Ah, the 21st Century. Well known by critics and reviewers as a dramatic change in music style, and often agreed to be a bad one. The late 2000's has seen British rock music slip away from everybody's grasp, leaving behind remnants of dodgy alternative bands that can't quite create something fresh. 2011 certainly didn't bring anything new to the table, but it did have its good moments.
A common feature to be included in every album review I post will be: Composition, Structure, Creativity, Passion, and Lyrics, all rated out of 10.
The King Of Limbs by Radiohead came as a surprise to many, being released only a week prior to when it was announced. The album uses strange sounds almost completely avoided when it comes to rock music, such as natural sounds including wildlife and gusts of breeze. However this doesn't stray the album too far from it's signature Radiohead sound.
With only 8 songs, the album is slightly lacking in content, and it's questionable whether this was done to prevent the album from dragging on, which does seem to be the case. There are only a certain amount of times this album can be played before the robust sounds and instruments thrown into every song begin to make it feel like a nature walk and not an album created within a studio.
Nevertheless this is still one of the quality albums released this year. The passionate rhythm that is 'Lotus Flower' brings nostalgia to Kid A fans, and 'Codex' plays a mellowed piano to the brilliance of Thom Yorke's voice. All the album falls together into one piece in typical fashion of the band, making it very well structured and thought-out in terms of creativity.
Ratings:
Composition - The album has a good flow from beginning to end, and there honestly isn't any standout song. But the sounds used throughout the album do become repetitive. 7/10.
Structure - It's a Radiohead album that isn't Amnesiac (Albeit awkwardly similar). Need I say more? 9/10
Creativity - Not much creativity is used in this album when Kid A is mentioned. The album does use unique sounds and idea that Kid A doesn't however. 5/10.
Passion - It's always easy to see the passion in rock that is so alternatively influenced. For example, 'Give Up The Ghost' gives a very fascinating hollow take on forgetting a once happy past. However I didn't feel much passion toward the beginning half of The King Of Limbs. 5/10
Lyrics - Radiohead haven't been lyrically unbalanced since Pablo Honey, and still aren't here. 8/10.
