Radiohead: King of Limbs (to be continued....maybe)

So, the new Radiohead dropped a day early and the interwebs are all aflutter. It's been out a few days, and already there are lovers, haters, and overzealous speculators. They are all eager to chew this up and spit out their opinions of it across the web.  "It's only 37 minutes..." "Where's the band?" "Is this only first half?" (maybe)  As with anything Radiohead does, this has spawned a great deal of hype.  And hey, it's the NEW RADIOHEAD, why shouldn't it?

I have listened to it 4 or 5 times, twice on a run, and in the middle went back to their previous release, In Rainbows, to try to decipher this latest step in their evolution.  While it's drawn a lot of Amnesiac and the Eraser (Thom Yorke's solo album) comparisons for it's seemingly minimal approach, there's a lot more to uncover from King of Limbs than that.  If you take away the more upbeat songs from In Rainbows ("15 Steps," "Bodysnatchers," two songs that my pal Casey always said never seemed to completely fit in with the rest of the album anyway), this album does not seem nearly as minimal in contrast.  There are a lot of live things happening here, and while Thom and Jonny are clearly at the forefront of this album (when are they not?), the other members reveal themselves in the subtle shifts of this album.

Gone are the days of overt crescendos in Radiohead (OK Computer mastered it, and Kid A/Amnesiac bent it, Hail to the Thief twisted and turned it, In Rainbows minimized it, and now King of Limbs has all but eliminated it).  They are now happier creating shape-shifting songs that subtly slide and fall into place.  It takes patience to uncover and appreciate it.  Rather than sounds that move up and down, this album's shifts happen side to side.  King of Limbs is not immediately gratifying, nothing jumps out and makes you scream the way a "2+2=5" did, but with each listen its complexities reveal themselves.

As far as running goes, this one is similar to Amnesiac in that it's a good one to zone out to.  As mentioned, it has even less overt crescendos than Amnesiac (remember "You and Who's Army" or "Dollars and Cents?" Hoooo daddy...), but it's frantic dubstep beats provide enough background to keep you rolling.  The aptly titled "Bloom" starts things off, and it bubbles up to the surface with flitters and glitches before the warmth of Thom Yorke's apprehensive vocals rise above it.

Radiohead-Bloom


At only 8 songs in length (maybe), the album slips by quickly at 37.5 minutes.  "Mr. Magpie" and "Little by Little" follow a fairly traditional song cycle with verses, choruses, and bridges (OH MY!).  They offer a standard amount of reticence and tension that we expect from Radiohead.  "Feral" sneaks up with haunts remnant "the Gloaming."  When listening on headphones, "Feral can be downright terrifying at times, as Thom Yorke's warped vocals sneak up behind you and tap on your ear drums from all angles (not to mention that is sounds like the background vocal from about the 1:32 mark on is repeating "Bieber," quite possibly the most horrifying sound ever in a Radiohead song).  "Feral" is the most innovative, "Ok, I've never heard anything like THAT before" moment of the album, and it really opens the door to a really strong closing of the album (but wait, didn't we just get started?). 

The "single," "Lotus Flower" follows.  It's good.  Here's the video (scroll down to the bottom of this post for a classy remix of Thom's dancing to Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies"):

Radiohead-Lotus Flower



"Lotus Flower" is followed by "Codex," the sexiest Radiohead song in years.  It sounds like "Talk Show Host" (that song from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack), sneaked into bed with "Pyramid Song."  This song is just built for a climax of a movie where everything is revealed and becomes clear to the protagonist.  It's haunting, clear and beautiful, a cleansing comedown of a late album track.

Radiohead-Codex


"Giving Up the Ghost" is a really interesting number as it combines campfire guitar strums with hand percussion and layered voices to create a rich atmosphere in a song that sounds as much like Neil Young as it does "How to Disappear Completely." The album closer (maybe), "Separator," provides a subtle poppy farewell with a melody and optimistic mood similar to Amnesiac b-side "Worrywort."

Overall, as the opening track-title suggests, King of Limbs ultimately blooms, it just takes some time.  It's not going to carry you to new heights running (there's not a standout track that I'm just dying to see live or put on my Shuffle for those moments when I fear I can't go on), but the mood shifts are great enough that this album will keep you engaged.  One of the strong rumors surrounding this release is that this is only the first half.  Due to the announcement that it will be a double vinyl album (albeit 10" discs, similar to the Kid A/Amnesiac reissues), many people feel it has to be longer than 8 songs.  Not to mention, Thom's cryptic lyrics in the album closer (maybe), "If you think this is over, then you are are wrong," which he repeats over and over near it's conclusion.

If this was in fact their plan, it is as usual brilliant, because being Radiohead, and becoming huge just before the internet era, has afforded Radiohead a great deal of luxury in releasing albums.  They are one of the few bands in the world that can do whatever they want right now.  They could release half of an album, let everyone praise and pan it as a complete work, then double its length for the physical release, throwing everything into a tailspin.  (They quasi- did this with Kid A/Amnesiac, with all cuts from the same sessions divided into 2 albums).  And even if this is the entire new Radiohead album (there are undoubtedly b-sides and outtakes), it's like my great-grandmother always used to say, "More Radiohead is better than less Radiohead."

And speaking of more Radiohead...

As promised, Thom Yorke dancing to Beyonce:



Go run.

The Go! Team: Music to Go By

With the whirlwind of news in the last couple of weeks, LCD retiring (?), White Stripes (?!) breaking up, Arcade Fire winning the big one (?!?), and new Radiohead album Saturday (?!?!) the staff (of 1) here at Running with the Beat doesn't know whether to sprint 6 miles or retire as well.  We run on, however, and albums like the Go! Team's latest, Rolling Blackouts, certainly help clear up this myriad of mixed emotions.  Rolling Blackouts is the Go! Team's third effort after nearly a 4 year layoff.  After their breakout debut, Thunder Lightning Strike, and an uneventful sidestep with Proof of Youth (an album subpar of the standard set on their debut, with less hooks), the Go! Team triumphantly return with an album that is seemingly BUILT for running.  

The Go! Team-T.O.R.N.A.D.O.


The Go! Team know how to bring it.  Their blend of rapping/chanting/singing lyrics over layers of horns, rock, and hip hop beats sounds like Girl Talk, if Girl Talk were an actual band.  From the opening song, "T.O.R.N.A.D.O." it is evident that the horn section will be a prominent feature of this album.  In fact, most of the album's more triumphant moments utilize powerful horn hooks to take the sounds over top.  "T.O.R.N.A.D.O." kicks the door open with fist pounding fury, and rolls in to the more poppy "Secretary Song," a forgettable song until, once again, those horns kick in around the 2:30 mark.  As with many songs on the album, "Secretary Song" gets better as it goes, and just when you think it couldn't get more powerful, or catchy, they throw another layer at you, which bodes well for running, it just keeps pushing you harder. 

Similarly, on the masterpiece "Apollo Throwdown," the song starts jangly enough, but keeps building, and each time you think it has reached the chorus, the Go! Team piles on more.  As I mentioned in the initial posting of this song, this song will have you wanting to shadow box down the streets and high five everyone you pass.  I would love for someone to make a highlight reel of Apollo Creed in the ring to this song, when the horns and strings kick in, you instantly get a boost that carries you into the stratosphere, transcending space and time, aches and pains, thoughts and worries until its conclusion.

The Go! Team - Apollo Throwdown-


Thankfully the 60's doo-wop of "Ready to Go Steady" follows to even things out a bit.  This one could have been released in 1963 (minus a few layers), and if you're wanting to sell your mom on the Go! Team, this would be the number.  Catch your breath quick though because "Bust-Out Brigade" follows with the conquering bombast of an even more inspirational "Gonna Fly Now."  If Sly ever decides to make a Rocky VII (!?!?), this would be the soundtrack.  It's like "Gonna Fly Now" on steroids, a promenade of horns that once again, will have you shadowboxing down the streets, a great song for ANY triumphant moment in life.

The Go! Team - Bust-Out Brigade-


Rolling Blackouts runs deep too.  There is hardly a dud.  The initial single (featuring Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino), "Buy Nothing Day," doesn't appear until the midway point of the album.  While filled with super hooks and being really driven, this song doesn't really add up to "Apollo Throwdown" for me as a lead single, but its manic pace will not slow you down one bit, the tremolo guitars taking the place of the horns to provide a substantial boost.  After this they slow things down with a couple of instrumental tracks but the album never falls off.  Even the slower tracks provide a chance to take in the landscapes that surround you, as they are a perfect score to slower moments of reflection on the course (and to catch your breath from the bombast of previous tracks).  Tracks like "Voice Yr Choice" offer even more horns.  On this one, the horns on this one probably provide the biggest contrasting boost to the rest of the song, once again, providing a fist pumping anthem., and the title track opens with a sludgy Clouds Taste Metallic Flaming Lips-like gutter bust of guitar/drum splatters that carries right into the send off track, "Back Like 8 Track," the perfect anthemic sendoff into whatever these guys and gals have in store for us next.

Overall, I think this is one of the best albums I have ever run to, as mentioned, it seems like it is built for running/working out.  Lyrics?  I have no idea what they are even saying most of the time, but the chants provide another amazing layer over the epic sounds that lay underneath. Beyond running, this music is straight party music too. As I mentioned, it's so dense, it sounds like Girl Talk, if Girl Talk were a real band.

It's a beautiful day (in Chicago at least), get out and run, hopefully to this album.  It will assuredly push you to new heights.  There are moments in this album where you transcend everything and it just carries you for blocks (or miles) at a time, the ultimate mark of music to work out to.  Expect a RWTB review of the new Radiohead King of Limbs (which drops Saturday), early next week.  Preordered it, and plan on taking it for a test drive on either Saturday or Sunday.

Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom.  If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn.  ~Charlie Parker

Go Forth!!!

It's cold out there and running conditions are less than savory, but just remember:

Rocky and his 2 fists could not have ended the Cold War without running in a little snow.




Have a good, productive weekend.

Where Do All the Shadow People Go? Nashville.

Just took a weekend trip to Nashville, the proclaimed "Music Capital of the World," and it lived up to the hype.  The history is unprecedented as legends, heroes, and ghosts await around every corner.  Because of its country music heritage and it's location in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains, Nashville has the feel of an Old West town. On the first night, we hit up the bars on Broadway (Tootsie's, Second Fiddle, Paradise Park, etc.) and it was a great way to start the trip.  This is the strip where everyone from out of town goes (if I lived there, I would probably end up avoiding it, much like locals in Chicago know to avoid Wrigleyville at certain times). Drinks were stiff, short, and prices were what I expected. I had heard the live music really is incredible on that row, and it was. Every bar featured a different live country, rock, and/or rockabilly band that was top notch. Great times up and down that strip.

Saturday was the real history lesson though. We took a tour of the Ryman Auditorium that was one of the highlights of the trip. Originally a church, it was converted to a music hall with the Grand Old Opry in 1943, and since has been referred to as the "Mother Church of Country Music." I have seen footage of Wilco, Neil Young, Johnny Cash (the Johnny Cash television show was filmed here), and more at the Ryman, and the tour brought it all home. We went with the upgrade to get the backstage guided tour and it was well worth it. You definitely get a better sense of the history back there. From Ryman building it in the 1800's (a story in of itself), to the Opry taking it over from 1943-1974.  Standing in the dressing rooms (each room is named after a country legend), where everyone from Hank Williams to Neil Young to Arcade Fire have stood, adds a lot of weight to the experience, even for the casual country fan. Here's the view from backstage, where countless stars have waited in the wings to rock the Ryman (every seat in the house are the original church pews from the building's inception):

My only regret was not being able to see a show at the Ryman.  I will be making a trip back soon.  Already this year's lineup boasts the likes of: Bright Eyes, Social Distortion, Fleet Foxes, and Interpol.  It's one of the few places where music and musicians are given the reverence they deserve, a true holy land for musicians.

Later that day, we hit up Jack White's Third Man Records HQ and did a quick tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Third Man rests in a small warehouse in a dingy part of town.  It's a tiny shop, but worth the stop just to see all of the White Stripes memorabilia (R.I.P.).  At the Hall of Fame, the "Family Tradition: The Williams Family" exhibit, which chronicles the history of the famous country family of Hank Williams and beyond (badass Hank Jr. a.k.a. Bocephus, Hank III, Jett Williams) was of particular interest. I grew up on Bocephus, and have always had a tender appreciation for the original country artists like Hank Sr., so this exhibit was incredible to see.

The plaques of the members of the Country Music Hall of Fame were also a great part of the experience, although I was a bit shocked to find that Vince Gill IS a HOF'er and Garth Brooks and Reba McIntyre are NOT.  Really CMHOF?  Eh...what do I know...back to rock and roll...

We closed out the trip Saturday night with an epic Dr. Dog show at the Cannery Ballroom. Openers "The Head and the Heart" were incredible (thanks for the tip Corey), and Dog was in classic form, rocking hard with tighter harmonies than ever. Also, for the first time in about Dog 7 shows, I got to see them play their cover version of Architecture in Helsinki's "Heart it Races," which really set the night off (not that "Shadow People" didn't).





Dr. Dog-Heart it Races



It seems the more produced Dog's albums become, the less I really cling to them. I like their new ones a lot, but the just don't resonate the way earlier, more raw, albums still do. Their live show, however, just keeps getting better. There are a lot of bands that are twice as good live as they are in the studio, but Dr. Dog is 100 times better LIVE. I'm not sure I've moved more at a concert in the last year. I simply wish they captured more of this live, raw energy in the studio. My Morning Jacket, in preparing their new album, have proclaimed a more live approach in the studio recording than they used on their previous, somewhat disappointing effort, Evil Urges, which gets me real excited. Hopefully Dr. Dog follows suit. Unpolished, noisy, and rocking is when the Dog are at their best.  Here's an excellent video from Dr. Dog from their latest release, Shame Shame, titled "Shadow People."  I was checking out the vinyl the other day and just realized that Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys is given a co-writing credit for this song.  Makes sense.  The video reminds me of the Big Lebowski, but in a roller rink (a great one to run to, by the way):




We'll get back to running this week. Blizzards and vacations thwarted my efforts last week. Lots of new music to test drive though. Hit that follow button up at the top left. Already following? Tell a friend. It won't hurt one bit. It's cold out there, but as Olympic great Jessie Owens said:

"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."

Go Do.

I recommend listening to Survivor's 'Eye of the Tiger' on your commute home today. It may be the only thing that saves you.