Radiohead - The King of Limbs

My relationships with Radiohead albums vary a lot - some have been instant favourites, others slow-burn and some I've just never really got on board with. I became a Radiohead fan around the release of Kid A so they'd already begun their journey away from indie-guitar-music. Amnesiac I've always struggled with and Hail to the Thief required me to realise how great each of the individual songs were before I started to enjoy it (it was the first success of my old mp3 player, as a result of having my entire collection on shuffle). In Rainbows was hugely popular with myself and my friends - I have very fond memories of hearing nearly everyday on a holiday we went on in France, an instant hit.

The King of Limbs is up there with Amnesiac as an album I really struggle with. For me there are few really notable moments and when I look at the tracklisting I never think "that's a good/memorable song". Generally speaking, it's much more heavy on the electronica than I really care for, although I feel that as Radiohead fan you're not really allowed to complain about electronica. It's certainly the star of the album, more-so than Thom or any of the other band members - all the songs feature pops and clicks very prominently. Perhaps my lack of knowledge (or care) for the genre means I can't appreciate the songs as much; I'm sure I'm not the only Radiohead fan suffering from that.

Morning Mr Magpie has Thom nearly spitting the verses with anger but a surprisingly dull chorus - the highlight (for me) is when the electronica actually drops away for a few moments. Little by Little is quite good but Feral that follows it just feels half-formed and like filler - something you can't really afford to do on an 8-song album. Lotus Flower was the closest thing to a hit from the album if I remember correctly - I can certainly recall people raving about it. There's a more traditional Radiohead feel to it and it has a great chorus, but it's also very typical of the rest of the album. Codex is a bit of a surprise in that The King of Limbs could have easily been an album without a slow, reflective number; it's nice to have it though.

This copy is the deluxe edition that was available for pre-order. It was pricey but I was still on a In Rainbows-kick so was very excited for a new Radiohead album. The package is, as we've come to expect, lovely. It's hard to know where to begin - the records are on crystal-clear 10" vinyl, the newspaper is vast and detailed, there's a square thing of tiny art and the whole album on cd too. It's a very nice release indeed.

I don't listen to The King of Limbs often. As is often the case, I now feel I should do - it's still a good album, just not the sort of Radiohead album I often want to hear. However, if I'm not necessarily in the mood for Radiohead but want a good album, then it is definitely an interesting option.

Format: Double 10", cd, picture sleeves, newspaper, art, bag
Tracks: 8
Cost: £30 new
Bought: Website
When: 13/05/11
Colour: Clear
Etching: Side A: "Endless branches" Side B: "Uncountrollable" Side C: "A never ending mesh" Side D: "Intertwined in to everything"
mp3s: cd