Judge, Jury and Executioner

For the Radiohead song, see Hail to the Thief. For the episode of Medium, see Medium season 2 § ep23.
"Judge, Jury and Executioner"
Single by Atoms for Peace
from the album Amok
B-side"S.A.D."
ReleasedJanuary 7, 2013 (2013-01-07) (download)
March 19, 2013 (2013-03-19) (12")[1]
GenreExperimental rock, electronic
Length3:30
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)Atoms for Peace
Producer(s)Nigel Godrich
Atoms for Peace singles chronology
"Ingenue"
(2013) 		"Judge, Jury and Executioner"
(2013) 		"Before Your Very Eyes..."
(2013)

"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 on January 7, 2013 and on 12" vinyl on March 19.[1]

History

Atoms for Peace first performed "Judge, Jury and Executioner" on their US tour in October 2009 and April 2010.[2] It was released as a download on January 7, 2013, after its broadcast on BBC Radio 1.[3] Fans who pre-ordered the album could download the song free. A music video by Tarik Barri was released simultaneously.[1] The limited vinyl version of the single, with an accompanying b-side "S.A.D." was released on March 19, 2013.[1] A live video of the song, recorded at Fuji Rock Festival, was released on the Atoms for Peace website.[4]

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.[5]

Reception

"Judge, Jury and Executioner" received positive reviews and was likened to Yorke's other work. Will Hermes of Rolling Stone 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".[6] 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".[2] Kia Makarechi of The Huffington Post wrote that the song, like Atoms for Peace, is "a sonic extension of Radiohead".[7] 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".[8]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Judge, Jury and Executioner"3:30
2."S.A.D."5:35
Total length:9:05

References

  1. ^ a b c d Battan, Carrie and Amy Phillips (January 7, 2013). "Listen/Watch: New Single From Thom Yorke's Atoms for Peace: "Judge Jury and Executioner"". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Kreps, Daniel (January 7, 2013). "Hear Atoms for Peace's 'Judge, Jury and Executioner' Lightened Up for 'Amok'". Spin. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  3. ^ Young, Alex (January 7, 2013). "New Music: Atoms For Peace – "Judge, Jury and Executioner"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  4. ^ "Hidden Atoms For Peace 'Judge Jury and Executioner' live video uncovered". NME. February 15, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  5. ^ Lea, Tom (28 January 2013). "A new career in a new town: Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich open Pandora's box and run amok as Atoms for Peace". Fact. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  6. ^ Hermes, Will (January 11, 2013). "Atoms for Peace "- Judge Jury and Executioner"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  7. ^ Makarechi, Kia (January 8, 2013). "'Judge, Jury And Executioner': Atoms For Peace Track Recalls Radiohead, Again (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  8. ^ Greenwald, David (January 7, 2013). "Atoms for Peace Release 'Judge Jury and Executioner': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2013.