Radiohead - The King of Limbs
NEW YORK (AP) — Radiohead is releasing its eighth studio album, this time with a price.
The band announced Monday that its latest release, "The King of Limbs," will be available as early as Saturday. Unlike its last pay-what-you-want album, "In Rainbows," this one will have a price.
Fans can pre-order an MP3 download for $9 or a higher-quality WAV version for $14. For approximately $50, there's also an extensive "Newspaper Album" that includes two vinyl records and deluxe packaging.
The band didn't explain its pricing philosophy this time around. Its "In Rainbows" release in 2007 was seen as radical at the time, and was generally viewed as both lucrative and popular.
http://www.thekingoflimbs.com/
Radiohead
Lotus Flower
I've listened to The King of Limbs a few times now, and it's really quite good. It's very easy to listen to, even as it has moments (as radiohead albums tend to after OK Computer) where it seems like each member of the band is trying to break into a different song.
The drawback to the album is, well, the fact that it's only eight songs long, and one of them, "Feral" is a kind of cut-up instrumental (with vocals) that isn't nearly as intersting as "National Anthem" was. So then, for me at least, it's seven songs long. Just over 30 minutes.
But that's maybe a good quibble. Those seven songs are quite good. A few of them, "Lotus Flower," "Give Up the Ghost," and "Separator" are really quite excellent and fresh sounding. At its best, it's a subtle album. And even kind of upbeat and happy (in a Radiohead, downbeat and unhappy, kind of way).
I added the song that was floating around a year or so ago, "These Are My Twisted Words" to my playlist for the album, and that helped fill it out.
posted by John Gallaher @ 5:08 PM
16 comments
16 Comments:
I love how nonchalant they announced this. Perhaps self-publishing can one day afford the luxury of impromptu book release! Or not!
Well, they did sit on it for about six months, deciding, I guess, how best to release it. And then they do it this way? I was expecting something a little more innovative, but I'll take it!
This comment has been removed by the author.
They did innovative, digitally speaking. They put their music out there to download for whatever the buying public was willing to pay for it. Zero to whatever. And people paid. Pretty good for such a hugely successful band to even make that offer back in the day. And, of course, the band made tons of money. Now it seems they're charging what many digital music stores like iTunes would ordinarily charge for the album, anyway, plus a seriously higher price for added bonuses that most stores don't offer. Minus that middleman. I'll give them this one. For what it might be worth. Haven't actually heard any tracks yet.
I agree, for In Rainbows, but now, they're actually charging more than Amazon does for the MP3s. But that's OK, I was just saying that when they were sitting on it all Fall it was because (they said - or the drummer said) they were deciding how best to distribute it. I just thought after all that thinking they'd come up with something a little more fun than this. But, like I said, it's not a big quibble. I'm buying it.
money down for my digital copy already. pretty stoked for this.
I was just thinking of "we suck young blood," which always reminds me of Klaus Kinski as a melancholy Nosferatu..
They've really done a good job of keeping it under wraps. I've only heard the couple songs that York played solo, and one other song that might (MIGHT!) be on the album.
It might be a big Saturday.
well, it's obviously out early. sort of underwhelming (on first listen, in my headphones). but it's already growing on me a bit.
I haven't come across it yet!
The only two albums that I instantly loved of theirs were OK Computer and In Rainbows. But, yeah, over time the others have gotten better and better. Hail to the Thief, especially.
I'll go looking.
Got it!
Yeah, it's a little like The Eraser meets Kid A.
When I wrote York, I meant Yorke, by the way.
I've listened to it a few times now, and it's really quite good. It's very easy to listen to, even as it has moments (as radiohead albums tend to after OK Computer) where it seems like each member of the band is about to break into a different song.
The drawback to the album is, well, the fact that it's only eight songs long, and one fo them, "Feral" is a kind of cut-up instrumental (with vocals) that isn't nearly as intersting as "National Anthem" was. So then, for me at least, it's seven songs long. Just over 30 minutes.
But that's maybe a good quibble. Those seven songs are quite good. A few of them, "Lotus Flower," "Codex," "Give Up the Ghost," and "Separator" are really quite excellent and fresh.
I added the song that was floating around a year or so ago, "These Are My Twisted Words" to my playlist for the album, and that helped fill it out a bit.
"Codex" and "Give Up the Ghost" are a strong one-two punch.
Michael,
True, but I would add that "Lotus Flower," "Codex," "Give Up the Ghost," and "Separater" are a really good 1-2-3-4 punch up!
The first half is fine and good and all, but for me the excellence of this album is in the second half.
Ha! That's hilarious. I was gonna post the same thing: "Side B" is "stronger" than "Side A"! I do like "Little By Little" too.
Yeah. Don't get me wrong, though, the whole thing is good, except for the rather obvious cut-up / collage piece "Feral." But then without that song, it's only seven songs . . . it's hard not to feel a little let down by that.
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