•
Rating: After a long 5-year break since their last release, here come Radiohead with a new album. I can certainly say that initially it didn’t seem like much to me, just light and relaxing music that smoothly flows through my headphones while I enjoy a cool Sunday morning. But the idea of this record grew on me, leading me to listen to it multiple times. I came to conclude that overall it's a mature album, something only they could create. After a calm start, dictated by the tracks "Burn The Witch" and "Daydreaming" that take us into the world of dreams, comes the fantastic and ghostly "Decks Dark" where guitar, drums, bass, piano, and Yorke's very delicate voice create a sound contained within walls of both strong and simultaneously fragile sensitivity and emotionality, all enriched by modern, innovative melodies. After the shadow cast by the last track, doors and windows open to let in the light of "Desert Island Disk" which takes root on a cycle of acoustic guitar chords and fragmented jazz-like drums. After the boring "Ful Stop" and "Glass Eyes" comes an interesting dub experiment which manifests in the track "Identikit" and leads us to the finale with a "new wave" guitar, perhaps the most impactful and characteristic track. Other noteworthy tracks include "The Numbers," which abandons the balance between electronics and rock established throughout the album, leaning towards the group's jazz side, shedding the minimalism that cloaks the entire album; the calm and exquisite "Present Tense," and the masterpiece of the final track "True Love Waits," brilliantly closing this cold, or rather icy album, which seems almost inspired by the despair of the legendary "Blackstar."
This might also bore, but only by conducting a complete and systematic analysis can one fully understand the album, probably the most mysterious and sinister ever released by the group. It is simply a sequence of chilling sounds, instrumental or vocal, that reproduce a constant reflection on existence dominating from the first to the last track, each with their strengths and flaws, which only those who listen to at least one of their songs can overlook.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 True Love Waits (04:43)
I'll drown my beliefs
To have you be in peace
I'll dress like your niece
And wash your swollen feet
Just don't leave
Don't leave
I'm not living
I'm just killing time
Your tiny hands
Your crazy kitten smile
Just, don't leave
Don't leave
And true love waits
In haunted attics
And true love lives
On lollipops and crisps
Just lonely, lonely..
Don't leave..
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By GrantNicholas
"'A Moon Shaped Pool' is a huge step forward from the dim 'The King Of Limbs,' bringing us back to Radiohead in an incredible state of compositional grace."
"Closing is a (seemingly definitive) version of the masterpiece 'True Love Waits,' a fan favorite track handled with a masterful interpretation."
