Radiohead - The King of Limbs (v. New Thom Yorke solo album out!)

[jag66]

Listened to this album through a few times now and i'm pretty happy with it. It will probably rank near the bottom of their discography due to the lack of truly great songs however most of the tracks are still winners. Codex is fantastic.

I'd agree with that. Lotus flower and Codex would probably break my top 20. It's a great album IMO but their back catalogue is so strong, being towards the bottom is no shame (as long as it's not below pablo honey!)

[shadowfex]

Yeah, absolutely no shame in not being able to top the others. I would probably have it above Pablo Honey and Amnesiac at this stage. However, it could certainly go up if there was more material to come.

Album is still growing, on the most recent listen Codex absolutely slayed me, the second verse where the orchestral instruments rise up under the 'jump off the edge' part is just stunning.

[skydivingninja]

Just found this really cool Lotus Flower vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYA_tAqxOg0&feature=player_embedded

[Marvellous G]

This album is really holding up well to me so far, I still love it.

[Quadrochosis]

This is probably old but did you guys know that under the CD Tray in the Kid A album there's a hidden booklet that contains lyrics from their next two albums?

Crazy shit.

[Marvellous G]

Yeah, I saw that on Cracked a while ago. The 0110 thing blew my mind too.

[TheVoxyn]

0110 is pretty cool, I've listened to it quite a lot. You shouldn't forget the 10 second crossfade though.

[Quadrochosis]

Listened to 0110 before. Good stuff, although I don't think it lined up as well as Cracked made it seem (and yes, I did the crossfade)

[SPNKr]

Kid A's on, and it's very good so far. In Limbo just came on. Will collect the rest of their albums in due time.

[TheVoxyn]

Listened to 0110 before. Good stuff, although I don't think it lined up as well as Cracked made it seem (and yes, I did the crossfade)

Some of them do, but not all of them.  I think Cracked said it worked for the whole album but I think it only works for the first half.

[skydivingninja]

Yeah it sounds best for the first half, and I found that a crossfade of 8 seconds actually sounded a bit better.  I think 10 was too much.  I'll have to listen to it again someday.

[orcus116]

I call BS on that one. I mean any two albums will sound like they flow if you throw 8-10 seconds of crossfade in between songs.

[skydivingninja]

Well its more of the really cool transitions, like how the end of "Airbag" works so well with the beginning of "15 Step."

https://www.cracked.com/article_18896_10-mind-blowing-easter-eggs-hidden-in-famous-albums.html

Its number 8 on the list, along with the site they got it from.

[orcus116]

I know I've read that, I just seems like bored fans trying to desperately piece two unrelated albums together.

[skydivingninja]

That reminds me, have you ever considered that Victoria is trapped inside the Octavarium, and "Razor's Edge" is sort of like the eternal fight between the Miracle and the Sleeper from "Metropolis?"

[orcus116]

Please, welcome to 2006.

[skydivingninja]

lol.

But really, the playlist does have a bunch of really cool transitions.  According to that Puddlegum article, Thom has more or less confirmed that there's something there.  Whether they're lying or not, it sounds really cool. 

[SPNKr]

Amnesiac is also very good!

[orcus116]

It's definitely got some very solid songs but it still feels more like a collection of songs than an album. Not to say there isn't a flow it's just the variety of what is there is kinda random.

[skydivingninja]

I agree.  I just got Amnesiac yesterday and I've listened to it about three times already.  There are some great songs on there.  "Packt," "Pulk/Pull," "Pyramid Song," "Dollars and Cents," and "I Might Be Wrong" especially, but its definitely a very unfocused album, more like a collection of B-sides than an accompaniment to Kid A.

By the way, speaking of Radiohead setlists and playlists, I made a really good one today.  Its about an hour long.

2+2=5
Subterranean Homesick Alien
Nude
I Might Be Wrong
Idioteque
The Bends
Little By Little
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
How to Disappear Completely
Fake Plastic Trees
All I Need
Paranoid Android
Codex
Street Spirit (Fade Out)

[SPNKr]

Yeah, it gets a bit random in the flow. Next time, I listen to Hail To The Thief.

[KevShmev]

I know I've read that, I just seems like bored fans trying to desperately piece two unrelated albums together.

I could not agree more.

As for RH playlists, I rarely make any.  I usually just either play a whole album or pick whatever random songs I feel like listening to at that moment.  The minute I make a playlist, I will be wishing I was listening to a song I didn't put on there.

[Perpetual Change]

I did eventually get around to King of Limbs, but I did not really like it at all. The album seems so... empty to me. And there are very few parts that 'wow' me. So basically, it lacks both things which made me love In Rainbows.

[orcus116]

So I'm not crazy then. I mean while In Rainbows is still musically solid I don't really dig it all that much but this new one is almost like they're seeing how much they can fuck with their fanbase.

[Perpetual Change]

Yeah, granted there are plenty of nice sections and none of it is really what I'd consider bad, it's just not anything that really resonates with me. In Rainbows was experimental yet a solid 'band' effort through and through, which is part of why I liked it so much. This seems to be a step backwards. And I hear what you were saying about those synths. Maybe not Casio keyboards, but in all honesty those weird low-res (yet probably high-priced) synthesizers don't really do much for me at all.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

So I'm not crazy then. I mean while In Rainbows is still musically solid I don't really dig it all that much but this new one is almost like they're seeing how much they can fuck with their fanbase.

I could be reading this wrong, but the way I interpret this is you saying Radiohead is doing something too weird. Like they are experimenting too much.

And if that's the case, then I feel like I have to ask: If you think Dream Theater experiments too little, and you think Radiohead experiments too much, then what is a good example of a band who experiments just the right amount?

[orcus116]

I'm not saying anything about experimentation. They released 40 minutes of somewhat dense electronic music with little to no hooks or interesting melodies. I'll give it another shot because it's Radiohead but that's the only reason I'd give it another shot. It was seriously that offputting of an album.

And please don't do that "what band do you..." bullshit. It's childish. My opinion has nothing to do with how the album was made and everything to do with what was made. This mofo doesn't give A's for effort.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

And please don't do that "what band do you..." bullshit. It's childish. My opinion has nothing to do with how the album was made and everything to do with what was made. This mofo doesn't give A's for effort.

I think it's a fair question.

[orcus116]

Why? I have no standard set for experimentation because it's one of those things that solely depends on a if a band's sound has gotten a bit stale or not. Plus you're basing this assumption of "too much experimentation" as the root cause for me not really digging the new album when I stated it has everything to do with the end product.

[Marvellous G]

I'm not saying anything about experimentation. They released 40 minutes of somewhat dense electronic music with little to no hooks or interesting melodies.

It's definitely less hooky than their other albums, but I wouldn't say it was entirely hookless like some people are saying.

[SPNKr]

^Yeah, I think some bass-lines off the top of my head are hooks. Have to hear it a 3rd time.

[jag66]

^Yeah, I think some bass-lines off the top of my head are hooks. Have to hear it a 3rd time.

Some awsome bass lanes on this album!

[Dittomist]

Here is how I would rate the new songs, on a scale of 1-10
1. Bloom - 10. Probably their strongest opening track since Planet Telex
2. Morning Mr Magpie - 7
3. Little by Little - 2. I can't remember the last time I was so unimpressed with a Radiohead song. I've listened to Little by Little at least 20 times now, and I don't think it's ever going to grow on me.
4. Feral - 7
5. Lotus Flower - 10. Definitely the best song on the album.
6. Codex - 8. Really lovely, but I wish it had a better ending.
7. Giving Up the Ghost - 7
8. Separator - 8. Groovy!

[KevShmev]

1. Bloom - 10. Probably their strongest opening track since Planet Telex

"15 Step" and "Everything in Its Right Place" would like to have a few words with you.

[SPNKr]

^Yeah, I think some bass-lines off the top of my head are hooks. Have to hear it a 3rd time.

Some awsome bass lanes on this album!

Hail To The Thief is on its way.