RADIOHEAD - KING OF LIMBS

Every Radiohead album seems to be nothing short of an event, or an occasion among music fans. Even their last one, In Rainbows, which they released just days after announcing it, had tons of hype despite the fact that they cut down the lead time to the album's release (the whole "pay what you want" thing and the cavalier announcement really only added to the excitement).

The King Of Limbs seemed to come out of nowhere.  I actually thought that the next thing we'd hear from Thom Yorke would be another solo album, with his band Atoms For Peace. And in some ways, this feels like a very Thom Yorke-centric record. I know everyone in the band is really into electronic music, but I can't help but wonder how much fun it is to be a guitarist, bassist or even drummer in the band sometimes. Much of this album would fit in more on SiriusXM Chill than SiriusXMU (SiriusXM's indie rock channel).

Like the last few Radiohead albums, it takes a few listens to get.  That's almost part of the deal when you pick up a Radiohead album. Like The Velvet Underground or Joy Division, they reward repeated listens, and they become a part of your life. But how does this one hold up?  I haven't had it long enough.  I know lots of people love "Codex," and I do too. They are definitely avoiding going back to being too much of a guitar band after In Rainbows, which sort of pointed in that direction. There's lots of electronic sounding beats and rhythms, but it's not a dance album.  Although I wonder if the band kept their commitment to being weird and different, but also wanted to dance, how cool of an album could they make?

King Of Limbs is cool, very trippy, but cool. It's a short album and feels a bit incomplete. I'm curious how'll they'll play this live, if they even decide to tour. Still, I'd recommend it and say it's worth the time to get to know it.