Review Summary: A wild 8 song ride that could've been just as wild with 5.
Radiohead is THE alt band. Radiohead is THE band period. Rick Rubin has been quoted saying the are "the best band in the world." And i think he knows a few things about bitchin tunes.
Let me get this out in the open. I love radiohead. i view them as nothing less than the apex of all things that aren't metal or hip hop. Their newest album was a bit of a surprise to me because the first review i read named "Amnesiac" and "Hail to the Thief" as the first comparisons in it. I was excited, as these two Albums are my favorite Radiohead albums to date. Upon listening to the album i was a bit let down as the first song was just confusing but i kept on going and listened the whole way through. Since 2010-2011 have been dull years for releases of bands i enjoy, a new radiohead album that apparently sounded like Amnesiac and Hail to the thief was a welcome surprise. However i came out of it not feeling anywhere remotely close to how i felt after hearing the two aforementioned albums. In my opinion The King of Limbs was a wild ride. A wild 8 song ride that could been just as wild with 5.
Hail to the Thief and Amnesiac are often label as more experimental or "electronic" when the truth is radiohead always been experimental and at least for the past ten years "electronic" The king of limbs was compared to these albums because these two albums have extremely ***ing weird electronic looping haunting melodies that leave you feeling like song took something away from you. (Example: The Gloaming, Backdrifts, Pulk Pull Revolving Doors.) the king of limbs however has very delicate fragile and ambient songs with three tracks of extremely ***ing weird electronic and overly simple tracks of what i can only identify as filler. and 5 well crafted perfectly ripe radiohead songs.
Now this isn't fair i know. No music review is, art is subjective, we all know this. But this website is asking for my two cents and i happen to have two cents today.
Of course these 3 filler songs i mention are Bloom, MorningMrMagpie, and Feral. Now these songs could just as easily be called "experimental" or "Minimalist." but they're not. Pulk Pull Revolving Doors was experimental i mean jesus just listen to it. The Gloaming was Minimalist because it drew simple melodies out of a simple loop. the problem is to die hard fans of Ok Computer and Pablo Honey and The Bends these songs sounded like filler. Hail to the Thief and Amnesiac have some of the most lush and pieced together instrumentals of any of the radiohead albums. The King of Limbs is not like these albums. It is its own unique bundle of misery (the brittish kind. the best kind) as all radiohead albums are.
The percussion on the album to me was akin to In Rainbows. The softness and ambiance on this album are akin to Kid A. To me the guitar/key work and vocals we're the only things treading new ground. Thom Yorke gave a 10 out of 10 greenwood as always gets a 10 out of 10. I think the rhythm section kept it familiar to let greenwood and yorke expand. I think the problem was Greenwood expanded into the rhythm section too far with the looping and sampling. But what do i know, i voted for Dan Quail.
Sorry i can't describe how music sounds very well with big words and such. As soon as i can find some good acid and start seeing music i'll let you know.
