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.
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