Radiohead - 'The King of Limbs' (XL)
5/5
By: Stan Morgan
The release of Radiohead’s eighth studio album came as a bit of a surprise to us all, not only being announced mere days before the release, but then making it available to us a day earlier than they said. Naughty Radiohead. The short build-up period didn’t stop everyone elevating it to ‘best album ever’ status though, and by the time the first piano trills of ‘Bloom’ hit certain over-eager music fans’ ears, the headlines smeared all across the internet seemed to be “Radiohead in Not-Best-Album-Of-Their-Career Shocker!!”
From the off, then, the album is a total disappointment. The fact that it is also the shortest album Radiohead have ever produced (a disgraceful five minutes shorter than In Rainbows) has also caused a lot of anger, AND we can’t even choose what we pay for it. Worst. Album. Ever.
Unfortunately I chose to spend the time it took to download the album to gauge what others were saying about it, with most opinions bearing some similarities to the hyperbole above. The first listen was then spent consciously trying not to be disappointed, looking as hard as I could for anything that could have been improved, and then telling myself that surely Thom knows best, and that it’s all for the Greater Good.
After a few more listens, and time for me to form my own opinions about the music (a skill seemingly absent in many people) it became clear that The King of Limbs is no disappointment. It’s not a great leap forward from their last album, sure, nor a stark change in direction, but sometimes treading water can be the best policy. Most of the songs (apart maybe from the instrumental ‘Feral’) would have sat quite comfortably on In Rainbows, but as the football mantra says, ’You don’t change a winning team’.
Despite the similarities, the guitars have taken a back seat on this album, with more emphasis being placed on rhythm, especially on the opening trio of ’Bloom’, ’Morning Mr Magpie’ and ’Little by Little’. The quality and delivery of Phil Selway’s drumming makes it arguably the standout performance on the album, where so often Thom Yorke or Jonny Greenwood take the acclaim. That’s not to say the quality of the other instruments has fallen, however, with almost every track exhibiting the kind of precision in execution usually reserved for matters of science.
The lead single ‘Lotus Flower’ contains one of the most accomplished vocals Thom has produced for a long time, with a beautifully subtle fragility that is aided by Nigel Godrich’s flawless production, which as ever runs throughout the album. Album highlight ‘Codex’ is a seductive piano ballad in the vein of ‘Pyramid Song’, augmented by lilting horns and a barely-there string section, and deserving of a place on any ‘best song’ lists at the end of 2011.
After the gentle exit of ‘Separator’, it’s safe to say, once again, that Radiohead are no longer a rock band, there’s no ‘Bodysnatchers’ or ‘Jigsaw Falling into Place’ on the album. Quite what Radiohead are is yet to be fully revealed, as evidenced by this teasing, ambiguous release. I wouldn’t be surprised if the band have a few surprises up their sleeves before they embark on another LP.
The hype and sensationalist early reviews threatened to kill the album before anyone had really had a chance to digest it, but the quality of the album, and Radiohead’s continuing ability to surpass their peers has ensured that, while the album probably won’t be remembered as a classic, the band are more than strong enough to prove us critics wrong again and again. Despite all this praise though, and the fact that The King of Limbs is probably an early contender for album of the year, Radiohead have not made the best album of their career. Shocker.
Artists in this article: Radiohead
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