New Radiohead Album Saturday

[Tiresias]

http://www.thekingoflimbs.com/

They just announced album available for digital download from Saturday. Words can barely describe how excited I am. They haven't made a bad album since their first.

Apparently it's the worlds first 'newspaper' album, no idea what that means at all, probably bollocks heh.

Anyway I am not going to sleep till saturday.

[Gorb]

fanboy

[Tiresias]

no shit sherlock :P

[Pocktio]

I hope they do a 'pay what you like' download. I enjoy free albums.

[Tiresias]

it's £6, they said a while ago they wouldn't repeat the In Rainbows thing

[RexOmniaLupus]

I'm pretty sure Jethro Tull already did a newspaper album (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thick_as_a_Brick#Cover) ... in 1972.

[Tiresias]

Yeah, though to be fair dunno what the hell they're on about as of yet really...

[Harmanoff]

Radiohead's new record, The King Of Limbs, is presented here as the world's first* Newspaper Album
*perhaps

The more i think about it the more i feel like getting the vinyl version. Its just its kinda silly shelling out for this album since i think they peked around The Bends and OK computer.. i should get them on vinyl instead. Can't be arsed though. :murph:

[Tiresias]

Video for Lotus Flower is out! Judging by this sounds another rock alienating electronic album (i love those ones). Also hilarious Thom Yorke dancing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOa1a8hYP8

[reki]

So this came out a day earlier than expected. Sounds a bit like one of those Amnesiac/Eraser albums - some interesting sounds going on and you have to listen on a proper stereo or with proper headphones in order to appreciate. Will need a few listens before I can formulate a proper opinion, methinks, but it sounds like Thom has convinced the band to come in and record without telling the drummer again.

[Tiresias]

ok I've been listening to this a lot, will probably try and do a proper thing on it later...

Yeah Thom's been at the drum machines again and there is no 'rocking out', to be fair the band regretted Hail to the Thief (much as I love that album) a lot and noone should really be surprised that they're willing to completely neglect guitar music again. Equally after the stripped back and quite accessible In Rainbows think this is them being a bit more difficult and I can definately hear not just Thom's love of dubstep and electronica but Jonny's modern classical music (know it's an awful tag) in it.

However while this does seem a Thom Yorke (the main electronic dude) album with Ed and Phil rather neglected, if you hear some of Thom's solo stuff (most I love some misses the mark, see pulledapartbyhorses) there's obviously lots other stuff going on here.

The opener sounds like Flying Lotus interpreted by Radiohead, which is great if alienating. Not quite a standout but I do really like it just out of how gorgeous it becomes to the end. Morning Mr Magpie is a reworking of an old obscure song that noone expected to return, again not a highlight but I do rather like Thom's vocal on it and it has a nice beat.

Little by Little is amazing. Spanish guitar at start??? Insistant percussion Thom is on top form with vocals even if mostly unintelligable.

Feral sounds like Radiohead remixed by Burial, which is not just no bad thing, it is amazing.

Lotus Flower is a complete earworm and is stuck in my head, Thom's singing is among his best, and it really really makes me want to dance. (not just because of the video, Radiohead's attempt at Single Ladies lol :P )

Then comes the last three, Codex, Give Up the Ghost, Seperator, all compbined become some of the most beautiful music they've ever done. The Pyramid Song referencing Codex keeps the beauty but resists the climax into the ethereal give up the ghost, and on to the great closer of Seperator...

That said think it's a little unfair to say that members of the band are sidelined, think they got over the idea that they all have to play an instrument on a track to have input a while back...ok ed o brien and phil selway are probably alcoholics XD

I think it's an utterly beautiful dream of an album that is pleasantly short rather than brief. However going to have to give it more time before decide.

Little by Little is oddly catchy. The last three tracks are absurdly pretty. That said if you want guitar rock don't even bother :P

btw
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgu2xxVc6N1qci7hao1_500.gif

[IcyPenguin]

I really REALLY like Give up the Ghost and Separator. I've also read various opinions of the album being for In Rainbows what Amnesiac was for Kid A (still my favourite of theirs!) And more negative views that this was 'The Eraser pt. 2' or 'Thom yodeling in the bathtub for thirty minutes.'

I was surprised at how incredibly similar Give Up the Ghost was to the live versions that were played in 2010.

The album is... without a doubt one of the prettiest I've ever listened to and it's very pleasant to hear. Though I can't really say that it's groundbreaking... it's still excellent.

[Grabnutz]

Listening to it now, it's very Eraser, but with that I can't help feeling its a Thom Yorke album rather than a Radiohead one. I loved HTTT and think they're at their peak when utilising their musicians in crazy ways, be it 4 guitars or piano or yodelling orchestral trumpets, but even in Amnesiac / Kid A you felt the whole band and it was excellent.

I like the album so far though (and as always with RH its going to be another "listen to it twelve times before it properly clicks" kind of deal).

Having said all that, the moment they perform stuff like this live it goes apeshit and the entire band are very much part of it. Usually.

[Tiresias]

I thought that too, but there's lots of instrumental stuff that seems to lurk around water level so to speak. Think some of Thom's dancey tendancies seem to have been curtailed and fed into some absolutely gorgeous melodies, but I think it's an album of two halfs. First half is quite full of cluttered tracks (not neccessarily in a bad way) which I maybe am reserving judgement on a bit longer. Then you get the an absolutely astoundingly pretty tripple punch of last tracks that maybe draw on Amnesiac more than anything.

Wouldn't mind another angry album like Hail to the Thief, maybe their richest seam of live cuts from that too, but I think they're avoiding retreading anything. Wouldn't hold your breath for stadium guitar anthems again though

[reki]

Thought this was a good review: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/02/radioheads_king_of_limbs_revie.html

[Tiresias]

I think this review is pretty accurate (yeah I would bump it up to 5 stars but the body of it I largely agree with)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/feb/24/radiohead-king-limbs-review

The NYTimes piece is pretty good, there were some pretty hilarious scenes on Radiohead boards when it was released of people saying they were quitting Radiohead, "they've finally done it", wouldn't really be a radiohead album without half the fanbase screaming bloody murder.

Lots of radiohead fans do kinda make me ashamed to be a radiohead fan (people will jump down a reviewers throat for the slightest criticism as well)

also nice unofficial vid for feral

http://www.vimeo.com/20253000

[Tiresias]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvo45_kXogs