The King of Limbs
Radiohead
The King of Limbs
I’ve long been very suspicious of the many Radiohead haters out there, especially the ones who used to be big fans. Now, it’s okay if you just plain ‘ol don’t like the band anymore, but if you are out there rallying against the band, talking trash and saying “they suck,” then I’ve got my third eye aimed at you and your suspicious motives. Why? Well, because I think incredibly highly of Radiohead, both as artists and as a symbol.
Here’s the thing: since the end of The White Stripes just weeks ago, you won’t be able to find me a band working at their level (festival headliners, Grammy performers, magazine cover regulars, endcap foci, etc.) who are out there doing exactly what they want to do with no compromises or outside influences. They write politically controversial lyrics and play music that, to mainstream ears, is often challenging. And sure, the songs aren’t as accessible as they used to be. And if you don’t like that, fine, move on. But faulting a band - especially a band at their level - for continuing to grow and follow their own artistic instincts? Well, shame on you. Your motives make you look like someone who doesn’t understand the point of art - to create, grow, express and challenge. Radiohead, without a doubt, are cutting edge artists who do all these things, and have been doing them quite successfully since The Bends came out almost two decades ago. That they’ve kept their edge all these years, and through so much commercial success, makes them the mainstream band of their time. Not quite the Beatles level of long term artistic relevance but far surpassing Pink Floyd and bands of a similar level of artistic and creative success.
Me, I’m a hardcore Radiohead fan and believer dating back to 1997, when the genre-changing OK Computer was released and I was first growing hair on my face. Yeah, my enthusiasm for their music has dropped steadily since Hail to the Thief was released, but my admiration for everything they’d done (and how they’ve done it), including the brand new The King of Limbs, has only grown. In fact, it’s Limbs, an amazing record that came out of nowhere, that has me saying all of these things - coming to all these revelations. Clocking in at eight tracks over 37 minutes (and released once again in a wholly original, independent manner), Limbs is the band’s most cohesive and powerful release since 2000’s now-classic game changer Kid A.
Where In Rainbows was a somewhat accessible record (for this band, at least) that was driven by the band’s live performances, Limbs is an absolute studio record that has the feel of an art project carefully built in a room, by masters, very meticulously and over a long period of time. The guitar arrangements still aren’t the OK Computer-like focus that everyone wishes they’d be, but Phil Selway’s always-great percussion work steps up in a major way, the result being an album that features some of the best drum arrangements and production you’ll ever hear. Longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich, who has been involved with the band since The Bends, once again produces, offering his golden touch to the band’s dark, complex and nuanced sound.
To say that the record feels like a natural progression is almost too easy. Yeah, this record sounds like the band that made In Rainbows, full of subtle yet epic tracks that at once feel light and heavy, but the listening experience is a new one. The songs, for the most part, lack clear melodic structure (which is nothing new for the band), instead focusing on an almost free-form vibe that hovers around Selway’s deeply detailed beats. While listening I’m reminded most of the early solo records of Brian Eno, who has often entered the language of Radiohead discussions. On records like Another Green World and Before and After Science Eno more or less built his songs using the skill set of a talented producer who had an ear for creating original sounds. Radiohead first started giving me those same feelings back in the early 2000s when an interesting little song called “Kinetic” popped up as a B-side on the “Pyramid Song” single (another song focused on percussion). This album, to my ears, most resembles the direction of that song, which has the sprit of a early 70s prog/jazz track - music that almost always featured standout percussion performances.
Mixing musicianship and studio chops with a knack for details and songwriting, Radiohead have released a chill out record of sorts. A chill out record that is deeply listenable and creative. I’d love to say that I think the band’s shtick is wearing on me (I said this a week or two after In Rainbows was released), and that I’ve grown as a listener so much that I expect more from such a band. But that’s just not true. This record is a fine next step for Radiohead (and yes, I do think that I have grown as a listener). It’s an album that has a different appeal than the other Radiohead releases, making it, in my book, a relevant breath of fresh air into the band’s wearing thin mystique. It’s easily their best work in years, offering surprises and a new version of the formula.
I do, however, have a few issues with the record. For starters, the cover art, which is easily the worst of the band’s career. After classic covers pieces like Kid A and Thief, the back-to-back combination of In Rainbows and Limbs implies a huge loss of visual creative vision. Not a huge deal, though, as we’re talking about music here, not fine art. My second beef also has nothing to do with the music, but is, in my opinion, quite substantial. And that beef is with the manner by with the album is being taken in by fans. Made available as a $9 download just days after the record was announced, fans wanting a physical copy will have to wait weeks to get their hands on the real deal. That’s all fine, but things have changed since In Rainbows was released just three and a half years ago.
Back in those days, albums were still somewhat celebrated. Not like they were when, say, Kid A was released, but at least a little bit. Today, in 2011, albums aren’t really celebrated at all, and especially not so by the downloading crowd (which is almost everyone). So to release such an amazing piece of work in such a by-the-way manner is a real bummer for anyone who holds dear the beauty of music history. Will The King of Limbs stand up in the books (err, on the websites) as a classic record that was celebrated upon its release? No, it won’t. Does it deserve to? Yes, it does. And that’s the shame of this modern era of hastily devoured art. Work this good deserves to be celebrated and held high, no matter the times. 8.75/10
Written by G. William Locke
