Amph Radiohead thread (was: new radiohead album "king of limbs")

Right, time to lose some YJCC indie cred (Which is, like, so important. You don't even know).

I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about Radiohead - I actually listened to them for the first time this week, since it seemed like as good a time as any to look into their catalog, so I checked out Kid A and In Rainbows. I was... somewhat underwhelmed, I dunno. It's obviously got aspects that I consider appealing, and even more aspects that I could see appealing to other people, but at no time did I feel like all the hyping up I had heard was justified (I'd contrast it to the feeling of hearing Bitches Brew the first time, where my jaw quite literally dropped). By this point, I felt like I'd made an effort, albeit one with meh consequences, so I might as well go in and do what I was intending to do, and listen to The King of Limbs.

It just... sort of clicked. I mentioned earlier that I was digging "Bloom," and "Morning Mr Magpie" just sort of solidified my opinions. Easily one of the more enjoyable new listening experiences I've had in the past month, and now I've played it at least five times. But the incentive to go back and listen to the older stuff isn't there. I can't explain it, but I really like KoL in a way that I didn't get with Kid A or Rainbows. It's even managed to secure a place on my iPod, which, given my music library size relative to my iPod size, is no small feat.

So yeah.

On an unrelated note, regarding The Decemberists: The King is Dead is a fun album, it's just... country. IMO a step up from Hazards of Love but a major step down from Crane Wife and Picaresque.

 

I love Hazards of Love... a lot.

 

Yeah, this is pretty much how I felt about it after my first listen too. I like it better after a second play through, but I'm still not in love with it.

 

The Hazards of Love is a great album. The King is Dead is not.

 

[image=http://randomoverload.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/5e8775de48me-bro.jpg.jpg]

Nah, just kidding. I enjoy Hazards of Love - actually, I enjoy all of their albums - but it's an album I have to be in a very specific sort of mood for, whereas I find I can listen to The King is Dead pretty much whenever. Still, opinions and all that.

 

Yeah, its not so much that I dislike The King is Dead, its just kind of a samey album to me, I kind of need to be in a very specific place to listen to it all the way through without wandering.

The reason I love Hazards of Love so much probably has to do with me having been a major prog-head back in high school. The overwrought theatrics of it definitely speaks to a part of me.

 

That's the same reason I love it, DLB...

Have you listened to The Tain (an EP... really really good)?

 

Big Hazards of Love fan, don't really know why it's trashed in the public eye.

 

Never heard the Tain.

But back to Radiohead....

I actually like King of Limbs a lot. I don't think I like it as much as In Rainbows, but I can tell there's a whole lot going on in the mix that I'm going to have to listen more closely for. I can see this growing on me quite a bit.

 

songs on KoL i like:

bloom
lotus flower
codex <--- def. classic radiohead
seperator

the ehhhh i dunno songs:

morning mr. magpie
give up the ghost

the i no like songs:

little by little
feral

and ramza, you should at least listen to ok computer before writing off the earlier stuff. actually, you should probably listen to the albums in order. maybe skip pablo honey.

 

I say listen to Pablo Honey. Its extremely different, almost to the point of feeling like an entirely different band, but its worth it to get the totality of the progression.

 

Besides, Creep is on there.

 

I don't get why people are disappointed, the band has not been relevant for well over a decade, did you suddenly expect them to be good again?

 

definitely growing on me after a few listens.

 

i absolutely LOVE the King of Limbs.. all the way through, solid! my only complaint... it's too short!
other than that, it is wonderful.


my King of Limbs story that has nothing to do with this album, other than the name, which to me is one of those universal agreements, that reminds me of the interconnectedness of all things, and other metaphysical stuff and stuff.. based in my life, experience, real thing..

when i was a little girl, at bed time, i was afraid of having my arms and legs (limbs!) chopped off by an evil King, who would be carried into my bedroom on his throne, by little trollish servants... i made sure to have my legs and arms tucked under the blanket, which was the only way of protecting myself.. my head was safe, for some magical child reason... other kids were afraid of boogie men, and the like, but that king is who i was afraid of. i have no recollection on what i may have based that fear on.

ALSO.... did LOTUS FLOWER remind anyone else of Bronski Beat's smalltown boy... or what?! or.. maybe it's just me..

 

i don't see it, but what do i know?

there's all this talk about more music being released soon, that the band will put out material on an ongoing basis rather than one album per two years or whatever. i hope this is true.

 

Love it.

The only track I don't care much for is Codex.

Other than that the other tracks have grown on me and I find myself constantly listening to the album.

When I first saw the Lotus Flower video on Friday I thought 'meh', of course now I love it and in the context of the ablum it comes up just right.

 

radiohead is so provocative! i am being flooded with ideas for paintings.. it's almost too much!

also, i need/want to clarify something, for no ones sake... i was listening to the King of Limbs late last night, before going to sleep.. and was thinking back on my childhood fear, the king that would cut off my limbs.. i let myself remember that feeling, being afraid - it was great for about 30 seconds, then it freaked me out.. then i remembered that my head was not safe.. it would have been amputated just like my limbs.. however! my head did not have to be covered when having a sleepover or sleeping over elsewhere. just one of those things. and my memory is getting worse. so, now that i've sorted that very important detail, i will sleep better. i've had 2 black cats in my life. Kali and Loki.. both met very sad fates. banshees also scared me, after seeing darby o'gill and the little people.. before seeing that movie i didn't even know about banshees. i saw it in a theatre. i was little once. i remember that.

i've listened to KoL about 40 times now.

 

This place needs a "Raggedy_Androids stream of conscientious" thread.

 

a raggedy_android's stream of conscientiousness thread? no!

laurie + mental strait-jacket = yuck-o!

 

lol @ relevance = top 40 crap

 

yeah! NUMBERS NUMBERS NUMBERS

 

yuck-o ohno. and thank you andrew! you'd probably be the only one, oh and tener duende here, to read it! maybe i will send you a copy of my book for being so interested in my writing! 'cause it is good! and i don't brag. unless it's about my (quasi) famous ex-husband. (lol. hat freebie)

not presently listening to KoL.. but i did listen to it about 3 times earlier. may have eaten a parasitic banana* at some point yesterday and am not feeling so hot today. *not really, but i am probably getting a cold. ugh.

 

king of limbs has me on a crazy radiohead kick. i hadn't listened to hail to thief in literally years. it's a really underrated record i think.