album review: radiohead, the king of limbs
When the news broke of The King of Limbs, Radioheads 8th album, I can only assume that fireworks went off in the heads of many fans. Only four days to go, it was nail-biting suspense. For those of you who keep up with Twitter, it had become a Radiohead explosion, myriad of exclamation marks and speculation. Will they dig up lost recordings? Will it be an extension of In Rainbows? What will Thom Yorke show us now?
It’s hard not to have expectations, especially after a hiatus, and mostly because each album sets minds in turmoil, the sheer beauty of it. In Rainbows is right up there in countless ‘best album’ lists, OK, Computer changed the 1990s, Kid A and Amnesiac showed the evolution of the band itself. So, Radiohead, as the most influential band of our generation, as The Beatles were for our fathers, what sets The King of Limbs apart?
To anyone who listened to Thom Yorkes’ solo album, The Eraser, your first exposure to The King of Limbs will be much less…weird. It’s different. Heavy. Subtle. One of those rare albums that you can listen to from start to finish, evaluate it as a whole.
The release of the “Lotus Flower” video was undeniably clever, it increased the buzz, and being the most radio-appropriate track of the album, it eased critics in, and readied them for the melancholy jazz-influenced electronica that is the Radiohead of today. Less guitar, profound bass, synth and jazz-percussion really shows how many (more!) dimensions this band has to reveal.
From the rolling intro to “Bloom”, lyrical content and morose staccato, it’s a deep breath in that is slowly exhaled with “open your mouth wide”. Chills down your back, in the way that sucks you in, and you stay there as “Codex” begins. The piano is a little hazy, solitary and there is a serenity that breaks with “Feral”.
“Feral” echoes that little bit, adding layers of distorted vocals and various instruments, less rock than any other song on the album. “Give Up The Ghost” is also heavily layered, but in an ethereal way that encourages you to lose yourself, and takes you back to Amnesiac.
While we’re being nostalgic about Amnesiac, “Morning Mr. Magpie” fits in comfortably, recalling on the bands unsettled feelings about the music industry. We all know that it’s the bass that carries a song, and this one is testament to that, it stands out and makes it high-energy and inventive, a personal favorite.
“Little by Little” uses the most guitar, and with lyrics like ‘I’m such a tease and you’re such a flirt’ giving it a sultry edge, and percussion reminiscent of “Reckoner”, I can only imagine how it will sound live. “Separator” is, like the rest of the album, echoed, and it develops slowly, eerily, but it seems much sweeter.
“Lotus Flower”, the first single and probably as similar to the ‘Old Radiohead’ as we’re going to get, really does ‘unfurl as a lotus flower’, with an excellent video to match. Watching Thom Yorke in his element, chaotic and twirly, reminds me of how much I love this sound, this feeling that accompanies intelligent music.
Overall, it really depends on how much you like change. This album is fairly avant-garde. The birdsong, the nature metaphors and give it an organic feel while remaining the most electronic of all eight albums, it goes against the grain. While it is nowhere near as groundbreaking as OK, Computer, it is a work of art, and a monumental occasion in 2011.
8.5/10
