The King of Limbs

The new Radiohead album, The King of Limbs, received its online release on Friday, and I've given it a couple of listens. My preliminary impression is that it's underwhelming yet promising. I began waiting expectantly for this release as soon as In Rainbows first reached my ears, but in the ensuing three years and some four months, I've somewhat lowered my expectations and was not all that excited when I heard that TKOL was coming out.

What I've been reading from many others is the same underwhelming feeling. A lot of people, unsatisfied with the skimpy number of tracks (eight), have gotten it into their heads that this is only the first half of the full release. Whether or not that's true (I doubt it), it shows that the album lacks the epic sound of previous albums, from OK Computer to In Rainbows. TKOL is subdued, even minimalistic in places, emphasizing electronica over rock (guitars are few and far between, and that's a downer because their guitars are one of their strengths). I don't think it quite sounds like anything else, except perhaps, as has been noted, the Amnesiac b-sides, and a tad like The Eraser, with a few flourishes reminiscent of IR.

I don't think that TKOL is any less emotional (though that's what people have been saying) than Kid A or their other albums. It just lacks the epic sweep - which allows one to become emotionally invested - that comes with a longer, more varied album. Although there is some variety, most of the tracks coalesce into a dominant mood that I would characterize as a kind of paradoxical lighthearted gloom. I don't notice anything on here that has the uplifting quality of "Reckoner" or even "4 Minute Warning."

Personally, I was disappointed with "Morning Mr. Magpie," which I thought sounded better in its earlier, rawer form (which makes me wonder if I should continue to hope for a studio version of "True Love Waits"). My favorite tracks so far are "Codex," a slow piano meditation with doleful horn bleats that exudes pathos, and "Separator," with its groovy drums and dulcet guitar interjections. Interestingly, codex is Latin for "tree trunk or book," and of course, the album's theme includes a 1,000 year old oak tree. What gives some potential credence to the idea that this is only the first half of the full album is that lyric in "Separator": "If you think this is over, then you're wrong."

It's not really fair (though it is inevitable) to compare this to their previous work. I think it's their least commercial release, barring their experimental b-sides, and that would explain much of the disappointment coming from people who would like more "Creep"s and more "Paranoid Android"s. I'm sure that in time it will grow on me, as tends to be the case with Radiohead's music.