New Radiohead album, King Of Limbs - initial impressions?

[Tonestar1]

I'm enjoying the KOL and everyone is entitled to their own view. However to say Kid A was patchy is just ridiculous. It's total genius. It also defined the shift to electronica in popular music ten years before it's time.It's influenced an entire decade of music.

TBH I used to hate the Kid A album when i first bought it, it wasn't The Bends, it wasn't OK Computer in fact it wasn't even Pablo Honey. It took me at least a year and maybe 200 listens to actually realise how good it was. It's now widely regarded as one of the best albums of the past 25 years so to describe it as patchy is just daft.

I love the story of Paul Oakenfold spending six months trying to remix "everything in it's right place" then realising he couldn't better it and playing it straight as his opener on his world tour.

Give KOL a good 40 -50 listens before saying its rubbish, its so layered you find something new every time you listen.

Kid A was slated at the time Look at how history views it now, Be open minded.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

6th.replicant:FWIW, still enjoying TKOL after a week.

BTW, when I play Feral, it pauses briefly when 11 seconds in. Is the pause 'part of' the track or do I have a glitch? Anyone else hearing the same? Ta

No glitch - part of the song.

 

[Red Dragon]

Gerrardasnails:6th.replicant:FWIW, still enjoying TKOL after a week.

BTW, when I play Feral, it pauses briefly when 11 seconds in. Is the pause 'part of' the track or do I have a glitch? Anyone else hearing the same? Ta

No glitch - part of the song.

I don't get a pause at all, it fades as part of the 'sequence' but doesn't pause as far as I can hear...?

 

[lastcoyote]

tosh:Think your spot on Bretty.Seen Radiohead 15 times since 94 so i'm a massive fan. Just think they are bowing down to Thom Yorke and wasting one of the best guitarists of our generation

hmmm...i presume you've not heard much of Jonny Greenwoods solo work then. Many music critics on reviewing his album 'Bodysong' mentioned how they'd originally thought the 'electronic sound' found on Kid A was all down to thom yorke. they concluded that actually a lot of influence was coming from Jonny in that regard after hearing his music.

jonny plays so many instruments well, not just the guitar.

 

[tosh]

lastcoyote:
tosh:Think your spot on Bretty.Seen Radiohead 15 times since 94 so i'm a massive fan. Just think they are bowing down to Thom Yorke and wasting one of the best guitarists of our generation

hmmm...i presume you've not heard much of Jonny Greenwoods solo work then. Many music critics on reviewing his album 'Bodysong' mentioned how they'd originally thought the 'electronic sound' found on Kid A was all down to thom yorke. they concluded that actually a lot of influence was coming from Jonny in that regard after hearing his music.

jonny plays so many instruments well, not just the guitar.

Fair comment,I know Jonny Greenwood loves his electronic gizmo's,just wish he'd pick his guitar up a bit more. Rumour has it that TKOL is only the first installment of a larger body of work. The Bends 2? Here's wishing.

 

[Alec]

the_lhc:Red Dragon:the fans just keep on enjoying the music and listening contentedly to the new release, letting it grow and develop in their collective consciousnesses, Wow, you guys are SOOO deep! I wish I was as great as you all must be... What a load of rot, it's just music for heaven's sake, some people take things far too seriously!

I wish this was facebook so i could click "like".

 

[Alec]

the_lhc:it's a fascinating insight into how people react to things which don't fit their narrow expectations.

But then there's this. Oh dear. And yes, of course we who don't like it just want GUITARSSSSS MAAAAN!!!! WHOOOOOHOOOOO! HELLSYEAH!!!!.

Yes. It could not possibly be due to the fact it is not, in our estimation, very good, guitars or not. Would you like me to list all the guitar based stuff i don't like?

Big long sigh.

EDIT - Charlie Jeferson: And yet it's made me crave the sweet neuroses of KOL all the more.

Oh my!

 

[Red Dragon]

Not sure what to make of the most recent post below...can't make sense of it actually...

Anyway, thought it might be of interest to some of you that Mark Edwards of the Sunday Times music review section gave The KOL album a 4 star review with some positive ( and a few negative) comments...for what it's worth.

Would be interested to see what Q magazine make of it but haven't read a review from them yet...

 

[Alec]

Red Dragon:

Not sure what to make of the most recent post below...can't make sense of it actually...

I have always regarded making sense as secondary to venting.

 

[The_Lhc]

al7478:
the_lhc:it's a fascinating insight into how people react to things which don't fit their narrow expectations.

But then there's this. Oh dear. And yes, of course we who don't like it just want GUITARSSSSS MAAAAN!!!! WHOOOOOHOOOOO! HELLSYEAH!!!!.

Yes. It could not possibly be due to the fact it is not, in our estimation, very good, guitars or not. Would you like me to list all the guitar based stuff i don't like?

No but then I wasn't repsonding specifically to you, so perhaps you should re-read all the comments in this thread from people moaning that there aren't any/enough guitars on the album or the "where's the rest of the band?" comments, which is what I was specifically referring to, vis the idea that a band MUST always conform to the same mode of music making in everything they release, otherwise it isn't a valid piece of music.

Big long sigh.

I can quite understand people not liking it and wouldn't question that but to not like it because it's "all beepy electronic rubbish" is a ridiculous thing to say. Why some people (not necessarily you) choose to limit themselves to one type/style/sound/genre of music is beyond me.

 

[noogle]

Everyone says TKOL is a "grower", but I find myself unable to listen to it enough for it to grow. I'm firmly in the Andy Kershaw "no good tunes" camp - TKOL is a huge disappointment after In Rainbows.

 

[Clare Newsome]

To quote an industry PR on the subject: "I can confirm that The King of Limbs is a 'grower'. I am growing to dislike it more each time I listen to it. Shame."

 

[the_dude2]

Red Dragon:
Charlie Jefferson:I've had a night off from KOL, and listened instead to:1) The King Is Dead - The Decemberists2) Schubert's Piano Trios3) The Deep Field - Joan As PolicewomanGreat tunes, layers of ideas and fantastic harmonies in abundance. And yet it's made me crave the sweet neuroses of KOL all the more.

Interesting that you should mention Joan As Policewoman as I was giving that a blast earlier, along with Goldfrapps Felt Mountain and found these two albums sharing similar territory and overtones with the KOL album, tho I have to say they are both easier on the ear and a more comfortable trip than the Radiohead release, I still find myself returning to KOL and finding new textures and depth to the album.

There is no doubt it's a grower and an acquired taste that's not for everyone (evidentally) but I for one have not written it off yet as a weak addition to their fabulous back catalogue...

lots of layers and textures doesnt mean it has any life or soul to it though. which i find it distinctly lacking in. Although i do respect the fact you like it, i just cant find anything in it that makes me want to listen to it for more than 30 seconds. which to me is a mssive shame, i always look forward to new material from Radiohead.

I remember when The Bends was released and i was drunkenly dancing to Just in a smoky sweaty basement club , awesome stuff. Ok Computer got me through Uni, Kid A got me through a brake up with a long term g/f. Although only just , it all kinda went down hill from there. im all for changing your sound and experimenting, but it all comes across as an intellectual exercise rather than good tunes, and that is what i want from Radiohead, not an essay on undecipherable layers of noise. I thought In Rainbows was a good return to form, but again they went and gone a bit pseudo music again. Massive shame!

 

[manicm]

I'm in a minority but I think in some respects Amnesiac was better than Kid A, and before you shoot that notion down note the songs from both albums came from the same sessions.

I haven't heard TKOL yet (I'm still pondering my 6quid's worth of MP3s in the fear of disappointment). But listening to John Cale's Music For A New Society, I don't fear the lack of guitars. I like how Roger Waters joked in an interview - 'Man cannot live by rock and roll alone'. There's nary a guitar in sight, and those that are remain in the background, and this album is yet as scary as probably any heavy metal album. Hell there are hardly any drums on it as well.