were a couple of tracks that could benefit from strings. And rather than go to the usual very good string arrangers in London, I was like, I met this guy, and his music’s beautiful. So I emailed him. And I sent him “Blue Morpho” and “Sweet Spot.” And what came back was amazing. They’re like Scott Walker strings.
Ed: My whole record’s recorded at 432 Hertz. [...] Everyone, including my own bandmates [in Radiohead], when I suggested it, thought I was fucking mad and thought I was a New Ager. For “Blue Morpho” and “Sweet Spot,” the players took about an hour to get used to going slightly flatter, because they’re not used to it, because their pitch is at 440, or concert pitch, which is 442.
Ed: “I met Tõnu [Kõrvits] in Estonia over dinner,” recalls O’Brien. “He said, ‘If you ever want any string arrangements, please contact me.’ Five weeks later he’d done an incredible arrangement with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra for the title track and Sweet Spot.
I want to talk about the orchestral element. In the intro to “Blue Morpho,” it really announces itself. You met the composer, Tõnu Kõrvits, in Estonia. What were you doing there?
O’BRIEN: They've got a fantastic music festival in Estonia in Tallinn, May of every year, and in 2022 or 2023, I was invited to go and do some kind of talk, and then a Q&A and all sorts of stuff. And I really enjoyed it. I loved Tallinn. And at the end of the festival, the promoter, Helen [Sildna], had an intimate dinner with me and some other people. And she sat me next to Tõnu Kõrvits, and she said, “This is my favorite Estonian composer.” And Tõnu is, I think he's a couple of years younger than me, so he's like mid-50s. So we have a lot of the same reference points. He's not just classical music. We grew up on the same things. He loved New Romantics. I think two years ago, he was eulogizing about the Human League gig that we went to. And we loved Echo & The Bunnymen and all those. And the next day I listened to some of his music on Spotify, and it's really beautiful. We got on really well. And he said at the end, “Listen, if you ever wanted any orchestral arrangements,” blah de blah de blah. I was like, amazing.
Fast forward four months. “Blue Morpho” and “Sweet Spot,” which are the tracks which have the orchestral arrangements, we got to a point where I was like, I really think these songs could do with an orchestral arrangement or something with strings. And rather than go to the usual great string arrangers in London or whatever, the UK, I was like, “Well, I met Tõnu.” And it felt like, again, one of those serendipitous moments, those moments when somebody comes into your life. So I contacted him, and he was up for it.
Usually, the only time I've ever seen string arrangements is in Radiohead. And what usually happens is that Jonny would do a string arrangement. He would do these very beautiful mockups. And they were pretty, they were really good. He’d play them to us. And then, of course, they get recorded with an orchestra, and it's up another level or 10. But Tõnu was like, “Yeah, the software that I'm using isn't very good. It's not going to give you — I'd much rather just do it.” And they recorded in Tallinn, and it was really amazing. Again, surrender, let go. Like, “OK, I don't know how this is gonna be.”
And it came back, and it was utterly, utterly beautiful and mesmeric. And the way that it worked with the birds! When I sent him the track at the end, I think he was quite surprised. He said, “Oh my God, the strings are so loud.” I said, “Yeah, they're amazing. They're so good. They need to be loud.” So yeah, it's just one of those, again, wonderful serendipitous moments. It's synchronicity when these people come into your life. And we're definitely gonna do some more music together.
O’BRIEN: They've got a fantastic music festival in Estonia in Tallinn, May of every year, and in 2022 or 2023, I was invited to go and do some kind of talk, and then a Q&A and all sorts of stuff. And I really enjoyed it. I loved Tallinn. And at the end of the festival, the promoter, Helen [Sildna], had an intimate dinner with me and some other people. And she sat me next to Tõnu Kõrvits, and she said, “This is my favorite Estonian composer.” And Tõnu is, I think he's a couple of years younger than me, so he's like mid-50s. So we have a lot of the same reference points. He's not just classical music. We grew up on the same things. He loved New Romantics. I think two years ago, he was eulogizing about the Human League gig that we went to. And we loved Echo & The Bunnymen and all those. And the next day I listened to some of his music on Spotify, and it's really beautiful. We got on really well. And he said at the end, “Listen, if you ever wanted any orchestral arrangements,” blah de blah de blah. I was like, amazing.
Fast forward four months. “Blue Morpho” and “Sweet Spot,” which are the tracks which have the orchestral arrangements, we got to a point where I was like, I really think these songs could do with an orchestral arrangement or something with strings. And rather than go to the usual great string arrangers in London or whatever, the UK, I was like, “Well, I met Tõnu.” And it felt like, again, one of those serendipitous moments, those moments when somebody comes into your life. So I contacted him, and he was up for it.
Usually, the only time I've ever seen string arrangements is in Radiohead. And what usually happens is that Jonny would do a string arrangement. He would do these very beautiful mockups. And they were pretty, they were really good. He’d play them to us. And then, of course, they get recorded with an orchestra, and it's up another level or 10. But Tõnu was like, “Yeah, the software that I'm using isn't very good. It's not going to give you — I'd much rather just do it.” And they recorded in Tallinn, and it was really amazing. Again, surrender, let go. Like, “OK, I don't know how this is gonna be.”
And it came back, and it was utterly, utterly beautiful and mesmeric. And the way that it worked with the birds! When I sent him the track at the end, I think he was quite surprised. He said, “Oh my God, the strings are so loud.” I said, “Yeah, they're amazing. They're so good. They need to be loud.” So yeah, it's just one of those, again, wonderful serendipitous moments. It's synchronicity when these people come into your life. And we're definitely gonna do some more music together.