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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on December 25, 2015, 09:24:29 AM
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With 2016 a week away, Radiohead released a new song for us today:
https://soundcloud.com/radiohead
Even though this is a song that didn't make a film they wrote it for, hopefully this is a sign that they are working on other new music.
Anyway, the other Radiohead threads were all pretty old, so I figured it was time for a new official one. :hat
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Ohh, it's pretty! New Radiohead is always nice.
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Awesoooome! I can't wait. I am one of the few that loved and still loves TKOL immensely and the rest of their work. There's very little from the band I don't like and they're still one of my favorites. Funny because when I first heard them, having some of my friends shove them in my face, I really hated them a lot, especially Yorke; now he's one of my favorite singers and Radiohead one of my favorite bands.
Yorke's solo efforts are fantastic as well. But I'm excited to hear this. They've supposedly been working on new music for quite some time. At least in the beginning stages. I remember Greenwood saying in an interview a few months ago that it'd be a while but that they were brainstorming and playing with ideas.
This is so much better than that Sam Smith song (then again I don't like Sam Smith and kind of always want to penis slap him when I see his face so I'm biased). Shame, I could see this working so well in Bond, some parts are extremely Bond-like; but I can also see why they didn't pick this. As a Radiohead song though, I love it and the theme and lyrics still fit as a singular song unto itself. Awesome stuff. Raaagh now I want more!!
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I'll always be interested in a new Radiohead album even if I haven't truly been blown away since In Rainbows. Sure, there's only ONE Radiohead album since, but with Atoms For Peace and Thom Yorke, it feels my fatigue-meter has been building up with "just OK" releases. Even an album like The King of Limbs which is far from amazing IMO, it still has a few tracks like Codex and Lotus Flower that reaches the highest level of what the band is capable of. Hopefully we'll hear that on the next one!
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Amazing song! Can't wait for the new album!
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It would have been so awesome to have a radiohead song as James bond song. It doesn't have the bombastische chorus most bond songs have, but it still fits quite well I think.
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I've had this on repeat for a while and I think the fact that it doesn't sound remotely like any other Bond song is a great thing (whilst Smith's Bond could fall into the cracks of the cliche Bond song tropes and that ever-so-predictable and now boring sound they all have by this point, good lord). On one hand, I can see why, it's a bit mellow for an opening. On the other, if they put any amount of effort into the opening and worked with it, it could've done wonders.
I haven't much liked the Bond films recently though and from the looks of this one that won't change; I've liked the openings and their songs even less. This one would've changed at least that portion of it or at the very least attempted to be different. But alas... same old, same old.
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Hearing this new song and revisiting some of their awesome material this past week really has me clamoring for a new full length album. It's time.
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So, Radiohead is one of these bands I try to get into. I know some songs at least, but I don`t know with which album I should start. I heard many good reviews for OK Computer, but do you also think it is a good point to get into the music?
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Either OK Computer or The Bends I think are solid starting points. They were the albums that got me into them, but give them a couple listens to let them really sink in.
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Yep, you can't go wrong with either The Bends or OK Computer, to start off with.
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Looks like Radiohead has announced some tour dates for this year. We can only hope a new album is forthcoming any day now. :hat
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Sounds like a new album is coming in June. Awesome. :hat
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Source?
I can't wait for this thread to start buzzing. :metal
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I saw this news up on Ultimate Guitar. Fucking awesome, I can't waiiiit!
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I don't have any high expectations for it (other than being excited), but I think that's good. I don't expect it to be close to an AOTY-contender, so as long as it's a good album I'll be happy.
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It shouldn't be long now...
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Isn't it dropping in June?
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I hope it's not just more of the same mellow weirdness they have been doing for years.
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I wish I could get on the hype train like many other Radiohead fans, but the last amazing thing I've heard from any of the members (inside or outside of Radiohead) was In Rainbows, and that was 2007. Almost 10 years ago. The King of Limbs was okay, the latest Thom Yorke was listenable and Atoms For Peace was mediocre I guess.. can't say I have liked any of the other solo albums/side projects either. Sure, technically it has only been 1 proper Radiohead album since In Rainbows, but it's still almost 10 years. I question whether they still have it in them.
My guess is a 7/10 album which is good-not-great, which has a few standout songs that are pretty great, but overall an album we've forgotten about in a year. (Let's hope I'm wrong)
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If it's good as live King of Limbs (which was much better than the studio release imo), it will probably be my AOTY.
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New song "Burn the Witch" is up!
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Wooowwww that was fucking incredible. Also one of the best music videos I've seen in years.
So excited for this shit. I was not expecting that AT ALL.
I'd also like to reiterate my love for Specter. But that pales in comparison to Burn The Witch. Great, great stuff. Truly, I expected like the exact opposite of this. Which even then, not a bad thing at all (for me), but it's just neat and nice to know that they can still surprise.
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Good song imo. Surprised me a bit. I didn't think they would continue doing songs in the same vein as Spectre.
Now, if Present Tense comes in that style, it will be glorious.
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Wow, that was so bizarre!
It's really interesting that they're going back to the live instrumentation rather than toying with samples and electronic beats like on the last several albums. The inclusion of strings is very refreshing and I was surprised Thom wasn't using his high falsetto that much. I'm still waiting for the melody to open itself up, though, it's certainly subtle.
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Pretty solid song. Can't wait for the new record!
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Wooowwww that was fucking incredible. Also one of the best music videos I've seen in years.
I agree the music video is really amazing! The song is surprisingly good too :)
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Not a bad song. Interesting Trumpton style video.
Tried Spectre...But I don't really like songs where you can't feel the pulse. Phil Selway loves doing that displaced snare thing.
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This video is...
Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing! :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg:
And a tribute to one of the greatest movies ever! :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
2016, you are taking my heroes away... :censored But keep on giving me great albums and I´ll forgive you... :)
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I've listened thrice so far, and I liked it a lot more each time. I suspect it will be owning me before long, and if the whole record is that good, this will be a great bounce back from the merely-good King of Limbs. My body is ready. :tup :tup
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I've listened thrice so far, and I liked it a lot more each time.
The same for me.
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Really liking this... Thom Yorke is very good with haunting melody.
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This just in - another new song is out, the album will be out digitally on Sunday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTAU7lLDZYU
This one is an instant classic, I got chills several times.
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Whoooaaaa Sunday!? Awesome. Totally unexpected. Sweeeeeet~
That was pretty amazing as well. Got chills myself once or twice. Fantastic music video again too, even though it went over my head a little bit, I think that's a good thing. Super ominous ending...
But I gotta say, even though I wouldn't have minded getting another TKOL-esque album, it makes me really happy that they went the polar opposite direction and surprised me. Even if I hadn't liked the music they came out with, if there's one thing I dislike more than music that just isn't for me, it's music that IS for me but that I'm bored of anyway because I feel like I've heard the new album already because of monotony and safety. Consider me officially hyped. In-check hype.
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Didn't mind Burn the Witch but that did nothing for me.
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Didn't mind Burn the Witch but that did nothing for me.
Kinda this :'(
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Really liked Spectre
The other the two are just ok to me.
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This just in - another new song is out, the album will be out digitally on Sunday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTAU7lLDZYU
This one is an instant classic, I got chills several times.
Wow, this one was even better than Burn the Witch. Seems something great is coming.
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Terrific! Can't wait to hear this on Sunday. :coolio :hat
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Okay, I love Daydreaming so fucking much, but I feel dem feels so much more with the music video. It adds a whole lot of emotion to it and that for me is a really rare and beautiful thing. I mean, really the only other songs I've felt that way about are a handful of Steven Wilson's songs. I really like Burn The Witch's music video because of its creativity but there's something about Daydreaming's that is just so god damn powerful. And I have no idea what it's actually about. :lol
Great stuff though, I cannot wait for this album. Not too long now.
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Less than five hours now till it drops. :hat
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GET HYPE
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It's out. I'll be heading over shortly to see the family for our big Mother's Day shindig, but I have already purchased this and will be listening to it whenever I can the next few days.
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Finished my first listen a while ago. I think the singles are some of my least favourite tracks, but I wasn't a fan of them anyways. Solid record imo, will revisit it during the week.
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5 songs in. Totally loving it!
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" Ful Stop "
Ah Radiohead and their spelling mistakes :p
" A Moon Shaped Pool " is a decent album title though.
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Why am I not surprised with the sudden release?
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First album I give 10/10 on one listen in a loooong time.
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How would everyone feel if Radiohead's 10th album was back to Guitar bass drums and vocals like The Bends ?
They've been doing this synthy experimental music now for like 20 years.
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How would everyone feel if Radiohead's 10th album was back to Guitar bass drums and vocals like The Bends ?
They've been doing this synthy experimental music now for like 20 years.
I re-visited The Bends this week for the first time in 6 years and I must say it hasn't aged that well for me. Back then it was a strong 8/10 for me, but now it's more like 6.5 or 7. There's really nothing interesting about that more raw style, and if you want rockers, the band has done better rockers later in their career (2+2=5) and if you want acoustic ballads, they've done that better after The Bends also (Exit Music).
The Bends is a charming little album on its own, but it really does pale in comparison to OK Computer which just has more layers to it. And that's coming from someone who doesn't rate OK Computer that high. I wouldn't mind a more rock-centric album, but I would prefer it to be closer to OKC than The Bends, which at this point (after all the albums that followed) just sounds too "basic".
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With Radiohead, if the strong songwriting is there, i don't mind where they go next.
But i vastly prefer the post Bends era.
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How would everyone feel if Radiohead's 10th album was back to Guitar bass drums and vocals like The Bends ?
They've been doing this synthy experimental music now for like 20 years.
Since I vastly prefer their earlier albums I would love that although I don't think they're in the mindset to ever write like that again. I haven't heard the new album outside of the two singles, which are good, but I'm not huge on what they've been doing over the last 15 years. Clearly it appeals to some people since one of my friends thinks TKOL is a masterpiece in terms of songwriting and production whereas I was bored out of my fucking mind when I listened to it.
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Absolutely amazing album, it's gorgeous. I really love it. I'll need some time to expand and let it sink it some more but initial listen is that it's just pure goodness. Y'know, sometimes that goodness makes me want to sink into the darkest hole on the planet and never awaken buuuuut it's done in a beautiful way. :lol
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The new album is out and some already want to talk about what they will do on the next one? :facepalm:
Anyway, so far, I like what I am hearing. Sounds like it will take a few listens for it all to sink in, but I hear major promise. The Numbers and Present Tense both sounded really sweet.
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The new album is out and some already want to talk about what they will do on the next one? :facepalm:
It's the Radiohead thread.
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First couple of listens, a great album for sure. Deliciously consistent :azn:
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I don't like King of Limbs. New album sounds ok on first listen. I look forward to listening to it more.
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I don't like King of Limbs. New album sounds ok on first listen. I look forward to listening to it more.
The new album is out and some already want to talk about an old one instead ? :facepalm:
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How about we just don't talk about this album until the next one is out?
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How about we just don't talk about this album until the next one is out?
:hifive:
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New album is excellent. Already one of my favorites of the year so far.
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Exciting times for sure. Listening to it for the first time...
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I've had four listens since yesterday night, it's an amazing record. Closer to In Rainbows than to The King of Limbs, which is good for me. Great songwriting and arrangements, dark lyricism, gorgeous strings and fluid basslines by Colin.
It's hard to pick a favorite, but the most impressive track on first listen was The Numbers. I'm getting a huge OK Computer feeling there.
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What does everyone think of the rumour that In Rainbows is a companion piece to Ok Computer ?
I think that someone probably just noticed that OK COMPUTER and IN RAINBOWS both have the same amount of
letters and made the rest up.
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Only one listen and while there are some nice parts this album seems to have the same issue that TKOL had in that there are no hooks to almost every song. I don't need a sick guitar riff or anything but there's no real draw to a majority of the tracks outside of some background things. I can't help hut feel that there are other bands out there that make more interesting songs in the exact same style.
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That's what I am afraid of, too. Second listen, I enjoyed it, and it was a nice listen, but very little of it grabbed me and made me think, "Wow, this is awesome."
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Only one listen and while there are some nice parts this album seems to have the same issue that TKOL had in that there are no hooks to almost every song. I don't need a sick guitar riff or anything but there's no real draw to a majority of the tracks outside of some background things. I can't help hut feel that there are other bands out there that make more interesting songs in the exact same style.
Agree 100%
Much like TKOL, it meanders. Its a pleasant listen, but not all that engrossing. I am not going to go out of my way to listen to it, but hey, if its a chill night and I just want to kick back and unwind, this is the album I will throw on.
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I've had four listens since yesterday night, it's an amazing record. Closer to In Rainbows than to The King of Limbs, which is good for me.
Yeah, feels like a In Rainbows companion to me.
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I've had four listens since yesterday night, it's an amazing record. Closer to In Rainbows than to The King of Limbs, which is good for me.
Now that is what I wanted to hear. Waiting for the physical release in June. Apparently there's a version with bonus tracks coming out in September, but I think those two CDs only come with the vinyl? Hm.
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Today reminded me that I have a strange process when a band I am a big fan of releases an album that doesn't grab me right off the bat: I tend to immediately then go for one of the great ones by the band, and then eventually make my way back to the new CD, and as such, I found myself listening to The Bends in the car when out at lunch and then on the way home from work. I will be back on the A Moon Shaped Pool train here shortly, but just needed a brief detour today. :lol
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I've been more of a casual Radiohead fan mostly but I'm really enjoying their latest album. The one glaring issue to me is just the fact that there is little to break up the chill vibe of the whole album. From what I'm gathering from this thread is that is an ongoing issue for a while. They really need to throw in a few more tunes that are more upbeat or just really different to mix it up. What is on this album though is very cool IMO though.
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Downloading the album now. I know nothing about it. That's a pretty exciting thing.
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I did "Preview All" on iTunes where you hear 90 seconds of each track.
Sounded a bit more interesting than their more recent output but still not my cup of tea.
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Stream it on Tidal or Apple Music trials?
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AOTY for me so far.
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This has a huge possibility of being my AOTY too.
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It was ugly, dark and rainy on the way to work this morning...perfect weather for this kind of music.
Early favorites are:
The Numbers
Ful Stop
Decks Dark
Present Tense
And the song they released last December, Spectre, has a similar vibe and totally sounds like it should be on it, so I am putting that in the mix when listening.
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The Numbers
Ful Stop
Decks Dark
Present Tense
My favorites too. Next would be Daydreaming and Identikit.
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It is gonna take me some time to get used to new arrangements of Identikit and True Love Waits, both of which are different from the way I am used to hearing them.
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Just from the initial listens I've given (5-6) I'd say these are my top 5 at the moment:
Decks Dark
Burn The Witch
Identikit
Daydreaming
The Numbers
But really everything on this is so damn solid for me that I'd have a hard time separating anything from about fourth on the list to last. I also feel like there's lots of room for other songs to grow more on me or become something I like more than what I have listed.
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Ful stop, Glass eyes and Identikit are remarkable, what a magnificent streak of songs. These are my early favorites along with the two singles, both of which are most likely going to be considered classics in the near future.
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I'm loving the hell out of all of it but Ful Stop is my favorite right now. Still a lot to digest though.
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There's two fantastic stretchs here for me, the first being the three tracks that open the album and the second being Ful Stop through Present Tense.
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Ful Stop is so amazing. You can really sense the krautrock influence more than ever before in that song. Decks Dark is another favourite, I feel the melodies in that one reflect Boards of Canada, who I also know influences the band. I think they made another winner here. I like King of Limbs, but that album wasn't exactly "Radiohead quality". This one certainly is.
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I think the two best songs from the King of Limbs "era" that were released in some form back then were Supercollider and Staircase, neither of which were actually on the King... album. Every song on TKOL is enjoyable, and the album as a whole is a nice listen, but nothing from it would have a prayer of making my RH top 50.
Took me some time to get used to the new Identikit, but now I am absolutely loving it.
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And with the tour starting soon, the speculation can now begin on what they will play. I suspect most of the new album will get played every night (I could see 7-9 songs getting played a night, with 5-6 being every nighters and the others all rotating), and I think Spectre will get played a lot given how stylistically close it is the new songs, but then it's anyone's guess as to what will get played from the back catalogue. I am sure mainstays like Idioteque, Everything in Its Right Place, There There and Lucky will still get heavy play, and I am curious to see what songs from In Rainbows become mainstays on this, the 3rd tour since its release; 15 Step and Nude would be my best guesses. I would have said Jigsaw Falling into Place, but I don't think that was played much on the KOL tour.
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For me:
TKOL studio = 7/10
TKOL live from the Basement = 9/10
Main reasons being the organic feel, better versions of most songs and the inclusion of Daily Mail and Staircase (two of the best songs from the sessions, and they leave both out >:(). In other words, the definitive version of TKOL imo.
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Only one listen and while there are some nice parts this album seems to have the same issue that TKOL had in that there are no hooks to almost every song. I don't need a sick guitar riff or anything but there's no real draw to a majority of the tracks outside of some background things.
This explains my feelings about everything I've heard by the band since In Rainbows, including the two "singles" from the new album. I don't dislike any of it, but nothing makes me think, I need to hear that again. The song finishes and whatever they were trying to achieve with it, it doesn't register with me.
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Take 10-15 minutes and figure out your favorite Radiohead songs! All you have to do is pick your favorite of a ton of head-to-head match-ups, and the site will figure out your favorites. Studio album tracks only; no non-album tracks, EP tracks or bonus disc tracks.
https://www.radioheadsongsreddit.site88.net/RH.htm
My results:
Rank Song
1 How To Disappear Completely
2 Paranoid Android
3 Fake Plastic Trees
4 No Surprises
5 Where I End And You Begin
6 Karma Police
7 Exit Music (For A Film)
8 15 Step
9 Nude
10 Lucky
11 All I Need
12 Myxomatosis
13 The National Anthem
14 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
15 Jigsaw Falling Into Place
16 Black Star
17 Let Down
18 Pyramid Song
19 Reckoner
20 Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
21 Everything In Its Right Place
22 Sulk
23 High & Dry
24 Subterranean Homesick Alien
25 Airbag
26 Planet Telex
27 Bodysnatchers
28 The Numbers
29 Optimistic
30 Sail To The Moon
31 Idioteque
32 (Nice Dream)
33 Sit Down, Stand Up
34 Videotape
35 Present Tense
36 Bulletproof.. I Wish I Was
37 Just
38 House Of Cards
39 The Bends
40 You And Whose Army?
41 Decks Dark
42 The Gloaming
43 Ful Stop
44 In Limbo
45 2 + 2 = 5
46 A Wolf At The Door
47 Daydreaming
48 Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
49 Climbing Up The Walls
50 Burn The Witch
51 A Punchup At A Wedding
52 Like Spinning Plates
53 There There
54 Identikit
55 Glass Eyes
56 Morning Bell
57 Electioneering
58 Motion Picture Soundtrack
59 Packt Like Sardines In A Crushed Tin Box
60 Faust Arp
61 The Tourist
62 Desert Island Disk
63 Dollars And Cents
64 My Iron Lung
65 Codex
66 Thinking About You
67 Treefingers
68 Creep
69 Life In A Glass House
70 Knives Out
71 Give Up The Ghost
72 Prove Yourself
73 Separator
74 I Might Be Wrong
75 Kid A
76 Bloom
77 Stop Whispering
78 True Love Waits
79 Anyone Can Play Guitar
80 Lotus Flower
81 Bones
82 Ripcord
83 Morning Mr Magpie
84 Little By Little
85 I Will
86 You
87 Feral
88 Fitter Happier
89 Pull / Pulk Revolving Doors
90 How Do You?
91 Blow Out
92 Go To Sleep
93 Lurgee
94 Backdrifts
95 Vegetable
96 Amnesiac / Morning Bell
97 I Can't
98 We Suck Young Blood
99 Scatterbrain
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1 Pyramid Song
2 Packt Like Sardines In A Crushed Tin Box
3 Burn The Witch
4 Videotape
5 Everything In Its Right Place
6 Paranoid Android
7 Lotus Flower
8 Climbing Up The Walls
9 True Love Waits
10 2 + 2 = 5
11 Airbag
12 Backdrifts
13 How To Disappear Completely
14 Jigsaw Falling Into Place
15 Codex
16 Idioteque
17 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
18 Faust Arp
19 Subterranean Homesick Alien
20 I Might Be Wrong
21 Sail To The Moon
22 A Wolf At The Door
23 We Suck Young Blood
24 Morning Mr Magpie
25 Knives Out
26 Bulletproof.. I Wish I Was
27 In Limbo
28 Daydreaming
29 Go To Sleep
30 Optimistic
31 Dollars And Cents
32 The Numbers
33 Planet Telex
34 Electioneering
35 Morning Bell
36 Motion Picture Soundtrack
37 Nude
38 Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
39 No Surprises
40 Present Tense
41 Give Up The Ghost
42 Scatterbrain
43 Lucky
44 There There
45 Life In A Glass House
46 15 Step
47 A Punchup At A Wedding
48 My Iron Lung
49 Identikit
50 Like Spinning Plates
51 (Nice Dream)
52 Where I End And You Begin
53 You And Whose Army?
54 Little By Little
55 Ful Stop
56 All I Need
57 Exit Music (For A Film)
58 Myxomatosis
59 Sit Down, Stand Up
60 The Tourist
61 Desert Island Disk
62 Glass Eyes
63 Separator
64 Amnesiac / Morning Bell
65 Just
66 Karma Police
67 The Gloaming
68 Decks Dark
69 House Of Cards
70 Let Down
71 Black Star
72 Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
73 Reckoner
74 You
75 Bodysnatchers
76 Kid A
77 The National Anthem
78 The Bends
79 Bones
80 I Will
81 Treefingers
82 Ripcord
83 I Can't
84 High & Dry
85 Fake Plastic Trees
86 Sulk
87 Stop Whispering
88 Anyone Can Play Guitar
89 Vegetable
90 Bloom
91 Thinking About You
92 Lurgee
93 Prove Yourself
94 Blow Out
95 Feral
96 Pull / Pulk Revolving Doors
97 Fitter Happier
98 How Do You?
99 Creep
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1 Paranoid Android
2 Reckoner
3 Pyramid Song
4 Everything In Its Right Place
5 Karma Police
6 How To Disappear Completely
7 Exit Music (For A Film)
8 Idioteque
9 Motion Picture Soundtrack
10 Myxomatosis
11 Lucky
12 No Surprises
13 You And Whose Army?
14 Subterranean Homesick Alien
15 Where I End And You Begin
16 Burn The Witch
17 Daydreaming
18 Jigsaw Falling Into Place
19 The Tourist
20 Glass Eyes
21 Planet Telex
22 2 + 2 = 5
23 Backdrifts
24 We Suck Young Blood
25 Like Spinning Plates
26 In Limbo
27 I Might Be Wrong
28 There There
29 Kid A
30 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
31 Optimistic
32 The Bends
33 Identikit
34 The National Anthem
35 Creep
36 Scatterbrain
37 You
38 Thinking About You
39 Packt Like Sardines In A Crushed Tin Box
40 Codex
41 Anyone Can Play Guitar
42 High & Dry
43 Vegetable
44 Let Down
45 Morning Bell
46 Just
47 Life In A Glass House
48 Ful Stop
49 15 Step
50 The Gloaming
51 Black Star
52 A Punchup At A Wedding
53 I Can't
54 Morning Mr Magpie
55 I Will
56 My Iron Lung
57 Fake Plastic Trees
58 Prove Yourself
59 Sail To The Moon
60 Bloom
61 (Nice Dream)
62 Bones
63 Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
64 Lotus Flower
65 Dollars And Cents
66 Climbing Up The Walls
67 Sit Down, Stand Up
68 Go To Sleep
69 Amnesiac / Morning Bell
70 Fitter Happier
71 Little By Little
72 Present Tense
73 Feral
74 All I Need
75 A Wolf At The Door
76 Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
77 True Love Waits
78 Faust Arp
79 Decks Dark
80 Videotape
81 Sulk
82 Bulletproof.. I Wish I Was
83 Nude
84 Separator
85 Ripcord
86 Treefingers
87 House Of Cards
88 Airbag
89 Bodysnatchers
90 Electioneering
91 Knives Out
92 The Numbers
93 Pull / Pulk Revolving Doors
94 Desert Island Disk
95 Give Up The Ghost
96 Blow Out
97 Stop Whispering
98 Lurgee
99 How Do You?
Holy shit, I can't believe the system actually NAILED my top 5. Even the top 10 looks pretty fair, I'm honestly pleasantly surprised by Motion picture soundtrack and Myxomatosis being that high. They deserve their spots.
And my 5 favorites from the new album have been confirmed. :lol
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Yep, it pretty much nailed my favorites as well, and looking at the top 20, I think 19 of those 20 would have been the picks on my own (with Everything in Its Right Place, which is 21, being the other); Black Star being that high surprised me a little, but I guess I love that song even more than I realized.
It's obviously too early to pick any of the new songs over any of the tried and true classics, which is why none of them are very high for me.
Scatterbrain is right at the bottom where it belongs. :lol :lol
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I literally can't remember what most of their songs that I don't really like are called, so I can't distinguish one from another by just titles and that thing would be more trouble than it's worth.
This is my favourites, vaguely ranked.
Disappear
Paranoid Android
House of Cards
Weird Fishes
National Anthem
Pyramid
There There
Wrong
Fake Plastic Trees
Let Down
Idioteque
Videotape
End Begin
Just
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I was expecting Fitter Happier to be dead bottom but I accidentally picked it over Feral once I think, was enough to bump it up 2 places. Creep was my last pick but I'm not that surprised. Never cared for the song and I pretty much always voted for the other option (hence why it was last I guess).
Burn the Witch ended up pretty high for me (nr3) but not surprised about Pyramid Song being 1 or Packt Like Sardines being 2. Those are pretty spot on. Videotape and Everything in its Right Place being so high was spot on too.
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I tried that but it was damn long. How many battles there is?
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Probably at least 200, but it's easy to zip through it in 10 minutes or so.
I've never been a big Creep fan either, but it's a solid tune and certainly better than the throwaway tunes from the debut (Lurgee, Vegetable and I Can't).
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Probably at least 200, but it's easy to zip through it in 10 minutes or so.
Thanks. I was a bit occupied, that's why i given up the first time. Will try that later.
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It's worth noting, too, that Hunting Bears was left off for some reason. Regardless, excellent job setting that site up. I'd love to see a similar type set up for some of my other favorite bands, to see how they turn out.
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Scatterbrain is right at the bottom where it belongs. :lol :lol
Yeah, I was a bit sad to see that one at the very bottom of your list. It's one of my favorites on Hail to the thief, along with Young blood and Backdrifts, all massively underrated songs. I think that's what makes the album my 3rd favorite by the band, I'm in love with some very deep cuts.
73 Reckoner
Did the side mess something up? Or is this for real? ;)
Are there any other similar games on the site? I'd love it to help me out with some other bands. :lol
EDIT: Still looking at my list with so much amazement. I found out something disturbing and worth mentioning - even though I love The Bends, the highest song off of it is at #21. It's very surprising. I probably screwed up the Glass eyes vs. Planet telex round, I wish I voted for Planet telex.
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Hunting Bears left off but Fitter Happier, which isn't even a song, is in there.
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73 Reckoner
Did the side mess something up? Or is this for real? ;)
I like Reckoner but it's not a favorite or anything. Sure, 73 is very low but when it kept coming up in different battles I liked the other song better most of the times. :<
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No shit, the best song of In Rainbows that low :-\
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536 battles but fairly accurate. 1 and 2 flip flop every once in awhile.
1 Just
2 You
3 The National Anthem
4 Pyramid Song
5 Everything In Its Right Place
6 Airbag
7 Exit Music (For A Film)
8 Climbing Up The Walls
9 My Iron Lung
10 Karma Police
11 Planet Telex
12 Paranoid Android
13 Idioteque
14 Fake Plastic Trees
15 High & Dry
16 Creep
17 Lucky
18 A Punchup At A Wedding
19 The Bends
20 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
21 I Might Be Wrong
22 15 Step
23 Burn The Witch
24 Let Down
25 2 + 2 = 5
26 The Tourist
27 Videotape
28 Reckoner
29 (Nice Dream)
30 You And Whose Army?
31 Black Star
32 Bulletproof.. I Wish I Was
33 No Surprises
34 There There
35 Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
36 How Do You?
37 Sulk
38 Bones
39 Stop Whispering
40 Subterranean Homesick Alien
41 We Suck Young Blood
42 All I Need
43 I Will
44 Sit Down, Stand Up
45 Anyone Can Play Guitar
46 Where I End And You Begin
47 A Wolf At The Door
48 House Of Cards
49 How To Disappear Completely
50 Prove Yourself
51 In Limbo
52 Ful Stop
53 Daydreaming
54 The Gloaming
55 Separator
56 The Numbers
57 Optimistic
58 Electioneering
59 Knives Out
60 Bodysnatchers
61 Motion Picture Soundtrack
62 Sail To The Moon
63 Backdrifts
64 Nude
65 Like Spinning Plates
66 Identikit
67 Morning Bell
68 Scatterbrain
69 Treefingers
70 Go To Sleep
71 Thinking About You
72 Life In A Glass House
73 Amnesiac / Morning Bell
74 Dollars And Cents
75 I Can't
76 Jigsaw Falling Into Place
77 Faust Arp
78 Myxomatosis
79 Blow Out
80 Desert Island Disk
81 Packt Like Sardines In A Crushed Tin Box
82 Decks Dark
83 Glass Eyes
84 Little By Little
85 True Love Waits
86 Ripcord
87 Kid A
88 Lotus Flower
89 Vegetable
90 Give Up The Ghost
91 Codex
92 Bloom
93 Present Tense
94 Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
95 Pull / Pulk Revolving Doors
96 Fitter Happier
97 Morning Mr Magpie
98 Lurgee
99 Feral
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536 battles but fairly accurate.
:omg: It wasn't 200?
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Scatterbrain is right at the bottom where it belongs. :lol :lol
Yeah, I was a bit sad to see that one at the very bottom of your list. It's one of my favorites on Hail to the thief, along with Young blood and Backdrifts, all massively underrated songs. I think that's what makes the album my 3rd favorite by the band, I'm in love with some very deep cuts.
Four of the songs from Hail to the Thief made by bottom 10, but the other 10 songs are all great enough that I still love the record as a whole and consider it their 5th best. Plus, that record has a great blend of rock and their modern electronic sound. Easily their most rocking album since OK Computer.
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536 battles but fairly accurate.
:omg: It wasn't 200?
I must've frustrated the algorithm. I liked that you could tell when it was trying to weed out songs because it'd pit like 10 songs against 1 until you selected it.
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1 How To Disappear Completely
2 Reckoner
3 There There
4 All I Need
5 Optimistic
6 Fake Plastic Trees
7 Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
8 15 Step
9 Let Down
10 Pyramid Song
11 Nude
12 Climbing Up The Walls
13 Knives Out
14 Jigsaw Falling Into Place
15 Decks Dark
16 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
17 Ful Stop
18 Lucky
19 Bodysnatchers
20 (Nice Dream)
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I've never quite gotten the total lovefest for There There. I mean, it's a really good song, and it's great live, with the two guitarists playing percussion on both sides of the stage up front while Yorke sings and does all of the live guitar work, but they have so many songs that are better, yet that is one that always seems very high up on any cumulative list of favorite songs by fans.
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The love Reckoner gets (online) still just baffles me. I, and the two people I know in real life who like Radiohead AND I’ve brought it up with (not exactly a throng, but 3/3 ain’t bad) all absolutely loathe that song. Not only is it almost certainly my least favourite Radiohead song, it’s gotta be one of my least favourite songs in my entire music library.
Different strokes, I suppose.
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Yeah, There There and Reckoner are considered the best song on their respective albums, you heretics >:(
Joking, i ain't a big fan of Paranoid Android, and that's the often considered best Radiohead song ever so, i'm a heretic too :loser:
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Yeah, There There and Reckoner are considered the best song on their respective albums, you heretics >:(
By who? I don't think I've heard that opinion on either of the songs.
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By everyone :biggrin:
I mean, most song rating sites (like RYM or BestEverAlbums) has them both as the highest rated of their respective albums.
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There There does seem to often be the overwhelming consensus for best song from Hail to the Thief, but I've never seen that similar sentiment for Reckoner. Heck, Reckoner was even my favorite from IR at one point, but it wouldn't be anymore.
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My friend adores Reckoner and I would probably rate it as one of the best on IR.
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A Wolf at the Door showing up disgustingly low for you guys. ;) I think a few AMSP songs finished too high on mine. Don't know why I picked Ful Stop and Decks Dark ahead of stuff like The National Anthem. :lol
1 Pyramid Song
2 A Wolf At The Door
3 Paranoid Android
4 How To Disappear Completely
5 Everything In Its Right Place
6 Subterranean Homesick Alien
7 Ful Stop
8 Decks Dark
9 The National Anthem
10 Daydreaming
11 2 + 2 = 5
12 Motion Picture Soundtrack
13 Morning Bell
14 Optimistic
15 (Nice Dream)
16 My Iron Lung
17 Idioteque
18 Knives Out
19 15 Step
20 Exit Music (For A Film)
21 True Love Waits
22 Videotape
23 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
24 Identikit
25 There There
26 Kid A
27 Let Down
28 Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
29 Just
30 Airbag
31 High & Dry
32 Fake Plastic Trees
33 Lotus Flower
34 Reckoner
35 Electioneering
36 Like Spinning Plates
37 The Numbers
38 Lucky
39 Bodysnatchers
40 The Tourist
41 Burn The Witch
42 Packt Like Sardines In A Crushed Tin Box
43 Desert Island Disk
44 Present Tense
45 Glass Eyes
46 We Suck Young Blood
47 Separator
48 No Surprises
49 In Limbo
50 Sit Down, Stand Up
51 The Bends
52 A Punchup At A Wedding
53 Planet Telex
54 All I Need
55 Bloom
56 Climbing Up The Walls
57 Bones
58 I Might Be Wrong
59 Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
60 Black Star
61 You And Whose Army?
62 Where I End And You Begin
63 Jigsaw Falling Into Place
64 Myxomatosis
65 Life In A Glass House
66 Give Up The Ghost
67 Pull / Pulk Revolving Doors
68 Nude
69 Karma Police
70 Sail To The Moon
71 Backdrifts
72 House Of Cards
73 I Will
74 Faust Arp
75 Codex
76 Little By Little
77 Dollars And Cents
78 Bulletproof.. I Wish I Was
79 You
80 Morning Mr Magpie
81 The Gloaming
82 Sulk
83 Go To Sleep
84 Amnesiac / Morning Bell
85 Scatterbrain
86 Feral
87 Creep
88 Blow Out
89 I Can't
90 Anyone Can Play Guitar
91 Stop Whispering
92 Lurgee
93 Fitter Happier
94 Ripcord
95 Prove Yourself
96 Treefingers
97 Vegetable
98 How Do You?
99 Thinking About You
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My friend adores Reckoner and I would probably rate it as one of the best on IR.
Honestly, someone could put the songs from IR in just about any order and I'd be okay with it; every song is that damn good.
A Wolf at the Door showing up disgustingly low for you guys. ;)
I love that song, but this again is an issue of them having so many great songs that not all of them can end up near the top.
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Reckoner would probably be in the bottom half of IR for me. Not a bad song (the whole album is really good), but Videotape is definitely the best. After that, I'd say Jigsaw Falling Into Place, All I Need, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, 15 Step and maybe Faust Arp would be higher.
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Daydreaming made no. 10 and Burn The Witch no. 14. Those are indeed my favorites from the new one and instant Radiohead classics IMO.
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Reckoner would probably be in the bottom half of IR for me. Not a bad song (the whole album is really good), but Videotape is definitely the best. After that, I'd say Jigsaw Falling Into Place, All I Need, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, 15 Step and maybe Faust Arp would be higher.
Yeah, it's really upside down compared to consensus. It goes:
1. Reckoner
2. Nude, Weird Fishes and Jigsaw (more or less tied)
3. All i Need
4. 15 Step
5. Bodysnatchers
6. House of Cards and Videotape
7. Faust Arp
Personally, i only would rank All I Need higher. The rest is the same as my placings.
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Not sure where you are getting that "consensus" from, but I don't think it's correct.
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If you paid attention to what i said earlier, you would know where i getting it from:
I mean, most song rating sites (like RYM or BestEverAlbums) has them both as the highest rated of their respective albums.
(https://i.imgur.com/rKIDyCi.png)(https://i.imgur.com/qjbPF0j.png)
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Two sites count as most?
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Is a consensus from two of the best sites for this, well, at least for me. If you don't want to take them seriously, it's fine.
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With thousands of votes on each, I'd say it's quite a close estimate for the consensus :P
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Anybody else find it nearly impossible to sequence Radiohead songs?
I was trying to make integrated playlists of IR+disc2 and Kid A + Amnesiac + b-sides, and it's just... horrible trying to make anything that flows. Besides their usual midpace opener/raucous second/deep third/ballad fourth/pickup fifth pattern and a penchant for ending with the most tragic song, I dunno how to put their songs together. I'm not even convinced the band know how – after a good opener, all their live setlists just look like a playlist on shuffle. Maybe that's why they're always different night-to-night.
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I'd say it's quite a close estimate for the consensus :P
Actually, that's what they are. Not something factual (but that's kinda impossible, i guess) but better than nothing.
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Anybody else find it nearly impossible to sequence Radiohead songs?
I was trying to make integrated playlists of IR+disc2 and Kid A + Amnesiac + b-sides, and it's just... horrible trying to make anything that flows. Besides their usual midpace opener/raucous second/deep third/ballad fourth/pickup fifth pattern and a penchant for ending with the most tragic song, I dunno how to put their songs together. I'm not even convinced the band know how – after a good opener, all their live setlists just look like a playlist on shuffle. Maybe that's why they're always different night-to-night.
I swear, sometimes it seems like the band picks the songs, throws them up into the air, and then plays them in whatever order they pick them up.
Examples:
-Reckoner closing some set out on the last tour. Awesome song, but something that mellow is a middle of the set tune, not a set closer.
-Give Up the Ghost as one of the encores. Again, waaaaaaaaaay too laid back to be one of the two or three encores.
-Closing out some shows on the IR tour with House of Cards. Major WTF there.
They have a lot of fans who think they walk on water and can do no wrong, but their set list running orders sometimes leave a lot to be desired (even when the choices overall are excellent).
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I'm trying to think of what song would be a good closing song for a setlist and I'm drawing a blank. I'm sure I'm missing a couple of obvious ones.
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Idioteque
Everything in Its Right Place
Karma Police
There There
Fake Plastic Trees
Exit Music (for a Film)
Bodysnatchers
etc.
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Everything in its right place is a great closer. So would Street spirit be, in my opinion.
Then again, I think they tend to play over 20 songs per show, which probably makes it difficult to come up with a cohesive order to already very different songs.
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Everything in It's Right Place is also an amazing opener.
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I initially thought A Moon Shaped Pool was definitely one of their best, but I've been listening to the older stuff again and got reminded again. An album like Hail to the Thief sounds quite a lot more adventurous. But nonetheless, AMSP is a great addition to their stellar discography. :tup
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Everything in its right place is a great closer. So would Street spirit be, in my opinion.
Agreed. Certain type of mellow songs are great closers, and I think Street Spirit falls into that category. It kind of has that "final" vibe to it.
I initially thought A Moon Shaped Pool was definitely one of their best, but I've been listening to the older stuff again and got reminded again. An album like Hail to the Thief sounds quite a lot more adventurous. But nonetheless, AMSP is a great addition to their stellar discography. :tup
Same here. A Moon Shaped Pool is really growing on me in a big way and is definitely a great addition to their already-great catalogue, but I, too, have been listening to their back catalogue lately and it's just so hard to top OKC, IR and The Bends, the last of which I have now promoted up to 3rd best over Kid A. Kid A is more ambitious and daring, but The Bends is just so great; nearly every song is a major winner.
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The point about arbitrary running orders for concerts just made me realize they went all-out on thay front on the new album...the tracks are in alphabetical order.
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Holy shit, that's a fantastic catch! Is it possible they came up with the order first and then decided to name the songs?
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At least, The Numbers was originally named Silent Spring, so they changed its name to fit the alphabetical order.
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First show was tonight in Amsterdam:
1. Burn The Witch
2. Daydreaming
3. Decks Dark
4. Desert Island Disk
5. Ful Stop
6. Morning Mr Magpie
7. There There
8. The Daily Mail
9. My Iron Lung
10. Videotape
11. Identikit
12. The Numbers
13. The Gloaming
14. Lotus Flower
15. Everything in its Right Place
16. Idioteque
17. Bodysnatchers
ENCORE 1
18. Bloom
19. The Present Tense
20. Paranoid Android
21. Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor
22. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
ENCORE 2
23. You & Whose Army?
24. Reckoner
Just two songs pre-Kid A. My, how times have changed.
Nine of the 11 from the new album.
Still four songs from In Rainbows, although no Nude, All I Need or 15 Step.
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It's almost obscene to admit, but I was a bit underwhelmed actually. It was good, but not as amazing as the two previous times I've seen them. It was the first night of the tour ofcourse, and with that in mind they did pretty well. Daydreaming and Decks Dark didn't translate well live, even though I absolutely love those songs.
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Looks like a great set list, but it is a slight bummer to see that they are playing the same songs they did on the last tour (not counting the new songs). They have a lot of great songs from 1995-2003 that they haven't played in forever, and it would be cool to see them pull a few of those out here and there. Long tour, and I am sure there will be changes on a nightly basis, but that set does look fairly predictable.
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The encores are incredible. :omg:
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I am still not sold on Reckoner closing out a show, but yeah, that and You and Whose Army? are both fantastic songs. :tup :tup
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Damn, they are killing it so far with these set lists. Since that opening night show, songs that have been played, that weren't played at the first show, are:
Creep
Airbag
2+2=5 (first time since 2009)
Climbing Up the Walls
Planet Telex (woah)
No Surprises
Exit Music (for a Film)
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Nude
Karma Police
All I Need
Myxomatosis
Pyramid Song
The National Anthem
Kid A
How to Disappear Completely
Separator
Give Up the Ghost
Glass Eye
True Love Waits
:hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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Based on their latest albums, I'm surprised they still remember what a distortion pedal is.
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Damn, they are killing it so far with these set lists. Since that opening night show, songs that have been played, that weren't played at the first show, are:
Creep
Airbag
2+2=5 (first time since 2009)
Climbing Up the Walls
Planet Telex (woah)
No Surprises
Exit Music (for a Film)
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Nude
Karma Police
All I Need
Myxomatosis
Pyramid Song
The National Anthem
Kid A
How to Disappear Completely
Separator
Give Up the Ghost
Glass Eye
True Love Waits
:hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Agree with you. In the last 2 shows they've rotated in:
Like Spinning Plates
Optimistic
Subterranean Homesick Alien (yeah!)
Feral
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Early favorites are:
The Numbers
Ful Stop
Decks Dark
Present Tense
These have remained probably my favorites, although Identikit and Desert Island Disk are not far behind.
I find that I literally never listen to the new version of True Love Waits, and while I like Burn the Witch, I rarely listen to that either.
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Glass Eyes is so utterly beautiful. Been listening to AMSP a lot this week.
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Finally got around to listening to this, I don't see what's so great about it. How is this any better or special than TKOL? Sounds like the same stuff to me.
How anyone can think this is better than The Astonishing is beyond my comprehension.
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I think I said this already, but while it was a good album, it didn't have a lot of shelf life for me. It didn't help that there were a few albums last year that blew it out of the water. and I don't have as much for music as I used to, so those other albums got a lot more attention.
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I myself finally got around to it, and I'm loving it. Some orchestral dreamy songs, some songs with real instruments, and some songs that sound like they're straight from 1997. How is that anything like the repetitive click clacks and beep boops of TKOL? ???
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Well, it is A LOT less cheesy than The Astonishing that's for sure.
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Finally got around to listening to this, I don't see what's so great about it. How is this any better or special than TKOL? Sounds like the same stuff to me.
How anyone can think this is better than The Astonishing is beyond my comprehension.
Opinions and tastes can be very confusing.
To compare this to The Astonishing is kind of like saying "How can anyone like that well-done steak over this golden-brown peach cobbler!?"
I mean really, what is even the point of that? :lol Also what Nel said...How in the heck is this even close to being what TKOL is? Again, steak and cobbler. Or apples and oranges. I like steak and cobbler better.
I was pretty vocal about how much I love TKOL. Still do. I also love this. What I love most about my favorite bands is diversity. Any band can stick to a routine that easily works. It takes some true innovation and talent to stick to a general core and atmosphere while still changing the game up and creating something that comes out of left field.
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This album is drastically different than The King of limbs. There are hardly any samples, electronic beats or energetic grooves like on Feral, Morning Mr. Magpie or The Lotus flower. The emphasis this time around is on piano, sensitive orchestration and melancholy, non of which was that present on The King of limbs. I actually think all those elements are way more prominent on A Moon Shaped Pool than on any other Radiohead album. Someone mentioned dreaminess - also very important this time around.
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What i like most about moon shaped pool is that if i am sad or down about something, or just having a shitty day, i can throw this album on and come out much better on the other side
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Well, it is A LOT less cheesy than The Astonishing that's for sure.
What does that have to do with anything? There is good cheese and there is bad cheese.
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Well, it is A LOT less cheesy than The Astonishing that's for sure.
What does that have to do with anything? There is good cheese and there is bad cheese.
He compared A Moon Shaped Pool to The Astonishing, which makes no sense, so I did the same.
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I did notice some differences like orchestrations and less complex beats, but all I'm hearing is the same sleepy mellow stuff they always do. I guess I am not listening carefully.
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What is wrong with mellow exactly?
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Bump
A 20th anniversary remastered version of OK Computer is coming out June 23rd.
https://www.oknotok.co.uk/
It features a bonus disc with 3 unreleased songs and 8 B-sides
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Bump
A 20th anniversary remastered version of OK Computer is coming out June 23rd.
https://www.oknotok.co.uk/
It features a bonus disc with 3 unreleased songs and 8 B-sides
Yeah, I saw this yesterday. Definitely getting it (the regular vinyl edition, that is), moreso because I do not own a copy of OK Computer on Vinyl yet.
---
On a side note, I made a playlist for Radiohead songs that features most of favourite tracks. I have been listening to this one for about two months now and I must say that I am quite happy with the flow of the entire thing. I tried to not make it too long and make sure it has a good flow to it as well. As you can see, most of the tracks in there are about at the same place they would be on their respective albums. Here's the playlist for everyone interested. Try it out, if you like :) :
Planet Telex
Airbag
Pyramid Song
My Iron Lung
The National Anthem
Ful Stop
Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
Karma Police
There, There
Creep
Paranoid Android
Idioteque
Life in a Glasshouse
Videotape
True Love Waits
Some stuff flows really well, I think (Paranoid Android -> Idioteque for instance). I couldn't decide on some things, mainly on openers and closers, so I took two openers and picked my three favourite album closers in a row (Sorry, Street Spirit :( ). I also like how this playlist moves from guitar-based songs to their more electronic stuff, almost gradually. The only song I'm not really sure about on this track-listing is Creep, but I kind of wanted to have at least something from Pablo Honey. On the other hand, I have nothing from TKOL either, and only one track from HTTT.
This is not really a 'top 15' Radiohead track-listing, but I just tried making a consistent playlist of their music, spanning the entire catalogue. It just happens to contain a bunch of my personal favourites, but I've also left out quite a couple (Reckoner & Everything in its Right Place for instance).
Anyway, do with it what you want :tup the playlist works very well for me!
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I could easily make a RH playlist of 15-20 of my favorite songs, and every song would be great, but I'd be leaving off way too many.
Or I could just listen to all of In Rainbows, bonus tracks and all, and be in heaven. :hat
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^ Yeah, but my goal was to make some sort of career spanning playlist that both flows well and isn't too long. With that in mind, I think I did quite well. But, by all means, give it a shot. It'll be a fun new listening experience surely :)
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Bump
A 20th anniversary remastered version of OK Computer is coming out June 23rd.
https://www.oknotok.co.uk/
It features a bonus disc with 3 unreleased songs and 8 B-sides
Yeah, I saw this yesterday. Definitely getting it (the regular vinyl edition, that is), moreso because I do not own a copy of OK Computer on Vinyl yet.
---
On a side note, I made a playlist for Radiohead songs that features most of favourite tracks. I have been listening to this one for about two months now and I must say that I am quite happy with the flow of the entire thing. I tried to not make it too long and make sure it has a good flow to it as well. As you can see, most of the tracks in there are about at the same place they would be on their respective albums. Here's the playlist for everyone interested. Try it out, if you like :) :
Planet Telex
Airbag
Pyramid Song
My Iron Lung
The National Anthem
Ful Stop
Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
Karma Police
There, There
Creep
Paranoid Android
Idioteque
Life in a Glasshouse
Videotape
True Love Waits
Some stuff flows really well, I think (Paranoid Android -> Idioteque for instance). I couldn't decide on some things, mainly on openers and closers, so I took two openers and picked my three favourite album closers in a row (Sorry, Street Spirit :( ). I also like how this playlist moves from guitar-based songs to their more electronic stuff, almost gradually. The only song I'm not really sure about on this track-listing is Creep, but I kind of wanted to have at least something from Pablo Honey. On the other hand, I have nothing from TKOL either, and only one track from HTTT.
This is not really a 'top 15' Radiohead track-listing, but I just tried making a consistent playlist of their music, spanning the entire catalogue. It just happens to contain a bunch of my personal favourites, but I've also left out quite a couple (Reckoner & Everything in its Right Place for instance).
Anyway, do with it what you want :tup the playlist works very well for me!
Lurgee would be a good altenative to Creep...
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"New" song out now, from the OK Computer era:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sFvFVkeGVg
Fantastic tune.
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and another one: https://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/20170622 (https://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/20170622): Man of War.
Pretty sick track, I really love the intense bridge.
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I love how this band is releasing tracks that are 20 years old that are just as strong as their recent material. I pre-ordered the 20th anniversary OK Computer vinyl, really looking forward to hearing that stuff.
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Here’s a song from Thom Yorke’s score for the upcoming Suspiria remake:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=27c3JaZq4_c (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=27c3JaZq4_c)
It is MAGNIFICENT! Probably my SOTY!
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That was definitely pretty great. Wonder how good the rest of the soundtrack is.
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Not much into soundtracks myself (without having experienced them in context first) but I'm looking forward to this and his new solo album (https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/10/thom-yorke-solo-album-2019/).
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Here’s a song from Thom Yorke’s score for the upcoming Suspiria remake:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=27c3JaZq4_c (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=27c3JaZq4_c)
It is MAGNIFICENT! Probably my SOTY!
That is an excellent song
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I'm really sad Atoms For Peace only did one album as that album still gets spun pretty often by me. But hearing a new solo album is coming out mends that a bit.
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Feels like there are less Radiohead fans here now than was before :(, but if anyone cares, the band has been uploading concerts from over the years to their official YT. Really good look and sound on all of the ones I have seen thus far. Some great stuff. The one from the in Rainbows tour in the late 00's is pretty terrific.
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Nice, I'll check some of them.
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Oh, I think Radiohead are great, but there’s not a lot to be discussed about them right now. Maybe we should start posting top 20 songs or something to stir up the discussion.
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I've watched some of the recently uploaded videos just the other day. So much amazing stuff in there. They reminded me to spin A Moon shaped pool for the first time in a couple of years, and I still love it.
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Yeah, I've given A Moon Shaped Pool a few fresh spins lately and it is aging well. Probably still doesn't crack my Radiohead top 5, but that is no shame considering how great the majority of their albums are. Even their least best albums like Pablo Honey and Amnesiac are quite good.
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Amnesiac
You misspelled 'The King of Limbs'
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Even though Amnesiac has higher highs (nothing on TKoL is close to as great as Pyramid Song), I find The King of Limbs to be more consistent and an easier listen. Too much of Amnesiac comes off to me as "here are some songs that weren't good enough for Kid A." Don't get me wrong, I still like the album as a whole quite a bit. My album ranking would be:
1. In Rainbows
2. OK Computer
3. Kid A
4. The Bends
5. Hail to the Thief
6. A Moon Shaped Pool
7. The King of Limbs
8. Amnesiac
9 Pablo Honey
Note: the gap between 6 and 7 is pretty sizable, as I find A Moon Shaped Pool to be significantly better than The King of Limbs.
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I'll give it another go:
1. Kid A
2. OK Computer
3. Hail to the thief
4. The Bends
5. A Moon Shaped Pool
6. Amnesiac
7. In Rainbows
8. The King of limbs
9. Pablo Honey
The middle three keep switching places, but this is what it looks like at the moment. Also, I like In rainbows just well, but I don't think it's that brilliant.
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1. Kid A
2. Amnesiac
3. In Rainbows
4. A Moon Shaped Pool
5. OK Computer
6. The Bends
7. Hail to the Thief
8. Pablo Honey
9. The King of Limbs
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Oh boy.. this'll be difficult:
1. OK Computer / Kid A
2. In Rainbows
3. The Bends
4. Hail to the Thief
5. Amnesiac
6. A Moon Shaped Pool
7. Pablo Honey
8. The King of Limbs
Kind of feels bad to put AMSP that 'low'. Goes to show how consistent their output is. I find TKOL to be fairly boring and don't really listen to Pablo Honey often, but I can appreciate them for the albums they were in that time of their career.
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1. OK Computer
2. Kid A
3. A Moon Shaped Pool
4. Amnesiac
5. In Rainbows
6. Hail to the Thief
7. The Bends
8. The King of Limbs
I haven't listened to Pablo Honey lmao
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I'm gonna go on a walk/run and play A Moon Shaped Pool. I don't know many Radiohead records but that one is far and away the very best music I've heard from the band. It's an awesome record.
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I definitely feel in the minority of being a bit lukewarm on OK Computer. On one hand I do think it's a great album but it's heralded as one of the best albums of all time and I just don't feel it. I prefer most of the classics by other 90s alt rock bands whether it's Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, Pavement, Sonic Youth, R.E.M or even the british wave with Oasis, Blur and Suede to name a few.
It's probably an opinion I'll be in the minority with until the day I die but I just don't think OK Computer has that extra 'wow' factor that takes it to the level of hype that it has. Radiohead was never that 'awesome guitar riffs' rock band and I feel like they got a lot more interesting when they expanded their sound and introduced electronics into it. Kid A to me is not just a better album but a vastly more interesting one.
Don't mean to come down too harshly on it though. For me it's like a solid 8/10 or so. Just a quick glance at the tracklist and I don't think many of these would make my 'top25 radiohead songs' or whatever. Paranoid Android is dope, i'm a sucker for Airbag and I really like the atmosphere of Subterranean Homesick Alien but that's about it. I would even say Fitter Happier onwards (side B basically) is kinda meh. I think The Bends probably has more standout songs than OK Computer but I'll give the small advantage to the second because I think soundwise it's a bit superior and it feels stronger conceptually.
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Last night I was listening to several Radiohead b-sides and realizing just how fantastic "Staircase" and "Lift" are.
My album ranking goes like this:
1. OK Computer
2. The Bends
3. Hail to the Thief
4. In Rainbows
5. Kid A
6. A Moon Shaped Pool
7. Pablo Honey
8. Amnesiac
9. The King of Limbs
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I thought it was cool that the non-album song The Daily Mail was used in an Ozark episode in Season 3.
Also, I think I read a while back that The Amazing Sounds of Orgy has only been played like four or five times ever, and one of them was at the show here in STL on the King of Limbs tour. :coolio
Lastly, it was weird checking out some of the show they posted from 2016 and not seeing There There in a set list. I thought that was one of three songs that got played at every show, along with Idioteque and Everything in Its Right Place, but I guess not.
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Wow, almost two and a half years since the last post! :eek :eek
Anyone else digging The Smile album called A Light for Attracting Attention that came out earlier this year?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smile_(band)
The band is three guys, two of whom are Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. It's not Radiohead in name, but it sounds a lot like what the next Radiohead album could have sounded like, so considering 2016 was their last album, this is a nice consolation prize in the meantime. Good album.
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This is AOTY for me, right after Impera by Ghost. Had the label said Radiohead, I would have believed it. My favorites are A Hairdryer, Thin thing, The Same and Pana-vision.
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This is AOTY for me, right after Impera by Ghost. Had the label said Radiohead, I would have believed it. My favorites are A Hairdryer, Thin thing, The Same and Pana-vision.
Nice! I am still working through figuring out my favorites, but Thin Thing is definitely a major standout.
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It's a wonderful album and probably in my top20 for the year. Like it a lot more than the other side project stuff we've gotten. Surprised people haven't talked about it before since the album is like 6 months old at this point, but been one of my more listened to albums of 2022!
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Feels like the number of Radiohead fans here has really dwindled over the years, so I am not too surprised this hasn't been talked about yet before today.
I was overdue for a Radiohead binge, and this album by The Smile appears to have been the catalyst. :hat :hat
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Radiohead fan here! The Smile album is one of my favorite albums of the year!
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Radiohead fan here! The Smile album is one of my favorite albums of the year!
:tup :tup
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Thanks for alerting me to The Smile. I didn't know this band/album existed. Really loving it.
I was once a huge Radiohead fan but not so much these days but listening to The Smile album has actually fired me up to do some relistens of the later Radiohead albums which didn't do too much for me at the time of release.
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Radiohead are a band who I was into a bit back during and shortly after college when one of my best friends was a huge fan, but I never felt the need to delve deeper than The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A, and I only infrequently revisit those.
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Thanks for alerting me to The Smile. I didn't know this band/album existed. Really loving it.
I was once a huge Radiohead fan but not so much these days but listening to The Smile album has actually fired me up to do some relistens of the later Radiohead albums which didn't do too much for me at the time of release.
:tup :tup
I was pretty underwhelmed by The King of Limbs at the time of its release. I liked it, but after In Rainbows, which is a top 10 album for me all-time, it was a letdown, but I have come around to enjoying it now for what it is. It's a strange album in that none of the songs are even close to being a favorite for me by the band, but the album as a whole is just a very enjoyable experience.
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I was a massive fan of The Bends and OK Computer at the time of release, I just loved those albums (don't listen to them today or rarely) and when the band changed styles with Kid A etc they kind of lost me and I never gave any of the albums after Kid A much of a chance. I think today I am a bit more open minded to explore different styles of music so I will give them all a decent go.
Kev, since you love In Rainbows I'll have to give that one a few decent listens.
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I was a massive fan of The Bends and OK Computer at the time of release, I just loved those albums (don't listen to them today or rarely) and when the band changed styles with Kid A etc they kind of lost me and I never gave any of the albums after Kid A much of a chance. I think today I am a bit more open minded to explore different styles of music so I will give them all a decent go.
Kev, since you love In Rainbows I'll have to give that one a few decent listens.
Awesome. Give it a couple full spins and just let it sink in. The vibe is amazing, and the songwriting is top notch.
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Big Radiohead fan here! I thought the The Smile record was pretty good although I really don't feel that the label could've said Radiohead. I just didn't get that vibe. It was altogether something a bit more spooky and less emotional to my ears. More jazz influence. I do like it and should listen to it more.
Radiohead ranking:
In Rainbows (one of my top 3 albums of all time)
Kid A
A Moon Shaped Pool
The King of Limbs
OK Computer
Hail to the Thief
Amnesiac (Pyramid Song is my #1 Radiohead song though!)
The Bends
Pablo Honey
The King of Limbs was, when it came out, the biggest disappointment for me. I just couldn't fathom why they would put out such a 'dissonant' record after the magical and beautiful In Rainbows. But TKOL aged like fine wine for me. It's actually my most listened to Radiohead album, I can always put it on and have a good time. Having it above OK Computer seems kind of ridiculous, I know, by my tastes nowadays go more towards the dark and moody stuff.
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Talking about having some albums above certain albums, my list might raise some eyebrows:
1. Kid A
2. OK computer
3. Hail to the thief
4. A Moon shaped pool
5. Amnesiac
6. The Bends
7. The King of limbs
8. In rainbows
9. Pablo honey
All of them range from good to great, though.
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Kid A
In Rainbows
OK Computer
A Moon Shaped Pool
Amnesiac
The Bends
The King of Limbs
Hail to the Thief
Pablo Honey
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01 In Rainbows
02 OK Computer
03 The Bends
04 Kid A
05 Hail to the Thief (might have been a spot or two higher had it been a 10-track album)
06 A Moon Shaped Pool
07 The King of Limbs
08 Amnesiac
09 Pablo Honey
That looks about right. :hat :hat
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01 Kid A
02 The King of Limbs
03 A Moon Shaped Pool
04 In Rainbows
05 Amnesiac
06 Ok Computer
07 The Bends
08 Hail To The Thief (agree with Kev - and indeed the band themselves - that there are too many songs on this)
09 Pablo Honey
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I think I remember Yorke giving an interview and stating that Backdrifts, We suck young blood and Scatterbrain shouldn't have made it. Ironically, I think those are among the best tracks on the album. That could be the reason why it ends up being near the top of my list, I love the hits as much as the underrated gems.
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I think I remember Yorke giving an interview and stating that Backdrifts, We suck young blood and Scatterbrain shouldn't have made it. Ironically, I think those are among the best tracks on the album. That could be the reason why it ends up being near the top of my list, I love the hits as much as the underrated gems.
Yorke is smart, as I think those are the three clear weakest links. Go to Sleep, which is a bit too Neil Young for me and not in a good way, is usually the 4th I point to as another that should have been left off, but it's not as blah as those other three, so it can stay. :P
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I actually did a full discography listen last week in one day and my main two take aways was that The King of Limbs was a bit better than I remembered and Hail to the Thief a bit worse. For me a big reason why Hail to the Thief is their second worst (Pablo Honey is the worst by a fair margin still) is that it tries to do both the alt rock of The Bends/OK Computer but with the flourishes of electronica from Kid A/Amnesiac and for me it just ends up a bit of a muddled mess where nothing stands out that much. Don't get me wrong, there's a couple of great songs on there, but generally speaking the rock songs aren't as good as OK Computer for example and the electronic songs aren't as good as the Kid A songs.
For me In Rainbows feels like a much more natural continuation for the band that brings out the best of those two styles.
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I kind of get that, but the eclectic vibe of the album really works in its favor. For me, Where I End and You Begin is a top 5 RH song, and I think the album as a whole manages to sound different enough to where it doesn't like they are trying to rehash anything. A rocker like Myxomatosis sounds unlike anything they had done up until that point.
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Reiterating what I posted in a dormant thread:
RE: The Smile
I was super busy when it came out earlier this summer, but I recently circled back and by God it is a damn fine album. Easily my favorite Radiohead side-project to date.
In a way, it feels like the missing link between In Rainbows and The King of Limbs, but there's something else as well.
Obviously, Radiohead is far from the reason most of us are on this forum, but if there's any fans on here, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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Another thought:
When I think about my introduction to the band via Pablo Honey back when I was 13, it blows my mind that the band that wrote "Creep" took the path they did.
To that point, Radiohead is one of only a few bands that I was able to follow from the beginning. Every year or so I get the itch and take yet another deep-dive into their catalog, and it never ceases to amaze me just how well these records have aged. Even The King of Limbs has recently revealed itself to me as an underrated gem.
So, in the spirit of this thread, I'm going to offer my own 'as of today' rankings:
9. Pablo Honey — A nice little album for what it is, but if Radiohead had stayed in this lane, I likely would've lost interest decades ago.
8. The Bends — Back in '96, this was my favorite Radiohead album (and one of my favorite records period). Unfortunately for The Bends, the band kept making albums. Still, there are some stellar tracks here, and when I'm in the mood for some straight-up rock, this album scratches that itch.
7. The King of Limbs — Like I said above, I've recently acquired a new appreciation for this album. The abbreviated track-listing and the somewhat inconsistent approach is the only thing that relegates this to the bottom third of my list.
6. Hail to the Thief — I'll echo what many others have said: trim this album by three or four songs and you have a top-3 Radiohead album. As it stands, you have a necessary bridge between the cold electronica of Kid A/mnesiac and the blissfully organic In Rainbows.
5. Amnesiac — I go back and forth on Kid A and Amnesiac as to which album is the better of the two. Honestly, the answer is probably a mix that combines the best 6 or 7 tracks from each record. That said, while I think Kid A is the more consistent album, Amnesiac has the session's two best songs, ("Pyramid Song," "Knives Out")
4. Kid A — In addition to the comments above, I'll add that Kid A is sonic masterpiece. Somehow, this record sounds less dated to me with each passing year.
3. A Moon Shaped Pool — It's hard to believe that it's already been six years...this is such a beautiful album. I tend to penalize recent releases in an effort to combat recency bias, but this album has continued to climb up my rankings as I fall more in love with each listen.
2. OK Computer — Genre-defining masterpiece about which novels have been written. I loved it the moment I first heard it, and the album has aged brilliantly over the years.
1. In Rainbows — A brilliant, cohesive masterpiece that continues to impress. In and of itself, this is easily the band's high-water mark, but when taking into consideration the 'second disc,' In Rainbows is in my top-5 albums of all time (routinely flirting with the top spot)
Well, there you go. Considering the overall quality, this is really a matter of very-good to best. I sincerely hope there's another record on the horizon, but if the band called it a day here, I'd be more than satisfied with their body of work.
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Nice ranking, WilliamMunny. My order is a little different, but your top 2 is my top 2, in the same order. :tup :tup
I like the album by The Smile quite a bit, but I find I am not revisiting it a lot. I think I just don't think about it most of the time, and with so many songs at my fingertips, I usually end up getting distracted by a different album or band. I need to give a few more dedicated listens.
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Radiohead has been one of my all-time favorite bands for as long as I can remember so had to bump this thread. There's just something about their music that really resonates with me.
Here's my personal ranking of their albums:
1. OK Computer - This one's a classic. It's like they took everything that was great about alternative rock in the '90s and turned it up to 11. 'Paranoid Android' and 'Karma Police' are absolute gems.
2. Kid A - A bit of a departure from their earlier sound, but that's what makes it so intriguing. Tracks like 'Everything in Its Right Place' and 'How to Disappear Completely' are hauntingly beautiful.
3. The Bends - This album's got some killer guitar work and a lot of emotional depth. 'Fake Plastic Trees' and 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)' are personal favorites.
4. In Rainbows - The release strategy for this one was groundbreaking, and the music lives up to the hype. 'Reckoner' and 'Nude' are just breathtaking.
5. A Moon Shaped Pool - Their latest offering, it's a more mature and reflective sound. 'Decks Dark' and 'Daydreaming' are standout tracks for me.
6. Amnesiac - Often seen as Kid A's sibling, this album has its own unique charm. 'Pyramid Song' is a standout.
7. Hail to the Thief - It's a bit of a mixed bag, but it's got some powerful tracks like '2 + 2 = 5' and 'There There.'
8. Pablo Honey- Their debut, and while it's not as experimental as their later work, 'Creep' is an anthem for a reason.
9. The King of Limbs - A shorter album that's a bit hit-or-miss for me, but 'Lotus Flower' is worth the listen.
I hear rumors The Smile is working on a second album, I thoroughly enjoyed the first so looking forward to it!
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Radiohead has been one of my all-time favorite bands for as long as I can remember so had to bump this thread. There's just something about their music that really resonates with me.
Here's my personal ranking of their albums:
1. OK Computer - This one's a classic. It's like they took everything that was great about alternative rock in the '90s and turned it up to 11. 'Paranoid Android' and 'Karma Police' are absolute gems.
2. Kid A - A bit of a departure from their earlier sound, but that's what makes it so intriguing. Tracks like 'Everything in Its Right Place' and 'How to Disappear Completely' are hauntingly beautiful.
3. The Bends - This album's got some killer guitar work and a lot of emotional depth. 'Fake Plastic Trees' and 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)' are personal favorites.
4. In Rainbows - The release strategy for this one was groundbreaking, and the music lives up to the hype. 'Reckoner' and 'Nude' are just breathtaking.
5. A Moon Shaped Pool - Their latest offering, it's a more mature and reflective sound. 'Decks Dark' and 'Daydreaming' are standout tracks for me.
6. Amnesiac - Often seen as Kid A's sibling, this album has its own unique charm. 'Pyramid Song' is a standout.
7. Hail to the Thief - It's a bit of a mixed bag, but it's got some powerful tracks like '2 + 2 = 5' and 'There There.'
8. Pablo Honey- Their debut, and while it's not as experimental as their later work, 'Creep' is an anthem for a reason.
9. The King of Limbs - A shorter album that's a bit hit-or-miss for me, but 'Lotus Flower' is worth the listen.
I hear rumors The Smile is working on a second album, I thoroughly enjoyed the first so looking forward to it!
I adore that first Smile album, and the live stuff I've watched on Youtube shows the band has grown a ton since those initial sessions. Fingers crossed that this coupled with Thom's kids being grown means a new Radiohead session will eventually be on its way.
A Moon Shaped Pool is a stellar swan-song, but a part of me likes the symmetry of a ten album catalog.
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Bending Hectic is great, I'd definitely prefer more Radiohead but a new Smile album would be great. Seeing them live was great and they seemed super into it so I can see this being Thoms main thing for quite a while.
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I was diving deep into my Radiohead collection and stumbled upon a B-side that I had never heard before, called "Kinetic.' It's actually on the Pyramid Song single, and I can't believe I missed it all these years. Wonder if there's any other gems I missed because they are in weird places.
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I was diving deep into my Radiohead collection and stumbled upon a B-side that I had never heard before, called "Kinetic.' It's actually on the Pyramid Song single, and I can't believe I missed it all these years. Wonder if there's any other gems I missed because they are in weird places.
I highly recommend checking out the Kid Amnesiac double collection...the disc of b-sides has a handful of gems on it!
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I was diving deep into my Radiohead collection and stumbled upon a B-side that I had never heard before, called "Kinetic.' It's actually on the Pyramid Song single, and I can't believe I missed it all these years. Wonder if there's any other gems I missed because they are in weird places.
I highly recommend checking out the Kid Amnesiac double collection...the disc of b-sides has a handful of gems on it!
I have that one but I prefer the OKNOTOK bsides, man of war and lift rule.
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The Smile:
Wall of eyes single directed by PTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsqqjOxEuAg
I like it.
New album jan 24th
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Wall of eyes single directed by PTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsqqjOxEuAg
I like it.
New album jan 24th
Yes, it's great news all around.
I LOVE "Bending Hectic"–consider it to be the band's best work, so I'm super happy to see it on this release.
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To be clear, this is a new record by The Smile (not Radiohead).
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To be clear, this is a new record by The Smile (not Radiohead).
Yes, I will clarify it in my post - forgot not everyone is following what these guys do closely ;).
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I'll skip the single and wait for the full thing. Exciting news, though, it's cool that there are already a couple of albums to look forward to in January. The debut was really good, I'm revisiting it right now, so hopefully they can keep up. :tup
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To be clear, this is a new record by The Smile (not Radiohead).
Yes, I will clarify it in my post - forgot not everyone is following what these guys do closely ;).
:tup :tup
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I can't believe no one commented on the new album yet. :omg:
I'm digging it. They ditched the brief garage rock tunes that were the weak ones on the debut anyway, and just took a plunge into the atmospheric, creepy stuff. Bending hectic is a masterpiece, the title track and Read the room are right behind.
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It rules
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Wanted to sit with this one for a bit, but I have deep thoughts.
Obviously, it rules...but, here's my 'in-depth' review:
By design, side projects aren’t supposed to rival an artist’s day job. If anything, they are bastions of creative whims and self-indulgence—an artistic distraction, if you will. But in the case of The Smile’s debut (A Light For Attracting Attention), Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood assembled a potent mix of accessibility and brazen experimentation. The trio’s music (rounded out by Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner) drew comparisons to Radiohead’s best work. Considering the parties involved, it makes total sense, but many fans hoped The Smile meant the Radiohead giant was beginning to stir.
Of course, Yorke and Co. never considered The Smile an ancillary extension of their (former?) band. Still, given Yorke’s propensity for project juggling, one couldn’t help but wonder if the group’s incredible debut was just another artistic fling. It’s a question that the trio’s sophomore release, Wall of Eyes, summarily puts to rest.
Wall of Eyes is perhaps best described as a confident reaction. Where The Smile’s debut felt like a nod to Radiohead’s guitar-driven heyday, Wall of Eyes feels more like a blend of The King of Limbs and A Moon Shaped Pool. Moody instrumental vamps punctuated by Yorke’s ever-evocative vocals dominate the album.
Sure, Jonny’s hypnotic guitar work makes an appearance or two, but the ‘rock out’ moments are few and far between. For his part, Yorke’s seemingly ageless voice is in fine form, impressively showing no signs of wear from a year of live shows. Speaking of which, it’s a curious move for a road-tested band to return with such a subdued, meditative release. While I’d initially hoped for something a bit more energetic, repeated listens reveal an album steeped in satisfying nuance.
Below are my track-by-track thoughts:
Wall of Eyes – This simmer-to-an-(almost)-boil album opener sets an ominous tone for what follows. An understated vocal from Yorke floats over a minimal guitar line. There are some sparse percussive elements and even a hint of Jonny tossed in for good measure, but this is essentially a solo vehicle for Yorke.
Teleharmonic – Opening with a subdued synth line, “Teleharmonic” slowly morphs into another slow-burn number that pairs a pulsing, tom-heavy rhythm with some incredible vocal harmonies. Between Yorke’s unmistakable falsetto and the imagery-laden lyrics (lots of ‘sea’ references), I can’t help but think of In Rainbows.
Read the Room – Somewhere between 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool and The Smile’s debut, Jonny Greenwood added a whole new King Crimson-esque dimension to his guitar playing. “Read the Room” makes use of a slinky, half-time riff for about three and half minutes before shifting gears into a krautrock excursion that doubles for the album’s first upbeat moment.
Under Our Pillows – The second longest track on the album, “Under Our Pillows,” is another Jonny-led song and opens with a riff that bears a striking resemblance to “Thin Thing” (off The Smile’s debut). Similar to “Read the Room,” the band rides Jonny’s guitar for a few minutes before shifting gears into an up-tempo groove that eventually careens into a string-filled crescendo.
Friend of a Friend – One of the pre-release singles, “Friend of a Friend” drew instant praise, likely because it’s the most immediate moment on the album. The dry production, piano-driven mix, and Yorke’s ‘out-in-front’ vocals stand in stark contrast to the rest of the album. What’s most impressive, however, is how the trio managed to make such an unconventional arrangement so instantly memorable.
I Quit – “I Quit,” with its ominous Yorke vocal and brooding, circular vamp, is another great example of The Smile’s most effective tool: restraint. That said, on a vibe-heavy album full of moody, six-minute songs, this is the one track that feels a bit redundant.
Bending Hectic – At just over eight minutes, “Bending Hectic” is a sprawling, multi-part epic that provides the album a tangible climax. After a few minutes of stage-setting, the song transitions to one of the album’s best choruses. The band returns for a second verse before a string swell erupts into a fuzz-drenched finale that’s easily the most crushing thing the band’s done to date. This is a spectacular track that sets a new high-water mark for The Smile.
You Know Me! – It’s always hard to say goodbye, but Yorke and Greenwood have fared well on the ‘album-closer’ front over the years. In the tradition of “Videotape,” “You Know Me!” features some off-kilter percussion and a haunting piano line. Based on the song’s lush, saturated production and Yorke’s beautifully subdued vocals, you’d never know he was singing, “Keep your arms up son!, You don’t scare me” or “And a town that’s underwater, None of this is mine.” The man has always had a way with words.
So there you have it–Wall of Eyes is everything I didn’t even know I wanted from The Smile. It’s also easily the best Radiohead side-project (this side of The Eraser). Yorke, Greenwood, and Skinner could’ve satisfied most of us by simply delivering another batch of songs in the vein of their debut. Instead, the trio redefined the boundaries of their sound, delivering an even more challenging album in a rather concise package. Above all else, Wall of Eyes firmly establishes that The Smile are more than merely a placeholder for the next Radiohead release.
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Read the Room – Somewhere between 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool and The Smile’s debut, Jonny Greenwood added a whole new King Crimson-esque dimension to his guitar playing.
Excellent catch. I'm getting serious Beat-era King Crimson vibes with it. It's cool someone else noticed it. :tup