It’s nothing new of Radiohead to set the internet into a frenzy, back in 2008 they did it with the “pay what you want” scheme upon the release of In Rainbows. And even with that, it banked. Why? Because it was that damn good.
Early Monday morning, out of left field, the band used mailing lists and social networking sites to announce the new record by just saying “thanks for waiting”. There was a link given to a site for the presale of “King of Limbs”, the 8th LP. The record was supposed to hit on Saturday morning, yet upon awaking today it had been released to the masses, along with a very spastic video for what I assume to be the first single “Lotus Flower”. Just Thom in a derby hat, spazzing out eclectic ala any live performance of Idioteque.
So the record? Well for the first time I don’t really know what to say. I am on the second spin, and as with any Radiohead record, it’s evolving with each listen. A bit on the shorter side with only 8 tracks, it seems as if that was all it takes for them to get their point across. Not since “Kid A” has Radiohead taken such a turn. More electro or dubstep influenced than the heavy riff of say, “Airbag”, the album is a total mindfuck. Initial standouts are “Lotus Flower” and “Codex”, with with a heavy Atoms for Peace feel (Thom’s side project). This band will not be pigeonholed and once again have captured the attention of the collective music listening body in a few hours. It’s nice to know that as I type this, there are probably millions crushed up against a pair of headphones trying to wrap their heads around it.
