Jonny Greenwood, Shye Ben Tzur & The Rajasthan Express Announce New Album ‘Ranjha’
Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, and The Rajasthan Express are set to release their first album in nearly a decade, titled Ranjha, on May 8 via World Circuit. The announcement comes with the release of an eight-minute video for the album’s title track.
A Return to Collaboration
The trio previously collaborated on the critically acclaimed album Junun in 2015, recorded in a 15th-century fort in Jodhpur, India. For Ranjha, the group shifted their recording location to an Oxford studio, the same space used by Greenwood, Thom Yorke, and Tom Skinner for their project, The Smile.
According to Ben Tzur, the change in location was intentional. “It was about getting a clearer sound in a more controlled environment, but using the features of the studio to be creative in a completely different way,” he stated in a press release.
‘Ranjha’ Tracklist
The album Ranjha features the following tracks:
- Shiqwa
- Marbolot
- Ranjha
- Shemesh
- Shiqwa (Reprise)
- Ishq-E-Majnun
- Saqi
- Marbolot (Reprise)
Greenwood’s Perspective on Performing in Israel
Jonny Greenwood, who is married to Israeli artist Sharona Katan, has also collaborated with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa. He publicly disagreed with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke’s stance on performing in Israel, as reported in a Sunday Times interview last year. Yorke had stated Radiohead would not perform in Israel while Benjamin Netanyahu remained prime minister. Greenwood argued that a boycott could be counterproductive, stating, “I would argue that the government is more likely to utilize a boycott and say, ‘Everyone hates us—we should do exactly what we want.’ Which is far more dangerous.”
The new single, “Ranjha,” is available to stream now. Watch the official video here.