In a recent interview with the BBC's Adam Buxton, Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien caused fanboys/girls to collectively void their bowels by revealing a handful of tantalizingly vague details about the band's eight studio LP, the followup to 2007's self-released In Rainbows.

Says O'Brien: We're in the studio at the moment... we're in the heart of the record, and it's great! I'm really excited, I feel like this is the best record. It's genuinely exciting. It's very different from what we did last time... and it's so nice to be making music with a band that you feel is as good as they've ever been.

They're as good as they've ever been! Not an objective assessment by any means, but by virtue of their own lofty musical standards, the worst they've ever been would still be worth listening to. Good news. But when will this new album see the light of day?

Back to you Mr. O'Brien: But it would ideally be great if it came out some time this year... it's got to... I mean I hope so...I can't really say... for ages and ages it seems like the finishing line is miles away and now it feels like it's in touching distance, but of course, it being the creative process, this last bit you know... it's like anything; you have bursts of energy where you achieve a lot in certain small periods of time. Sometimes things slow down and you're nearly there, you're nearly there! But yeah hopefully it's going to be a matter of weeks.

There you have it. If the impending release of Radiohead's eight studio album could be compared to the proximity of two human beings it would be "touching distance". Stay tuned.

Via BBC 6