I should start off by saying two things. First, I am not as intimate with the Radiohead catalog as I feel like many people my age and into this type of music are. Despite having seen them open for REM in about 1995, I only really started listening to them around 2003, because of a mix CD made for me by a girl with whom I was quickly falling in love, only to be heartbroken when things fell apart a year or so later. Which brings me to my second disclaimer-of-sorts, that my experience and perception of Radiohead’s music is heavily tied to that era in my life. I don’t consider that to be a bad thing at all, especially since it’s several years later and everything is good, but it does influence me.
I also kinda feel like because of my station in life (late 20s hipster), I’m not supposed to not like a Radiohead album.
But I’m not saying I didn’t like it; I’m saying I think it’s just okay. The first track, “Bloom”, sounds to me like someone messing around in Garage Band. Except of course for Thhhhhhom (I insist on pronouncing the “haych”) Yorke’s signature whiny vocals (which I like very much). Second track, “Morning Mr. Magpie”, we get a little of the angstier, edgier vocals that I love. As angsty as Artsy Bono* can be, anyway. The couple songs after that show off probably the thing I like the best about this album, the varying and juxtaposed rhythms. For me, the album finished better than it started, which I suppose is good, but it lacked that punch early on that gets me into an album. As a whole it was a bit too ethereal** for me.
There’s a good chance it’ll grow on me, I’m about to give it a second listen now, but I’m giving “The King of Limbs” an “Okay, sure.” 3/5
*I wish I could take credit for calling Thom Yorke “Artsy Bono,” but it was B.Dolan, who you should all check out if you like really good socio-political underground hip-hop.
**[edit]:After more thought and listening, “ethereal” is not really the right word. But I’m not quite sure what is…
