After a brief return to earth to deliver the tart, focused In Rainbows, Radiohead drift back into the ether with The King of Limbs. Like In Rainbows before it, the actuality of The King of Limbs is purposefully somewhat obscured by the hullabaloo surrounding the album's surprise release -- announced for a Saturday release on a Monday, shifted to a Friday -- and in the case of KOL, such clamor is needed. Wispy and ephemeral, shimmering skin draped over the barest of bones, The King of Limbs doesn’t deliberately lack a solid foundation, songwriting traded for sound construction. Masters of mood that they are, Radiohead digitally weave stuttering, glitchy loops of drums and guitars with real instruments, Thom Yorke’s mournful moan and keening falsetto acting as a binding agent, creating an alluringly dour atmosphere. Despite a pair of intellectually funky moments -- “Morning Mr. Magpie” and “Little by Little,” grouped together at the beginning, giving the album a slight hint of momentum that quickly fades -- this is rather monochromatic and not too far removed from the territory Radiohead began etching out with Kid A. Where that icy 2000 effort had the bracing chill of the new, The King of Limbs is familiar -- not commonplace, but carrying a certain inevitability as its eight songs slowly unspool. There are no surprises in the floating textures, no delight in the details, no astonishment in how the band navigates intricate turns: this is the sound of Radiohead doing what they do, doing it very well, doing it without flash or pretension, gently easing from the role of pioneers to craftsmen.
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream |
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1 | 05:14 | |||
2 | 04:40 | |||
3 | 04:27 | |||
4 | 03:12 | |||
5 | 05:00 | |||
6 | 04:46 | |||
7 | 04:50 | |||
8 | 05:21 |
The King of Limbs defies the sort of grand expectations Radiohead tend to invite. At eight tracks in just 37 minutes, it's the band's shortest album.
blue highlight denotes track pickThe King of Limbs: Live from the Basement | ||||
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Video by | ||||
Released | 19 December 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2011 | |||
Venue | Maida Vale Studios | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Label | Ticker Tape | |||
Director | Vern Moen | |||
Producer | Music Nigel Godrich Film
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Radiohead chronology | ||||
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Singles from The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement | ||||
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The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement is a 2011 live video album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead. It is their second From the Basement performance, following In Rainbows – From the Basement (2008). It was recorded in Maida Vale Studios and produced by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich.[1]
The video includes performances of all eight tracks from Radiohead's 2011 album The King of Limbs, plus the 2011 singles 'The Daily Mail', 'Staircase', and 'Supercollider'.[1] The DVD and Blu-ray editions include a download code and a 32-page hardback book of photos from the recording session.[2][3]
Radiohead are joined by Clive Deamer on additional drums and percussion and a horn section for several songs.[1]The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement was aired on several TV channels internationally.[1]
Reception[edit]
In a 2015 article for Stereogum, Ryan Leas argued that The King of Limbs: Live From the Basement was superior to The King of Limbs: 'You hear muscle and movement and bodies existing where the now tapped-out ingenuity of Radiohead’s electronic impulses has begun to make their recorded music brittle.'[4]
Tracklist[edit]
- 'Bloom' – 6:13
- 'The Daily Mail' – 4:10
- 'Feral' – 3:35
- 'Little by Little' – 4:47
- 'Codex' – 5:09
- 'Separator' – 6:36
- 'Lotus Flower' – 5:43
- 'Staircase' – 5:06
- 'Morning Mr Magpie' – 5:46
- 'Give Up the Ghost' – 5:53
- Bonus track
- 'Supercollider' – 5:41
Personnel[edit]
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References[edit]
- ^ abcdMukadamm, Salim (June 21, 2011). 'Radiohead – The King of Limbs: Live From The Basement'. BBC. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^'Radiohead: From the Basement - on DVD and Blu-ray'. 9 November 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^'The King of Limbs Store: The King of Limbs - From The Basement (DVD & BluRay)'. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^Leas, Ryan (March 10, 2015). 'In Defense Of The King Of Limbs'. Stereogum. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
External links[edit]
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