The King of Limbs

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The King of Limbs is the eighth studio album by English alternative rock band Radiohead, produced by Nigel Godrich. It was self-released on 18 February 2011 as a download in MP3 and WAV formats. It will be followed by a physical CD and 12" vinyl release on 28 March,[1] and a special "newspaper" edition on 9 May 2011.[2] The name of the album possibly refers to an oak tree in Wiltshire's Savernake Forest, thought to be 1,000 years old.[3]

The "newspaper" edition will contain two 10-inch vinyl records in a special record sleeve, many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork, a compact disc, and a colour piece of oxo-degradable plastic package.[4] The album will be released on the band's Ticker Tape imprint by XL in the United Kingdom, TBD in the United States and Hostess Entertainment in Japan.[5]

Production

In September 2010, drummer Phil Selway stated that the band had been recording "on and off for a year". Selway added that the album had not been recorded in a similar fashion to In Rainbows, remarking that "I don't know what we'll be doing but the process of making In Rainbows — so much came about through what we were doing live — has been quite the opposite so far."[6]

With eight tracks, and just over thirty-seven minutes of music, The King of Limbs is Radiohead's shortest album to date. In 2009, commenting on the nature of future Radiohead releases, Thom Yorke stated that: "None of us want to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long-play record again. Not straight off. I mean, it's just become a real drag. It worked with In Rainbows because we had a real fixed idea about where we were going. But we've all said that we can't possibly dive into that again. It'll kill us."[7]

Packaging and artwork

Artist Stanley Donwood stated that the album's artwork is inspired by Northern European fairy tales and their association with forests and woods: "It's very much about natural forms. I'd heard something about the northern European imagination, in the sense of all our fairy stories and mythical creatures, they all come from the woods - Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel & Gretel [...] Me and Thom [Yorke] were working on these ideas of strange, multi-limbed creatures that are neither malevolent or benevolent, they're simply there, part of the living spirit of the forest. That's come through into all of the work."[8]

Regarding the forthcoming limited "newspaper" edition of the album, Donwood stated that: "In Rainbows was like a coffee table book. It was this big thing I felt quite sure that with determination you could probably beat someone to death with it, it was very heavy and hard. So I wanted to do something that was completely different for this. Also, the other thing was the sense of the music not coming to a halt - it was almost like this was kind of a report on its current status. What I like about newspaper is its ephemeral nature, I like the way the paper goes yellow and brittle when you leave it out in the sunlight. I wanted to do this thing like a really annoying Sunday paper, you know when you buy the paper and all this crap falls out? I wanted to do something really annoying with all these crappy bits of floppy, glossy paper."[8]

Release

Radiohead announced they were issuing a new album on their website on 14 February 2011, five days before its scheduled release.[3] On 18 February, Radiohead's official blog published the first song from the album, "Lotus Flower", with an accompanying music video,Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). followed by a post announcing the album was released.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). Although the release date was originally announced as 19 February, the band decided to make the album available one day early.[9]

The digital download of the album was DRM-free.[10] The MP3 download was available for £6, US$9 or €7 and the WAV download cost £9, US$14 or €11.[10][11][12] Radiohead announced the availability of a newspaper album which can be ordered at thekingoflimbs.com. The newspaper album will include two 10-inch clear vinyl records in a purpose-built record sleeve, a CD, many large sheets of artwork, 625 small pieces of artwork, a full plastic cover, and the album download. Customers can pre-order the album which will be posted out on 9 May 2011. The order cost, with shipping costs included, is £30, US$48 or €36 with the MP3 download, and £33, US$53 or €39 for the WAV download.[10][11][12]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81% [25]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[13]
The A.V. Club(B+)[14]
Consequence of Sound[15]
Guardian[16]
One Thirty BPM(88%)[17]
Pitchfork(7.9/10)[18]
Pop Matters(9/10)[19]
MusicOMH[20]
Rolling Stone[21]
Slant[22]
Spin(8/10)[23]
Sputnikmusic[24]

The King of Limbs received largely positive reviews upon release, earning a rating of 81 out of 100 on Metacritic, which indicates "Universal Acclaim".[26] BBC Music gave the album a positive review. Reviewer Mike Diver praised the album as "A fans-pleasing eighth album from Britain's most consistently brilliant band," and "Like Motion Picture Soundtrack, Street Spirit, Sail to the Moon, Nude – insert your own favourite slow-paced Radiohead number here – it's a piece of rarefied beauty.".[27] The Boston Globe, in a positive review, summarised The King of Limbs as "If there's anything aggressive about this album, it's the tense calm these eight songs maintain — a composure that feels constantly ready to crack. It isn't that The King of Limbs pulls its punches, it would just rather surround than attack. Where In Rainbows was mellow but brisk — an album that felt on its way somewhere — these songs are eerie and insidious, creeping like shadows — and, often because of the haunting voice of Thom Yorke, the occasional chill."[28] PopMatters gave the album a 9 out of 10, saying "The King of Limbs is a beautiful record, one that begs more of a conscious listen than its predecessor, but one that provides equal—if different—thrills in doing so."[29] François Marchand of The Vancouver Sun said that the album "bridges Radiohead's many different styles" and is "worth embracing".[30] Mark Pytlik of Pitchfork Media gave the album a 7.9, stating Thom Yorke's interest in varying from the album format. "This wouldn't be the first time that a member of Radiohead publicly fantasized about disowning the album format, but it might have been the most convincing." He also summed up the album, saying: "This is well-worn terrain for Radiohead, and while it continues to yield rewarding results, the band's signature game-changing ambition is missed." [31] However, Pitchfork would later go on to single out "Give Up the Ghost" as "Best New Music," with writer Jayson Greene praising it as both "a highlight" and "life-affirming." [32]

Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times music blog noted that the album polarised opinions of fans and critics, commenting that it "can be heard from several different angles", which explains why "Fans and critics have already been registering wildly divergent reactions: Some think it's one of the band's best efforts; others find it too low-key or similar to previous work; a few consider it awfully doomy, and a few others wish it were less abstract."[33]

Track listing

  1. "Bloom" – 5:15
  2. "Morning Mr Magpie" – 4:41
  3. "Little by Little" – 4:27
  4. "Feral" – 3:13
  5. "Lotus Flower" – 5:01
  6. "Codex" – 4:47
  7. "Give Up the Ghost" – 4:50
  8. "Separator" – 5:20

References

  1. ^ "Apparently there's a new Radiohead album or something". drownedinsound. Drowned in Sound. 2011 [last update]. Retrieved 14 February 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
  2. ^ "The King of Limbs". thekingoflimbs.com. Radiohead. 2011 [last update]. Retrieved 14 February 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Radiohead releasing new album 'The King Of Limbs' on Saturday (Feb 19)". NME. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  4. ^ Swash, Rosie (14 February 2010). "Radiohead to release new album this Saturday". The Guardian. London: GMG. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  5. ^ Comer, M. Tye (14 February 2010). "Radiohead to Release New Album, 'King of Limbs,' on Feb. 19". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  6. ^ "Radiohead going back to the studio to 'take stock' of new recorded material". Canadian Press, 20 September 2010.
  7. ^ "Thom Yorke: 'We Believe the People Find Music Extremely Valuable and We're Going to Prove It.'" The Believer, July/August 2009.
  8. ^ a b "Stanley Donwood: Work on Paper". Creative Review, 18 February 2011.
  9. ^ "Radiohead Release New Album 'The King of Limbs' One Day Early". Rolling Stone. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  10. ^ a b c [1], 18 February 2011.
  11. ^ a b "The King of Limbs : Great Britain". Sandbag Ltd. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  12. ^ a b "The King of Limbs : Europe". Sandbag Ltd. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  13. ^ [2]
  14. ^ The A.V. Club review
  15. ^ Consequence of Sound
  16. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/feb/24/radiohead-king-limbs-review
  17. ^ One Thirty BPM
  18. ^ Pitchfork review
  19. ^ Pop Matters review
  20. ^ musicOMH review
  21. ^ Rolling Stone review
  22. ^ http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/radiohead-the-king-of-limbs/2400
  23. ^ Spin review
  24. ^ Sputnikmusic review
  25. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/music/the-king-of-limbs
  26. ^ "The King of Limbs - Metacritic". Metacritic, 23 February 2011.
  27. ^ "BBC - Music - Reviews - Radiohead The King of Limbs". BBC Music, 21 February 2011
  28. ^ "Radiohead fans' patience pays off"". The Boston Globe. 23 February 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  29. ^ "Radiohead, the King of Limbs". PopMatters
  30. ^ Marchand, Francois (19 February 2011). "Multi-faceted King of Limbs worth embracing". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  31. ^ "Pitchfork Review"", 24 February 2011.
  32. ^ "Forkcast"", 1 March 2011.
  33. ^ "Snap Judgment: Radiohead's 'The King of Limbs'". Los Angeles Times, 18 February 2011.

External links

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