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Music

Thom Yorke's New Soundtrack about Tax Avoidance Is as Sinister and Depressing as Tax Avoidance Itself

But maybe that was the idea.
Emma Garland
London, GB

Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja are streaming their joint soundtrack to The UK Gold - an upcoming documentary on tax avoidance, as opposed to that channel that just shows the Vicar of Dibley Christmas episode. Although, imagine that soundtrack.

The UK Gold is an in-depth investigation of the tax avoidance industry in our dear old blighty, the UK, or as the boss of one of the world's biggest banks once described it: "the biggest, most developed tax haven." Directed by Mark Donne, the documentary tackles tax dodging corporations and government complicity in such a way that both BBC and Channel 4 both shit a brick and refused to run it. It’s “too controversial”, they reckon. Naturally, Thom Yorke - the Zach de la Rocha of left-field electronic - had some things to say about it. He told UK Uncut:

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“Now is the time to reveal the revolving doors between government and the City that has bred lies and corruption for so long, siphoning money through our tax havens for the global super rich, while now preaching that we the people must pay our taxes and suffer austerity. Just who does our government work for?”

Merging the lonely landscapes of Massive Attack with Thom Yorke's jarring beats, the 12-track score is as sinister and depressing as the concept of tax avoidance itself, which was probably the idea. It also features Jonny Greenwood and Elbow's Guy Garvey, and is well worth listening to whilst staring pensively into a field on a windy day.

The documentary airs on 25th February 2015 at 8pm on London Live / Freeview 8 / Sky 117 / Virgin 159 / YouView 8. In the meantime, the score is streaming now via UK Uncut.

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