Performer Notes

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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (p.62) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "THE KING OF LIMBS lingers in states of emotional and physical in-between-ness -- blooming, diving, flirting, floating, falling....Taking the plunge into the band's mysteries is one of rock's true pleasures."

Rolling Stone (p.68) - Ranked #5 in Rolling Stone's '50 Best Albums Of 2011' -- "This was a record that grew all year -- in your room, and onstage."

Entertainment Weekly (p.73) - "Thom Yorke's vocals, usually a wild counterpoint to the band' hyper-controlled rhythms, are especially abstract and supple." -- Grade: B

Alternative Press (p.99) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "There's just incredible depth to THE KING OF LIMBS, and if you're impatient, you'll miss it."

Magnet (p.39) - Ranked #12 in Magnet's '20 Best Albums Of 2011' -- "KING OF LIMBS' eight songs are ghost stories from inside the machine."

The Wire (p.62) - "'Codex' is a post-traumatic ballad, its lushly decaying piano chords, disconsolate horns and aphasic vocals resonating with cryptic affect."

CMJ - "Thom Yorke's signature delicate floating falsetto is the primary vocal method....The vocals are used mostly as another tonal instrument to add to the soundscape-style songs..."

Clash (magazine) - "Piano ballad 'Codex' is the standout song, slow and insistent in pace with a smattering of brass and strings..."

Record Collector (magazine) (pp.94-96) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "KING OF LIMBS is a conglomerate work, part soundtrack, part reverb and part voice/rhythms....'Lotus Flower''s distinct shuffle is certainly worthy of single status."

Uncut (magazine) (p.34) - Ranked #7 in Uncut's '50 Best Albums Of 2011' -- "[A] suite of eight limber, nagging songs whose organic and electronic origins became more blurred than ever."

Album: The King Of Limbs
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Bloom	More Info...	0:05
2)	Morning Mr. Magpie	More Info...	0:04
3)	Little By Little	More Info...	0:04
4)	Feral	More Info...	0:03
5)	Lotus Flower	More Info...	0:05
6)	Codex	More Info...	0:04
7)	Give Up the Ghost	More Info...	0:05
8)	Separator	More Info...	0:05

Album: The King Of Limbs
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Bloom	More Info...	0:05
2)	Morning Mr. Magpie	More Info...	0:04
3)	Little By Little	More Info...	0:04
4)	Feral	More Info...	0:03
5)	Lotus Flower	More Info...	0:05
6)	Codex	More Info...	0:04
7)	Give Up the Ghost	More Info...	0:05
8)	Separator	More Info...	0:05