King of Limbs
The release of Radiohead’s latest album was met with great anticipation. Their previous album In Rainbows was by far the best album of 2007 and also considered to be one of their finest albums released.
I had been hearing rumors about a new album in the works, but I was pleasantly surprised to read about the release date with only a week notice. Then, they pulled a fast one on all of us with the decision to give out the album one day early! There aren’t many albums that I purchase as soon as they are available, but Radiohead belongs in that special category.
Once the album was released, it was met with a mixture of feelings. Why was the album being sold at a set price? (A stupid concern, in my opinion) Why was the album less than 40 minutes long? (In Rainbows is only five minutes longer than King of Limbs, so length is definitely not a huge issue) Is this all that Radiohead could give us in 4 years?
Oh yea of little faith! I’m sorry, but if anyone has considered Radiohead to be a band of instant gratification, then they don’t really know how this band works. I jumped into the fan base a bit later than some (Hail to the Thief was the first album release I was present for), but I have to imagine that Kid A drove way a certain portion of listeners during the first few cycles of play. They took a very bold step away from their alternative sound from the first three albums. How is this venture any different?
With the first listen, I had to adjust to the fact that the tracks did not have clear and obvious musical lines. Many layers needed to be pulled back with each listen in order to understand its focus. The opening track “Bloom” begins with a looping piano track and evolves into layers upon layers of electronic textures. The fusion of electronic and alternative is main theme throughout the album, and feels very reminiscent of the Kid A/Amnesiac cycle. There are two distinct halves to this record. While the first half is intense with continuous riffs and beats, “Lotus Flower”(the most “radio friendly” track of the LP) begins the transition of a low-key, acoustic ending. Musically, the direction of this album, from beginning to end, was very well-balanced. I could continue with a complete track-by-track analysis, but you get the picture. This isn’t Rolling Stone.
The 38 minutes of this record is just enough for me considering how this time is filled. It gets better and better with each listen. For those who threw in the towel too soon…I think you need to have another listen or two….or three…or four…..
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