In 2007, Radiohead released the album In Rainbows and it was met with much critical acclaim. It had a pioneering “pay-what-you-want” marketing scheme and it featured music that pushed the band forward from their experimental-leaning Kid A and OK Computer albums. Then, in the years between 2007 and 2011, the band essentially kept quiet. In late 2009 we were able to hear the song “These Are My Twisted Words” which was generally OK, perhaps sounding a little like a forgotten track from the same mindset that created In Rainbows. Rumors then began to circulate about Radiohead releasing an album in 2010 from interviews with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. This never came to be, but in February of 2011 Radiohead revealed that they were to release an album just a week after their announcement. This isn’t too surprising though as they did this same release-schedule with In Rainbows. Another thing that isn’t too surprising is that everyone began hyping the album to high expectations.
The King of Limbs is an album that sounds like a band just beginning to explore new territory, although ultimately it does retread steps taken in previous albums. It is more in-tune with Amnesiac or perhaps Kid A, but that doesn’t mean that great music isn’t to be heard here.
The album opens with “Bloom” and “Morning Mr. Magpie” and each sound chaotic, with the sense stemming from Jonny Greenwood’s quick electric guitar plucks and Phil Selway’s snare taps. On an early listen of the album I wrote them both off as sounding too similar, but with repeat-listens I was able to hear the exploratory electronic rhythms that set each track apart.
The third track of the album is “Little by Little” and it is probably the album’s best track. It continues with the chaotic soundscape from the preceding tracks, but an acoustic guitar is brought in during the track’s chorus. As this track is written more like a pop song I feel that it can resonant more with the listener, instead of washing over them like “Bloom.” Thom Yorke’s famous falsetto and his ever-cryptic lyrics comment on the hardships associated with monotonous everyday life. “Obligations/Complications/Routines and schedules/A job that’s killing you.” “Feral” is the track that follows and it is the album’s only instrumental, which is actually uncommon for Radiohead. This is the track that has the band exploring new sounds, particularly UK dubstep as it has a huge sense of space, bass, and a vocal loop of Thom Yorke’s voice that picks up tempo to give the track an idea of urgency.
The second half of the album (or so I am to assume, since I don’t have a physical copy of this recording yet) starts with the most poppy song of the album, “Lotus Flower.” Before The King of Limbs was released this song was released as (essentially) its single, with a music video. The video has Thom Yorke dancing around and singing, reminiscent of an R&B music video, and in actuality, it sounds like an R&B song. With Yorke’s ever-present falsetto, ear-perking hooks, and handclaps, the track sounds radio-ready. The chaos of the first five tracks is left behind during the rest of the album. “Codex” and “Give Up The Ghost” are percussion-less and full of space, with keys, strings, brass, and chirping birds. The latter is an album highlight, most importantly for its songwriting. The repetition of the lyrics “In your arms” offers emotion to an album that has an otherwise critical and cold outlook on today’s societal norms.
The King of Limbs could become Radiohead’s divisive album simply because of the hype that was generated when this album was announced. Many found In Rainbows to be Radiohead’s best (although I will counter that notion) so the hype surrounding its release was justified, to an extent. The album does not sound like In Rainbows but it does explore new territory with limited success. If one wanted a continuation of their rock sound from In Rainbows, the album may disappoint.
Another important aspect of this album that hasn’t been mentioned is how it will be released. Initially as a digital download, The King of Limbs will be later released as a newspaper titled “The Universal Sigh” (a lyric taken from “Bloom”). I can’t comment on this newspaper (as I had previously mentioned, this is a review of the digital download), but it contains art and poetry. However, I will comment that this album, and how it is released as a newspaper, continues with Radiohead’s trend of commenting on how music, or any other form of art, is represented as a tangible item and how the item can be distributed. The music industry (or lack thereof a music industry) must adapt to the changes that have occurred in reference to society’s ideas of how music is received by an audience. Fortunately for us, we have a creative group of musicians pioneering this change.
(Reviewer’s Score: 3.9/5)
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