Monday, March 7, 2011

Making sense of The King of Limbs


I've intentionally waited a few weeks to formally analyze this album but now the time has come. I can look at this album honestly without noise from people hyping or haranguing.

Unlike a lot of their past efforts which all received resounding accolades, Radiohead's latest efforts have left some fans- how would you say- high and dry? People complained that the album didn't have any immediately radio ready tracks like "Reckoner" or "House of Cards". As I read the opinions of other critics, I noticed the word claustrophobic mentioned a lot and I can concur. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The King of Limbs is far more Album Oriented than any of their other efforts. The only other album that seemed to alienate fans this much was "Amnesiac" but even that has grown to be a fan favorite among hardcores. The most accessible tracks off this release are "Morning Mr. Magpie", "Codex", and "Little by Little" and these are even more minimalistic than songs on "In Rainbows". A lot of it is obviously reminiscent of Thom's solo work.

While it might not be everyone's cup of tea, The King of Limbs certainly is not garbage. The only uncompromisingly negative comments I've heard come from the washed up, egomaniac, Noel Gallagher. He dissed the record because of its title and proceeded to go on some strange, protracted rant about trees.

This album required a few listens to really grow on me but it was worth the time. It's gloomy, contemplative, and in its own way, truly beautiful. Don't throw this one out just because there's no "jigsaw falling into place" or "bodysnatchers" on here.

No comments:

Post a Comment