Radiohead releases 'The King of Limbs'

Some things always click when Radiohead produces a new record: millions of Internet savvy mice and, almost without deliberation, the album itself. Radiohead has established such a prolific résumé that it's become hard sought to find any critic that doubts their creative ability to produce work that can shake the musical scene and appease their longstanding fans. Radiohead's latest album, The King of Limbs, released last Friday, February 18, proves that they haven't lost their kung-pow aptitude to make a killer record.

Keeping with recent tradition, they approached the digital music industry as a frontier rather than downfall by announcing and releasing the album in the same week. Even with this assault on "rational" publicity, they proceeded to release King of Limb's one day before their impromptu release date – and, as an added bonus, made it available on innovative platforms. The King of Limb's has only been released electronically, but a physical "newspaper" release consisting of a 10-inch vinyl record, CD, "many large sheets of artwork," and "625 tiny pieces of artwork" is charted for a March 28 release. 

The King of Limb's is a record whose body runs towards the future but keeps a mind rooted in past experience. This album is clearly a Radiohead production, but upon first listen it's clear that they have made an effort to re-educate themselves. 

This sense of re-education is exemplified by their incorporation and re-invention of "dub-step", a genre few can make sense of. On their track, "Feral", they establish a continuous stream of bass that creates a flowing BPM without separating the sounds themselves, making a fast-paced, cerebral sound.

The band employs this technique to a lesser degree in the album's single, "Lotus Flower". The song's stream of artistic consciousness feels like a road trip led by a father who skips pit stops and rambles about love and emptiness. The affect is the creation of one distinct track that forces the listener to read between the musical lines. The video for "Lotus Flower" features a remarkably animalistic Thom Yorke, the lead singer of the band, in an interpretive dance choreographed by award-winning choreographer, Wayne McGregor.  The resulting collaboration boils with an intimately possessed feel. 

The album as a whole succeeds but does not paramount their musical catalogue. At the same time, they have changed their musical identity so many times that the only lingering trace of them is in the DNA of their work: evoking a feeling. Who can forget "Karma Police," off of 1997's OK Computer, and its ability to bring a foul ball fair? While this album doesn't have any tracks comparable to songs off of OK Computer, it remains an enjoyable listen for Radiohead fans and new ears alike.

The King of Limb's evokes the nervous satisfaction of opening a present with nearly every listen. Radiohead's allure has always been grounded by discovering new details within every song, lyrics, and ultimately album, so do yourself a favor and realize them for yourself by downloading The King of Limb's directly from their website.