Early last week in the midst of Valentine’s Day buzz, fans of a certain English alternative rock band got their own special valentine.
After making their previous album available to fans online through a pay-what-you-want pricing system, Radiohead had more tricks up their sleeves for dedicated fans.
As if announcing the release of “The King of Limbs,” only six days before wasn’t enough, the band decided it would be a nice gesture to give fans the opportunity to download the album a day in advance. Radiohead fans woke up Friday to a very special surprise.
“The King of Limbs” is yet another odd concoction that follows similar styles shown in 2007’s “Rainbows” and a few of their earlier albums. This record’s experimental aspects are reminiscent of the spacey, offbeat electronic riffs heard in their 2000 release, “Kid A” and its successor “Amnesiac.”
“The King of Limbs” begins with “Bloom,” an uncomfortable, yet oddly satisfying opener that follows an inconsistent drum riff backed by an atmospheric synthesizer and some dissonant bass licks. Lead singer Thom Yorke’s unmistakable melodic vocals seamlessly fit in to bring the track together.
“Bloom” is followed by a couple tracks along the same pattern, showing signs of influence from earlier albums, like the tonality of “Hail to the Thief” as heard in the third track, “Little by Little,” and the fourth track, an instrumental called “Feral.”
The album’s single, “Lotus Flower” was accompanied by a music video comprised of a black-and-white Yorke dancing spastically, as he is known to do at live concerts. The video was released online in the same post that announced the advanced availability of the album Friday morning. The song itself will surely bring smiles to Radiohead fans everywhere.
The following two tracks are slow pieces that may bring moisture to listeners’ eyes, especially “Codex,” the dark and dissonant ballad composed of piano, vocals, atmospheric guitar and various synthesizers, which bring about an illusion of an empty space being slowly filled with pieces of your deepest, darkest secrets.
The album closes with “Separator,” a neither chaotic nor hypnotizing conclusion; just pure satisfaction. Reverting to the basics shown in “In Rainbows,” the band adds an electric guitar part halfway through the song that almost explicitly instructs listeners to close their eyes and enjoy.
In compliance with fans’ expectations, Radiohead delivers once again an album that is a pleasant surprise to the avid listener and another masterpiece by the five-piece band from Oxford.
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