Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood Announces New Album Junun For November 2015 Release

Johnny Greenwood has announced his new album Junun that is set to release on November 13 with a documentary on his creation.

What does a musician do when they have seen the fame and success that labels them a genius? The genius gets creatively stinted, goes to India and gets back to work. While this may not be the actual reason Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood has gone to the Beatle-famed mecca it may not be far from truth. Greenwood has been working with Israeli composer Shyze Ben Tzur on an album over there. The album is called Junun and shares its name with the documentary that was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson on the process these two went through to create it.

Pitchfork also has a clip from the film, which features a track called “Roked.” Video can be seen below.

According to Pitchfork, Greenwood made statement at the Evening Standard about the project and also about Tzur.

“When I was in the Negev desert in southern Israel a couple of years ago, I heard a band playing a song using an Arabic violin called a rehab. It was a strange mix of Arabic and traditional Indian music, one that I’d never come across before. The best song, I found out, was written by Shye Ben Tzur, an Israeli musician who had been living in India until this year. I set out to discover more about him … I’m always a little wary of rock bands half-heartedly dabbling in world music—itself a slightly greasy term—but there are exceptions. Damon Albarn is one: his work with musicians in Mali is something he’s clearly fully committed to. And I think Shye Ben Tzur is another.”

Tzur’s facebook page reads, “Shyze Ben Tzur has studied Indian classical music for over a decade, and immersed himself in Muslim Qawwali music, Shye Ben Tzur has fashioned a wholly unique fusion of Hebrew and Middle Eastern musical influences with those of the Indian sub-continent.”

When Greenwood had previously discussed working on the album he never officially announced release date or even the official title till now. The release date is on November 13 and will be released via nonesuch, according to SPIN. Featured on the album are an Indian qawwali group called Rajasthan Express and Radiohead producer Nigel Goodrich.