From the opening sequence of layered keys and peculiar percussion, one thing can be said about “The King of Limbs”: It is Radiohead.
With only eight tracks and just over 37 minutes of music, the album, self-released on Feb. 18, is the band’s shortest to date.
Though the album has shorter a shorter running time compared to their previous releases, it is not short in the way of instrumentation or composition.
Singer Thom Yorke croons over heavy keyboard medleys and choppy guitar rhythms, creating a diverse sound that is nearly impossible to define. Organic and electronic samples become intertwined like the chemicals in DNA.
Add to the mix Yorke’s signature vocals and this effort could easily be described as classic Radiohead.
Sporadic horns and strings compose the background along with Yorke’s soothing strata of harmony, and there is seldom a chance for the album to seem dry.
As there is rarely a moment less eventful than the last in the album, it is difficult to choose a key track.
The band released a video for the fifth track “Lotus Flower,” a keyboard-laden, almost danceable number complete with handclaps and a driving bass line.
In “Separator,” the final track, Yorke’s delay-heavy vocals could refer to possible future material.
“If you think this is over, then you’re wrong,” Yorke sings.
Radiohead fans hope this reference proves valid.
Their eighth studio album was released independently online by the band themselves in MP3 format for $9 and WAV format for $14.
The album will be available in CD format, as well as on 12-inch vinyl, on March 28.
A special “newspaper” version of the album, to be shipped in May, is also available at a price of $48 or $53, depending on file format.