Hundreds of photos of well-known landmarks combine to create ethereal representations of them.
Hundreds of photos of well-known landmarks combine to create ethereal representations of them.
Radiohead enjoys a certain amount of success as a band with a strong fanbase and limitless creativity. They were a pioneer of digital distribution, and a sculptor of the modern musical landscape. Their latest release, “The King of Limbs”, has cemented this reputation, with many critics bowled over by the distribution scheme; how, with little fanfare, they are able to release a new album and immediately have it go viral[1]. Limitless creativity? We shall see.
The album begins with arguably the most difficult track of the eight (yes, only eight songs on this release, totalling 37 minutes), entitled “Bloom”. It’s a dizzying chaos of drums, strained vocals and textures, with no discernible time signature. I would argue this is a weak start. It’s dissimilar to the rest of the album, and isn’t particularly inviting. That said, it will appease those who wish to feel they conquered it.
“Morning Mr. Magpie” and “Little By Little” are both considerably more listenable. The former has a noticeable trace of funk to the guitar work, and electronic beats that echo Thom Yorke’s “The Eraser” and prior Radiohead releases. The latter echos Pink Floyd’s “San Tropez”, combined with Radiohead’s more mellow work. Think “Nude”, but faster and with percussion galore.
As one of the three or four people on the planet that despises drum-and-bass, “Feral” falls on unwanting ears. Luckily it’s only three-and-a-quarter minutes long. Next.
The track that follows “Feral” is “Lotus Flower”, and is one of the highlights of the entire album. It’s decidedly more subtle, with exotic undertones (noticing a trend?) and really intriguing textures. Yorke’s trademark falsetto vocals are at their prime, brought to the forefront of the mix, leaving melodic “vapour trails” (echos, yes, but abstracted).
Piano? In my Radiohead? It’s more likely than you think, on “Codex”, with what sounds like a zither in the background (it’s probably just a guitar on the upstroke). If you thought the album was gloomy before this track, you’re in for a real shock. Miserable, drab, depressing, rainy, overcast: these are just a few terms that could be applied to this song. However, that doesn’t make it beige celery covered in mild cheddar: it’s fantastic. The horns are a nice touch, emphasizing the jazzy undertones. Insert a requisite 20 seconds of mostly dead air before…
…”Give Up the Ghost”. Twittering birds, acoustic guitar and golpes[2] frame more beautiful vocal textures. Drones in the background help ground it as a Radiohead song, as do the myriad of layers.
The last track of the short album is “Separator”, and it brings back some of the percussion from the first half, melds it with the more lucid textures of the second half and blends it all together into a pleasant, if unsurprising amalgamation. Not that it’s disappointing to have the final song on any album be unsurprising: it’s the conclusion that helps tie everything together. “Separator” is fantastically downtempo, and brilliantly jazzy.
The album, then, is good. Not great, and not revolutionary, but good. It’s going to get multiple listens, even if I’ll be skipping “Bloom” and “Feral”.
Picks: “Lotus Flower”, “Codex”, “Separator”
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