Those who saw my Twitter post probably guessed what the EP was: Radiohead's The King of Limbs. The much anticipated 7-song set was released on February 18.
The first track, "Bloom", begins with a sweet, New-Agey piano tremolo, one that reminded me of Gyorgy Ligeti's "Lux Aeterna", only less solemn. The song is very intriguing throughout, especially with the uneven drumming. It creates a feeling of floating through space and time.
Unfortunately, it gets very repetitive from there. Although it picks up again a little with the third track, "Little by Little", which has almost a soft funk vibe, the next two tracks meld into the rest of the album with their similar Thom Yorke high, echoing vocals, and soft, dreamy music. "Codex", one of the most interesting songs on the album, has a sad, elegiac feel and a sweeping piano beginning. It is being compared by some to "Reckoner", a Radiohead song from their 2007 album In Rainbows. I found the comparison not really apparent; "Codex" is much more elegant.
While "Give up the Ghost" has a kind of folksy feel and an echoing chorus of "don't haunt me", it, too, begins to blend into the forgettable. And by the last track, "Separator", you're wondering if Radiohead will ever go back to being rock again. While a good effort, this album isn't their strongest; I'd like to see them go back to the material in 1993's Pablo Honey.
Tracks worth downloading: Bloom, Little by Little, Codex
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