Music Radiohead

septic said:
Listened to it twice now and far better second time round. There's only probably 2 or 3 songs that I foresee being future skippers. It's dark and brooding and sounds far more organic, with the prevalance of strings and piano as opposed to the clickity clickity stuff of limbs. They've gone for a consistent theme throughout so it feels very cohesive.
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Do prefer that. The King of Limbs did come across rather 'Remember Idioteque? Wasn't that awesome! Well, here's an album of it!'.
 
King Of Limbs gave me a headache. Very dense sound and not in a good way. This one is much better.
 
I feel like the only person who really liked TKOL.
 
Archie Leach said:
This one doesn't have anything as good as Codex or as fun as Lotus Flower but top to bottom it's better.
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Id agree with that.

There's also no reckoner/nude/videotape highlight, in terms of any in rainbows comparisons. But it's less about individual songs and more about the album as a whole this one. That being said I've only listened to it twice.
 
I thought TKOL had five very good songs - Bloom, Lotus Flower, Codex, Give Up The Ghost and Separator - but the other three were total filler and Little by Little is probably the worst Radiohead song ever. If you release an album of 8 tracks at 38 minutes long, the entire album needs to be good.
 
I just find Thom's vocals on that track really grating.

Just is one of my favourites of The Bends, really like the guitar solo at the end and always a good listen when you want a rockier, more aggressive sound. I'm a bit disappointed that the new album doesn't have more uptempo songs like Burn the Witch to be honest, still really enjoying it but would have liked a change in pace at times.
 
Listened four times now and in typical Radiohead fashion - it keeps growing on me. Feels a bit like a Kid A / In Rainbows hybrid, which is a very good thing. I agree there's not many 'stand out' tracks but the whole album is consistently excellent and easy to listen to. Really, really like it.

Funnily enough I think it ends better than it starts. Last two songs are great. Don't think that's the case (for me personally) with any other album apart from Ok Computer.
 
Cina said:
Funnilly enough I think it ends better than it starts. Last two songs are great. Don't think that's the case (for me personally) with any other album apart from Ok Computer.
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Interesting observation, I never considered that. But now that you mention it, I think I feel that way about Hail To The Thief.

I like [Myxomatosis / Scatterbrain / A Wolf At The Door] more than [2+2=5 / Sit Down. Stand Up / Sail To The Moon].
 
Archie Leach said:
I like Little by Little. I think Just is the worst song they've ever written but that isn't a popular opinion.
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Are we ignoring Pablo Honey here? Because Anyone Can Play Guitar has always annoyed me.
 
Pulk/Pull, Sulk and We Suck Young Blood are the worst. Obviously I am ignoring Pablo Honey.
 
Archie Leach said:
That'll be the title of Yorke's autobiography.
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Naturally any Radiohead release is going to be a little bit mopey by default, but the overriding feeling (from my first listen at least) was that this was particularly mopey, even for Yorke's exceptionally mopey standards.

It's a very good album though (much better than KOL) and sounds viscerally terrific, but there isn't a particular standout, or anything particularly upbeat or energetic either. It lacks songs like Reckoner or 15 Step, that balanced out the more mopey stuff on In Rainbows, for example. It sounds very much like the 47 year old man's break up album it (probably) is.

True Love Waits, for example, is not just quite a disappointingly mopey version of an old song, it's also occupying another slow, mopey, piano whinge slot that's already been filled twice, and arguably better, by Daydreaming and Glass Eyes...One of those, or the rather bland Desert Island Disk should've been replaced with something a little less mopey, for my money. 47 year old men shouldn't be writing mopey break up albums anyway. David Bowie's just written an album about his own impending death FFS. That's what GOAT level aging artists like Yorke should be doing...Sure, I can't really blame him for not having a crippling fatal condition to write about, but at 47 you still shouldn't be mopily dragging your feet around a snow hole like a scruffy teenager in a charity shop bomber jacket either...And get a haircut while you're at it Yorke! You don't live on an ashram. This country...

That said, it's definitely a grower. I still think Burn The Witch is great, and there's a terrific four song block from Glass Eyes to Present Tense (the standout IMO) that make it a classy release. At least 4 songs would go straight on my Radiohead playlist, so all in all, good work. 8/10....maybe 7.5 by Radiohead standards.
 
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This is Radiohead.. It's not that good but it surely gets much better.. Fantastic to listen to..
Yorke is a sad bastard for sure..
 
I actually think this makes True Love Waits a better and more emotionally complicated song.

A song that was basically written as a declaration of love at the start of a relationship being recorded as a reflection of what he's just lost 20-something years later. It's like writing your gf a love letter, putting it away for the half of your life you spend with her and then reading it again when the relationship has broken apart. That's a lot of emotion packed into under five minutes.
 
Critically it's doing fantastically.

Been away on business since Tuesday so haven't had more than 3 or 4 listens but I thought it was great and can't wait to get back to it. Think it could be a really special album.
 
Nickosaur said:
Critically it's doing fantastically.

Been away on business since Tuesday so haven't had more than 3 or 4 listens but I thought it was great and can't wait to get back to it. Think it could be a really special album.
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Aye and as TKOL proved, that isn't necessarily a given just because it's a Radiohead album.
 
sullydnl said:
I actually think this makes True Love Waits a better and more emotionally complicated song.

A song that was basically written as a declaration of love at the start of a relationship being recorded as a reflection of what he's just lost 20-something years later. It's like writing your gf a love letter, putting it away for the half of your life you spend with her and then reading it again when the relationship has broken apart. That's a lot of emotion packed into under five minutes.
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Yeah, but it sounds a bit shit.
 
I was a bit underwhelmed after the first couple of listens but it has really grown on me especially True Love Waits which initially was disappointing compared to the live versions available. Not at the same level as Kid A, OK Computer or In Rainbows but very good.
 
 
Going tonight. Hoping for Arpeggi, Pyramid Song and something rare like Let Down, Kid A or Where I End and You Begin.

I'm sure it'll be great whatever they play.
 
MikeUpNorth said:
Going tonight. Hoping for Arpeggi, Pyramid Song and something rare like Let Down, Kid A or Where I End and You Begin.

I'm sure it'll be great whatever they play.
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Yeah sounds like they've been switching it up a bit at each gig, sure you'll get a couple they've not played yet on this tour!

Wish they'd have come to Mancheter too!
 
Quality set list that. Little bit gutted I'm not going to any of the dates but I just thought it was expensive and I'm also going to a festival Monday and seeing Deftones next Friday.
 
MikeUpNorth said:
Going tonight. Hoping for Arpeggi, Pyramid Song and something rare like Let Down, Kid A or Where I End and You Begin.

I'm sure it'll be great whatever they play.
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Great gig, and I got what I wanted setlist wise too.
 
Cina said:
Did they play either of Let Down or Pyramid Song?

I'm off to see them in July, but it's at a festival so I'm assuming it'll be a shorter set list.
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Yeah, they played Pyramid Song.

I'm seeing them in Lisbon in July too.
 
Cina said:
Oh yeah that's the one I'm at. Could not believe the lineup for that festival for €120.

Foals, Tame Impala and Radiohead back to back should be amazing on the Friday.
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Yep, it would be crazy not to go.
 
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