Radiohead’s new album “The King of Limbs” is the first album the band has produced in four years. The album was independently released and is currently only available to be purchased by mp3. A disc will be available for purchase on March 28.
The album is eight tracks long and each song sounds exactly like the first minute of the first track: “Bloom.” While the song “Bloom” isn’t too bad, almost identical sounds dragging on for the duration of such a short album is too much for me to handle.
In their recent albums, the band has taken a different approach, trading in what was once a guitar sound for the sound of an electronic keyboard, creating different roles for each band member.
The lyric content to each track had no real hook or chorus that stood out to me. From what I understood of the lyrics, none of the songs had any literal meaning, they’re all symbolic of something that goes beyond my comprehension.
To me, this is nothing but meaningless poetry, not even done in a clever manner.
I tried listening to each track several times to find one that stood out to me; one to pick as my favorite from the rest. It was too hard. Each track had two similar characteristics that turned me off: the morbid, falsetto sound of the lead singer, Thom Yorke’s voice and the slow, electronic beat in the background that reminded me of a slow paced techno song.
Bands have made gloomy songs in the past that were melodic and the tone of most of Radiohead’s earlier albums was just that. They were very depressing, but at the same time they were catchy.
“The King of Limbs,” travels to an entirely new type of depressing, with no catchy lyrics to be found. The type of feeling it did give me was mind-numbingly dreary in the worst way possible. Every time I listened to it, I literally fell asleep.
What stands out the most in my memories of Radiohead is songs off their early albums. This is the kind of music I have come to love and expect from them, everything else disappoints me.
The band taking a different direction is great for them as well as die hard Radiohead fans, who I’m sure love their new album. It does nothing for me.