"Judge, Jury and Executioner" is a single by the rock band
Atoms for Peace, a
supergroup formed by the
Radiohead singer
Thom Yorke. The third single from their only album, ''
Amok'', it was released on
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
on January 7, 2013 and on
12" vinyl on March 19.
History
Atoms for Peace first performed "Judge, Jury and Executioner" on their US tour in October 2009 and April 2010.
It was released as a download on January 7, 2013, after its broadcast on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
.
Fans who pre-ordered the album could download the song free. A music video by
Tarik Barri was released simultaneously.
The limited vinyl version of the single, with an accompanying b-side "S.A.D." was released on March 19, 2013.
A live video of the song, recorded at
Fuji Rock Festival, was released on the Atoms for Peace website.
The song shares its name with the subtitle of a Radiohead song, "Myxomatosis", released on the 2003 album ''
Hail to the Thief''. Yorke said this was accidental, and that he had forgotten he had used the phrase before.
Reception
"Judge, Jury and Executioner" received positive reviews and was likened to Yorke's other work. Will Hermes of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' gave it 3.5 stars out of 5, praising "Yorke's swarming choral-style" and
Flea's basslines, which he described as "a morph between Flea's instrument and Yorke's humming".
Daniel Kreps of
Spin depicted the earlier version of the song as "a dark, aggressive centerpiece among the post-
''Eraser'' material", whereas the final version was "mellower and more harmonious".
Kia Makarechi of ''
The Huffington Post'' wrote that the song, like Atoms for Peace, is "a sonic extension of Radiohead".
David Greenwald of
Billboard described the song as "a blend of acoustic and electronic instrumentation, with Yorke's voice floating over wordless background vocals and insistent percussion".
Track listing
References
External links
*
Official website
{{authority control
Songs written by Thom Yorke
Songs written by Flea (musician)
Song recordings produced by Nigel Godrich
2013 singles
2013 songs
XL Recordings singles
Atoms for Peace (band) songs