The band already have form in shaking up retail: the release of their last studio album In Rainbows was announced on October 1 2007, with the album becoming available digitally on October 10. In many ways that was more radical as fans were invited to pay what they thought the album was worth, in what remains a unique experiment for such a big act.

Nevertheless, last week's announcement of new album The King Of Limbs caught everyone unawares because few ...