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Once again they have bucked the system. Released worldwide this past Saturday through their website, Radiohead’s eighth studio album arrived for consumer download roughly one week after a succinct press release hailing its completion. While it was no secret that Radiohead had been hunkering down in an English studio working on a follow-up to 2007’s In Rainbows, it definitely proved to be a surprise that the album was already in the can and ready to go. And, like in 2007, the band is playing by its own rules, eschewing a normal label distribution and instead of releasing the record exclusively (for the time being) through its website. Set some cash aside though, as this time, a set fee replaces the “choose your own price” used for the In Rainbows release. So what kind of album did Thom Yorke and Co. stir up this time around? A quintessential Radiohead album would be the answer.
Twitchy beats and a syncopated drum beat open the record as Yorke urges the listener to “Open your mouth wide” before advising them to “Don’t blow your mind with whys”. It’s the kind of cryptic advice Radiohead fans have come to expect and Yorke keeps the absurdities flowing throughout the album’s eight murky tracks: asking the mysterious Mr. Magpie where he took the magic on the nervy “Morning Mr. Magpie”, lamenting a life wasted on feeble careers on “Little By Little”, and dreaming menacing and vivid thoughts on the surprisingly groovy final track “Separator”. All in all, it’s vintage Radiohead, an album’s worth of trippy beats, haunting lyrical images, and majestic soundscapes that are exhilarating to listen to yet maddening to decipher.
The King of Limbs doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it instead adds another chapter to the magnificent canon the band has been assembling over the past two decades. There are riffs and beats that echo past classics, vocal inflections that mirror previous Yorke yelps and hums, and like on most of their releases a vexing instrumental track. However, each Radiohead album is also filled with mystery and intrigue that begins to reveal itself over time. With repeated listens, themes and ideas appear to add cohesion and purpose to the collection. This album is surely no exception and through further introspection, a pattern will surely develop. In the meantime, download the tracks and start the journey.
