Alright so I finally have a chance to listen to Radiohead’s new album, The King Of Limbs. Live blogging has gone over well with (most) of you guys, so I figure Radiohead is a must. Remember this is not a review. I think a lot of people make the mistake. Rather, this is just a way for me to share my first initial impressions of the album. It’s literally like you’re reading my thoughts as I dive deep into the musical waters of Radiohead. Mind blowing, eh?
If you haven’t bought the album, head here to do so and you’ll get the mp3 download right away.
Alright, let’s get this started:
1. Bloom – Some lush piano gets us started, and then we are hit with scrambled mixed percussion. Thom enters the mix in his usual epic way. This is a dark cloudy song that sounds like an acid trip through a dark barren landscape filled with fog. A little bit of a dubstep influence? Some horns…Sweet. There’s a lot of little details fidgiting around in the background. If you’re not careful, you may miss it. Excellent opener. 12:08 p.m.
2. Morning Mr Magpie -Â Woah, the juxtaposition of all the instruments creates quite a ethereal sound. You got to wonder how amazing this would be to hear live. Don’t think I’ll be able to shake those riffs out of my head all day. 12:14 p.m.
3. Little By Little – I feel like there’s a little bit of each album tucked away in this song. Really dark, sinister tone to this. Sort of what Radiohead does best.
“I’m such a tease and you’re such a filrt”
Oh yes 12:18 p.m.
4. Feral – Stars with a funky drum beat, very Radiohead. Almost 15 Step like. Woah, some trippy dubstep influenced vocals that sound like Burial. I can’t imagine how many people are going to get absolutely stoned and jut drown out to this. I’m really impressed with this song. They really went out to left field here, and I think they earned quite a result. Ghostly vocals and a deep throbbing bassline. This may be may favorite so far (got a long way to go though). 12:22 p.m.
5. Lotus Flower – Wow. There’s quite a vibe going here. Now it makes sense why they released this as the first music video. I could fumble around a lot of fancy adjectives but this song is just pure and full of beauty. Thom’s vocals hit a magical stride. There’s a perfect balance of everything here. All the right elements. Phil Selway is the unsung hero here. His drumming keeps quite a steady pace. You got to tip your cap.
This and Feral make a incredible combo. Both are front runners for my favorite at the moment. 12:28 p.m.
6. Codex – Starts out with just Thom and the piano. Pretty fitting placement for a ballad. Very nice track. I think I’ll appreciate this more upon further listens. 12:32 p.m.
7. Give Up The Ghost – Ghostly vocals from Thom kick things off, and then are very Neil Young-like feeling hit me. Alright, maybe just for a moment. Thom’s vocals at around 2:45-3:05 gave me chills. There’s a ton of emotion packed into this song, and it may hit you harder than you’d expect.
8. Separator – Last song on the album. Didn’t absorb it enoguh the first listen but it came fully realized on the 2nd. Does have a finishing feel to it.
That went by real fast. This is definitely their shortest album yet. There’s a lot of stuff to love about this album. There’s also a lot to revisit and try to fully digest. I’m home right now, and my good speakers are back at school, so I can’t blast it quite yet. I think Radiohead have done it again folks. You’re going to have to keep playing this to fully get it, just like all Radiohead albums.
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