I've drank red wine, then tea, then had a break, then come back and listened over and over to the 8 new songs that today arrived in my inbox courtesy of Radiohead. Radiohead fall into a category of bands that seemed to have formed somewhat of a soundtrack to my adolescent, teen and growing up years with so many of their songs and albums being overwhelmingly meaningful to me. This makes it hard to critique their new offerings without sounding bias... luckily for me it's really, really good. A challenge on first listen, new experiences, some styles which I feel are being overdone by other acts but all in all--
** It's short (8 tracks in just under 38 minutes)
** It came as a surprise (being announced and released within days)
** Thom Yorke dances (see below videos)
** Each song is an experience and a creation in itself, there's nothing on here just for the sake of it.
TRACKS:
1. Bloom– It’s what I would have liked to have heard as the soundtrack to the Secret Garden… there are mysteries in the piano, Yorke wails out of time with the just-plain-cool snare drums and it explodes into a majestical soundscape. Really interesting stuff and an appropriate start to the mish-mash of audio to come in the next seven songs
2. Codex – Is a sad, thought-provoking song in the same vein of There There or Videotape… it’s a gentle piano ballad and what I always love- a well placed Orchestral arrangement. “Just Dragonflies/Fantasize/No one gets hurt/We’ve Done Nothing Wrong"
3. Feral – A mash up, sampling, experimental soundscape which has been attempted by a million artists recently, in my opinion best done by Fourtet or Pogo. And while it might be the fan in me, listening to a free, slice and dice experiment song by Radiohead is something else. It’s captivating, catchy and abstract in the right amount without losing sense of structure.
4. Give Up The Ghost It’s a soundtrack of nature with simple, innocent lyrics “Don’t Worry/Don’t Hurt Me/While it seems impossible/In your arms” and balanced with acoustic strumming, echoes and loitering vocals. It’s very easy listening.
5. Little By Little– Commanding bass lines, eastern/exotic guitar, rhythm you won’t come across in most commercial music and sexy vocals from Yorke. This is a magical, and sensual track
6. Lotus Flower -- Like so many others, heard for the first time on the video accompanied by Mr Yorke gyrating on my lap top in black and white… once I’ve listened through without the distraction it’s clear to see why this is “the single”. Obvious reasons, it’s catchy, groovy and a throwback to all things this band do right. Haunting vocals, the electric hum of the guitar and steady interesting beats and just a pinch of synth.
7. Morning Mr Magpie – A song not made for easy listening, it puts you on edge and the lyrics do nothing to ease your mind “You got some nerve/coming here/You stole it all/Give it back ” Pacy, hyperactive, funky and moody, a nice change in tempo for the penultimate track
8. Separator – The grand finale and reminds me greatly of the joy I felt when I heard songs like “Nude” on In Rainbows. Beautiful guitar that brings a sensation to you, vocals which are glorious and inticing and a solid funk beat on the drums to back it all up
It’s an eight song sample of what the band can do and in such a short time there is a lot to take in. It needs to be replayed, listened to thoroughly and just enjoyed for what the eight pieces are-- new Radiohead gems to be appreciated. It's a band that needs no review, they'll keep creating sounds and we'll keep listening to them and it's honestly very much worth it the download.
On a few awesome related side notes....
T x
