It’s hard to judge the new Radiohead album “The King of Limbs” after just one listen. That could be a good or bad thing.
There probably aren’t any top-40 singles on this album, but these days, anything with more depth than Kesha songs are more than welcome.
On the other hand, there isn’t any song on this album that tops or matches what Radiohead has produced before on such albums as “OK Computer” or “The Bends.”
After one listen, Radiohead’s latest album is pretty good, but it’s not great. And that’s a fair statement to make since, for the most part, Radiohead is held to a much higher standard than other bands. For a band that has been so influential to other musicians that has rightfully earned them a cult following, “The King of Limbs” is a disappointment compared to Radiohead’s capabilities.
To reiterate, though, the album isn’t bad at all — there’s a lot to like on it.
The album starts out with the song “Bloom,” beginning with a melancholic, repeating piano phrase, later layering with electro-infused rhythms. The layers don’t really piece together well until lead singer Thom Yorke enters in 30 seconds into it (and as unique as Yorke’s voice is, it’s hard to understand what he’s singing, or if he’s channeling a little of bit of Sigur Ros’ Icelandic influences). It’s a nice song with a bass guitar line that keeps the song from being entirely electronically driven. And after a couple of listens, there are new voices to be heard, more aurally pleasing layers and depth to be explored. But it’s still not particularly amazing.
The song “Little by Little” is probably the best on the album. It’s the most upbeat, but like the rest of the songs, it still has a tone of underlying melancholy and moodiness. But on this song, Radiohead uses less abstract, electronic tones and beats in favor of louder percussion and a surprisingly interesting bass riff that adds intrigue to the typically moody feel of the song.
Overall, the album struggles to find one cohesive sound. Songs like “Feral” are teetering on the line between beat-driven alternative music and electro-pop dance music, while other songs like “Codex,” while beautiful and languid, are so slow and stripped down that one wonders if the two songs are even supposed to be on the same album.
When it comes down to it, bits and pieces of “The King of Limbs” are really good. This album has so much more depth than most albums out today, and it’s certainly a refreshing sound to today’s folk-driven alternative scene. (No disrespect, but alternative folk music is better bedtime music than it is rock music.) But for a band that has made great music, this album is just predictably good, and it should have been so much better than that.
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Radiohead offers more of the competent same
Daily Emerald
February 19, 2011
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