I listened to it carefully again, tried to understand it, and realized one thing: "The King Of Limbs" is the most underrated album by Radiohead and possibly one of the best.
As we approach the release of a new hypothetical album from them, which should arrive by the end of the year, I went back to 2011 to dive into the dark outskirts of the follow-up to "In Rainbows"... let's see what happened.
The album starts with "Bloom", a magnificent piano introduction, followed by complex and cohesive electronic rhythms. Thom's voice, darker than usual, comes forward for 5 minutes of composition, with the rhythms accompanying the voice, giving strength to the song and more meaning.
The second track is titled "Morning Mr. Magpie", more frantic compared to the introduction, with the guitar leading throughout, where Thom's voice remains slightly dark and closed in comparison to the song's pace. It is followed by "Little By Little", an excellent composition that perhaps among all is the most elaborate and lively.
Feral reminds me a lot of "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" from the album "Amnesiac." It turned out to be a magnificent and raw instrumental in certain senses, which is perfect for closing the first side of The King Of Limbs.
And here, as the beginning of the second side, enters "Lotus Flower", the most famous of the entire album, the most accessible, the most listenable upon first impact, where Thom's voice works very well, a fundamental composition of the album with excellent sound details.
The dark phase returns with "Codex" and "Give Up The Ghost", the former is a track played with the piano, very calm, carrying some roots of "Pyramid Song", but with more simplicity. Meanwhile, "Give Up The Ghost" proves to be the weakest of the entire album, fortunately, the acoustic guitar enters the scene, giving more personality to the song.
"Separator" closes the black swirl of "The King Of Limbs" with tranquility and beauty, returning to the style of "Morning Mr. Magpie" but with more flair.
Additionally, if you like, you can add to the album the well-made "The Daily Mail" and "Staircase", released as singles after the album's launch. If they had been included on the album, one on side 1 and the other on side 2, "The King Of Limbs" would have been even more than it is now.
I would like to conclude by saying that I, for one, did not appreciate the album at all at the time, probably due to a cold and quick listen, but the fact remains that in my opinion, it is a worthy but extremely underrated successor to "In Rainbows": if the 2007 album was an explosion of colors, this is the absolute limbo, but they have one thing in common, the technique and professionalism that Radiohead have approached in recent years. Technique and professionalism further characterized with the "From The Basement" live performance, which I recommend watching or listening to.
Thank you for reading the entire review, and whether you appreciated it or not, I am fifteen, so I'm a bit of a beginner, thank you and happy browsing!
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Other reviews
By matto90
"Bloom opens with a dreamlike vision, sustained by unconventional percussion in true Radiohead style."
"Finally, 'Separator' feels like a new beginning, closing the album with a sense of freedom from past weights."
By The Punisher
This 'King of Limbs'... is a faded copy of things we’ve already heard.
No use: everything got lost behind elaborated and skillfully distorted sound-design... but at the same time uninteresting and much less memorable.
By Breus
The King of Limbs is a convoluted and pretentious work that perhaps wouldn’t even gain credit if it had been recorded by a lesser-known name.
Today, The King of Limbs seems an album without a reason to be.
By whereismymind
"King Of Limbs is... an exercise in style without spirit."
Listening to this contrived and barren album is a stab.
By vincenzosevi
After far too long, Radiohead are showing themselves for who they truly are, without too many frills.
It is a simple album, not particularly distinctive, but finally it reveals the true essence of the group, that is pop.