Radiohead - The King Of Limbs

Only Radiohead can finish an record on Sunday, announce that they will release it the next Saturday, then actually release it via download on Friday. They don't need you, music press, and they're gonna make you scramble to keep up with them.

On their eighth album, the band has managed to keep up their trend of sounding like Radiohead while making a cycle of songs that sound unlike any that they've made before. That's not to say that The King Of Limbs is groundbreaking - its no "Ok Computer" - but it takes their signature sound and softens it up a bit. The staccato guitar/bass/drums are still combined with fitting ambiance from the digital era - blips, bleeps, beats, and old recycled textures are layered often and appropriately. Only this time, the whole combination adds up to something much more subtle that washes over you. It feels deeper in its subtlety - the instrumentation is less fragmented, and the mood is more singular. Many times during the record I feel as though I'm listening under water... or that state of half-awake and half-asleep. This is what makes this record stand out from their others.

The first half of the record has a singular mood, with the slightly dancy "Morning Mr. Magpie" and (the only song that sounds like it belongs on another Radiohead album) "Little By Little". There is a dynamic shift after the excellent first single "Lotus Flower" (video below): we dip into the depths with what seems to be many listeners' favorite track, "Codex". To me, its a bit too spacey, but it leads nicely into the slightly folky "Give Up The Ghost". The closer ties us back nicely to the slightly more uptempo beginning of the record with "Separator". Thom Yorke urges the listener to wake him up. We awake from this dream with a positive outlook...

Maybe this is a new Radiohead after all.

A+

Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours

Anyone who knows me knows I have a special place in my heart for 90s alternative music. Primarily the early portion - I talk a lot about the magic of 1991 / 92 (more about that at a later date)... but there was also something special about those mid-90's 'post-grunge' bands. For those of us who grew up with this music, any band that can capture that spirit without being a lame copy (Creed, anyone?) is always appreciated. I never really thought about Cold War Kids like this until their most recent album. They are taking the energy and vibe of the music they/I grew up with and filtering it through the indie rock sensibilities of bands like Arcade Fire.

From the get-go, Mine Is Yours pulls you in with plenty of vocal hooks and great melodies - augmented by your typical guitar/bass/drums lineup. The album really sank in with track 3; Royal Blue. It is based around a conga drum and bass loop, and builds from there. Its these moments - when their penchant for great melody combines with a solid beat and stripped down instrumentals - that the album shines, and makes it stand out as something more than just a rock cd. Sensitive Kid and its looped backbeat is another highlight for this same reason.

There is a great dynamic flow that runs through this album. There are great sing-alongs, solid guitar hooks, and more introspective moments. Unfortunately, the album falls off after track 8 into more generic guitar rock. Luckily, its easy to hit the fast forward button three times and arrive back at track 1.

If you too have your musical roots layed in the sensitive, ethereal bombast of the early and mid-90's, I think you'll like this release.

B+

The Decemberists - The King is Dead

This album is not for everyone, as I realized the other day. On first listen, the vocal hook of "Don't Carry it All" was enough to get my attention. I decided to put the album on in an after school session in my classroom. After a song or two went by, I heard; "Ugh. WHAT IS THIS?" My teen pop conneseuer, had weighed in.
The second track "calamity song" glows in the wake of R.E.M. with hints of Neil Young. Their previous album, The Crane Wife, was decent, but the seven minute songs left my short attention span wanting more.
Again, this album is not for everyone, just don't put me on that list. Plenty of catchy vocal male + female vocal harmonies to keep this on repeat for a while.

B+