So, first of all I'd like to start of saying that I do appreciate Radiohead and enjoy a good deal of their music, but I wouldn't go on record as a Radiohead obsessive. That being said, I haven't really enjoyed their direction over the past few albums, as they dived even more into the electronic sounds they had only flirted with previously. With The King of Limbs and then Thom Yorke's even more electronic sound on Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, I wasn't exactly looking forward to this album. I've always enjoyed Radiohead on their more bombastic, emotional side, and these records just seemed too cold to me. Luckily, I can say they have turned a bit of corner on A Moon Shaped Pool.
At first, I can say I didn't really like what I was hearing the first time I heard it. It all just seemed too slow, atmospheric and depressing. Though these are hardly new things for Radiohead, that more emotive or even rock element to them was pretty much non existent. I do like the Jonny Greenwood string arrangements and the more organic instrumentation, which compliments the electronics and looping nicely. It all kind of came together for me around 'Ful Stop', which really got me going back to listen to the album all over again, which reminds me a lot of Beck's Sea Change. It's a slow paced, depressing album partially inspired by a break up (Thom Yorke and his partner of 23 years had separated around the time of recording), produced by Nigel Godrich with string arrangements that sound very similar (listen to 'Paper Tiger' or 'Lonesome Tears' and then this album to see what I'm talking about). They even incorporate songs that both had been holding onto for some time (Beck had 'It's All In Your Mind' and Radiohead had 'True Love Waits'). 'True Love Waits' is easily my favorite song on the album, and really delves into that heart break Radiohead has always been so good at cultivating.
All in all, I'm not as hot on this album as everybody else, but I definitely prefer it to The King of Limbs for its more organic and emotive qualities. Maybe I haven't really been in the mood for an album like this for a while (I can rarely listen to Sea Change; I have to be in the right mood). So the next time I'm feeling like wallowing, I'll try this thing out. I doubt I'll be disappointed.
Out of a total of five stars, I give this:
I apologize for this coming out so late. I hope I can get my Coloring Book review out faster. Stay tuned for more reviews, and feel free to share your opinions on this record, or to share any music you're really getting into.
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