Radiohead
A Moon Shaped Pool

For mode, hype, and high expectations, the release of every Radiohead album is always an event.

Released as a digital download on May 8, 2016 (with a physical edition with two additional tracks scheduled for June 17), "A Moon Shaped Pool" is the ninth studio effort from the Oxford band and comes five years after their absolute worst performance, that "The King Of Limbs" which rightly turned up many fans’ and more casual listeners’ noses.

The work was preceded by two singles in two days: "Burn The Witch," perhaps the most accessible track released by Thom Yorke and company in the last ten years, structured around a sharp string arrangement, and "Daydreaming," a typical soft Radiohead ballad.

Following is "Decks Dark," probably already one of the best episodes on the record: it starts by setting the atmosphere with a minimalist piano arrangement and then grows in intensity thanks to Greenwood's electric inserts. "Desert Island Disk" unfolds lightly, minimally, and is led by acoustic guitar, while "Ful Stop" (already presented live four years ago, like several other songs on the lp) is one of the most complex tracks and begins with a simple beat before opening up halfway through to a beautiful intertwining of guitars.

"Glass House" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief," instead, follow in the footsteps of "Daydreaming," rotating the arrangements with strings and piano. "Identikit," another track already known in its live version, maintains its percussive charge à la "15 Steps" (the old opening track of "In Rainbows") even in the studio version.

"The Numbers" is vaguely Zeppelin-esque (as much as a Radiohead track can be), and it calls to mind the more reflective and acoustic side of Plant and his associates. "Present Tense" stands out for its beautiful choruses at the end and another practically perfect arrangement.

Closing is a (seemingly definitive) version of the masterpiece "True Love Waits," a fan favorite track for some time and already published in an initial version in "I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings" in 2001. This time Yorke opts for an evocative arrangement dominated by piano and hits the mark, completing it with a (as usual) masterful interpretation.

"A Moon Shaped Pool" is a huge step forward from the dim "The King Of Limbs," and it brings us back to Radiohead in an incredible state of compositional grace. A beautiful album that is already a strong contender to be one of the most convincing releases of this first half of 2016.

Best track: True Love Waits