It's been four years since In Rainbows (which I remembered paying 1 pd for), and Radiohead surprised the music world by announcing five days ago that they were releasing a new album today. This time it has only eight songs, and it'll leave you wanting more. I think you gotta be in the right frame of mind to listen to this cause it's so melancholic and moody. But this one's a real grower, along the same lines as The National's High Violet. For me it always takes time to appreciate Radiohead. I'm not so sure about a song like Feral though; may be a bit too 'avant garde' for my taste (but the drumming is sick). But musically, the whole album's stunning. You can hear lots of intricate jazz-like melodies. And there's also this chill-out lounge vibe to the whole thing.I think the album really hits its stride halfway through. Lotus Flower is driven by infectious drumming and bass, and has singer Thom Yorke doing his signature falsettos over a weirdly catchy synth chord progression in the chorus. Speaking of which, check out the video for the song; Yorke's dancing is just jaw-dropping awesome. My current favorite is Codex, a devastating piano piece -- the funny thing is that it sounds so familiar like you've heard it before, then the music just turns on you unexpectedly and you're presented with a very unique sonic experience (after that it segues nicely into Give Up The Ghost, which is plainly put, a mysteriously calming tune) . And that goes the same for the rest of the songs too. Like it or not, you can always count on Radiohead to be a few steps ahead of every other band of their generation. No doubt the best album of the year yet.
