Radiohead's Philip Selway Follows His Instincts on 'Familial' -- Exclusive Video

Posted on Aug 31st 2010 3:00PM by Mike Ayers
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Kevin Westerberg

This week marks the release of Radiohead drummer Philip Selway's debut, a 10-song collection of sparse folk that reflects a "warmth" he's looking for these days. It's quite a departure from the fiery, complex rock 'n' roll for which his day-job band is known.

For Selway, stepping out from behind the kit and singing is a relatively new task, although he did take some stabs at it when he was younger. "I remember one experience in particular when I was about 11 or 12 and I was laying on my bed with my headphones on and singing at the top of my voice and just getting the howls of derision around the house," Selway tells Spinner. "My voice has been very quiet since then, slipping under the radar."

What hasn't been under the radar over the years is Selway's work with Radiohead. He's known for his ability to work in unique rhythmic elements, playing with time signatures and melding live drums with the electronica direction the band has taken over the years. In approaching the song structures for 'Familial,' natural differences between the two forms presented a particular challenge for him.

"With these songs, I just wasn't hearing drum parts at all, which was a very peculiar experience for me," he says. "Part of me had me thinking, 'Have I lost it?' I don't have that broad theoretical vocabulary -- put it that way. But I suppose there's a similarity between the two, how I work on parts between drumming and the solo writing. I follow my instincts and I will play around until there's something that I find satisfying, and then try and disrupt that a little bit someway as well."

'Familial' is out now on Nonesuch Records. For more from Phil Selway on his creative process, watch our exclusive video interview below.

Download Philip Selway's 'By Some Miracle'