NIAMH MCKENNA, Culture journalist
Nobody was really sure what to expect of Radiohead eighth studio album. The band certainly reinforced their noted unpredictability by announcing the album details just 5 days before its scheduled release, and as if that wasn’t enough of a surprise for their fans, they also released the album a day in advance, on the 18th February.
Nobody was really sure what to expect of Radiohead eighth studio album. The band certainly reinforced their noted unpredictability by announcing the album details just 5 days before its scheduled release, and as if that wasn’t enough of a surprise for their fans, they also released the album a day in advance, on the 18th February.
The first thing I noticed after downloading the album was the amount of songs – only eight tracks, Radiohead’s shortest album to date. The phrase ‘quality over quantity’ came to mind and I sincerely hoped that this was the case.
The shortness of the album most definitely reflects the content itself, minimalist and understated, with Jonny Greenwood’s appearance on guitar effectively non-existent, bar one or two tracks. Though a follow up of In Rainbows, The King of Limbs is nothing like its predecessor. This album is dominated mostly by Thom Yorke’s eerie piano playing and Phil Selway’s electronic drum patterns which drive the songs forward.
Give up the Ghost is an exception to this though, being the only acoustic guitar track on the album. Thom Yorke’s voice is beautifully haunting, a perfect connection with the title. The words “Don’t haunt me” are repeated throughout the song, layered with the main vocal part. “Gather up the lost and sold/in your arms”.
Lotus Flower is the first single off the album, with a music video that shows off Thom’s serious dancing skills. The song itself is probably the most radio-friendly of the lot. Still with many electronica elements, Lotus Flower is not as ‘experimental’ as many of the other tracks but yet it remains one of the strongest on the album. Thom’s falsetto here is simply beautiful, and it glides along perfectly with the snappy drums and jazzy bass line from Colin Greenwood. “There’s an empty space inside my heart/where the weeds take root/and now I’ll set you free.”
My personal favourite is the melancholic but enchanting Codex. Just Thom and his piano, simplistic but captivatingly brilliant. “Jump off the end/into a clear lake/no one around” He serenades the listener with these stunning vocals. Codex is reminiscent of Pyramid Song from Amnesiac, another beautiful piano ballad to close your eyes and drift off to.
The last song of the stand out songs on The King of Limbs is Feral. Unlike the other tracks, it’s almost an instrumental piece. There is a clear dubstep/drum and bass influence here. The drums are the main part of the song, and the bass kicks in, binding it together. Radiohead’s electronic side at its finest.
The King of Limbs is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. The album is predominately electronica and for anyone who didn’t like Kid A or Amnesiac, I doubt this will be to your taste. But for anyone who is willing to embrace the more experimental Radiohead, this album is perfect. Though, it is definitely a grower – initially I was sceptical about it. After the excitement of the first few listens passed, I was unsure what to think of it. But I stuck with it, and after several listens I found I couldn’t stop myself pressing the play button. The King of Limbs is not Radiohead’s best work, but it is most certainly an album worth buying. It’s a new Radiohead, a far cry from the crowd-pleasing OK Computer era. It’s the next step in their ever-changing song writing abilities, and the shortness of the album seems completely irrelevant after hearing some of the beautiful pieces The King of Limbs contains. A sure case of quality over quantity, and an album which will sit proudly in the CD collection of any Radiohead fan.
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