The King of Limbs, Radiohead, Self-released
Radiohead’s In Rainbows (2007) marked a return to guitar-driven rock for the band, and for many a return to what it does best. But if Radiohead has taught us anything over the years, it’s that those wanting more of the same need to look elsewhere.
Bloom, the first track on The King of Limbs, the band’s newest release, begins with sparkling keyboards and an anxious, arrhythmic style of percussion that has become a trademark of Radiohead’s electronica-inspired efforts. It sets the mood for an album that is divorced from the sound of In Rainbows. “I’m moving out of orbit,” Thom Yorke sings, backed by his own harmonies. “Turning in somersaults.”
The album’s next track, Morning Mr Magpie is driven by an infectious, muted guitar figure that worms its way into your skull while all around, uneasy atmospherics build tension. This is a carefully measured sonic attack.
Lotus Flower, which features a music video of Yorke dancing around like he’s experiencing a fit, is the album’s best track. The song is a busy one, rich with a multitude of sounds and thematic variances, but it never sounds crowded. This is a trick the band pulls off deftly, and it’s one of the reasons Radiohead is now considered a musical institution.
Still, with a mere eight tracks and clocking in at 37 minutes, The King of Limbs would have worked better as an EP. Cut away two or three songs and a powerfully concise artistic statement would be left. But as a full-length album it disappoints. There is a lot of good to say about The King of Limbs, but it suffers somewhat from a lack of internal dynamics and does not possess the epic sweep of Radiohead’s best efforts.
Let England Shake, PJ Harvey, Island/Vagrant
PJ Harvey first exploded on the alternative rock scene in the early 1990s, exuding a sense of raw power and sexuality that, because it came from a woman, was mistaken for feminist activism. But Harvey has always said that she does what she does because she wants to do it, not because she has an agenda to push.
On her latest album, however, the overtly political Let England Shake, Harvey is no longer so reluctant to wear the cap of an activist. Recalling at times the war poetry of Wilfred Owen, each song here channels the horrors of conflict with gruesome imagery that in and of itself challenges our notions of what is sensible.
Musically, the album is a bit of a departure from Harvey’s prior work. At times it plays out as a kind of rock opera, with unusual instrumentation and Broadway style backup vocals punctuating sudden twists and turns of emotion.
On Let England Shake Harvey largely eschews the gritty vocals that made her famous, choosing instead to float in the upper registers. On England, for instance, her voice bears more than a passing resemblance to Bjork’s. “I live and die through England,” she sings sweetly while strumming an acoustic guitar, accompanied by humming atmospherics.
The Words That Maketh Murder is the record’s catchiest track and most obvious choice for a single, featuring sing-song melodies, a blasting brass section, and powerful lyrics: “I’ve seen and done things that I want to forget/I’ve seen soldiers fall like lumps of meat.”
Let England Shake is a fearless record, and though at times one may wish for the Harvey of old, her ability to transform herself is worthy of admiration. She is obviously doing exactly what she wants to do.
Angles, The Strokes, RCA/Rough Trade
It is difficult to recall a more hotly anticipated debut record than 2001’s Is This It? by The Strokes, which inspired a fierce major label bidding war prior to its widespread critical and commercial success. It didn’t seem to matter that the band’s material was completely derivative; Is This It? rocked so hard and oozed such cocky swagger that the world couldn’t help but love it.
What a difference a decade makes. The fresh faces are gone (the band members are now in their 30s) and the sense of reckless abandon permeating the band’s early work has dissipated. Angles, The Strokes latest release, is a mishmash of disjointed elements.
The album does have a few decent moments. Under Cover of Darkness offers some clever guitar riffs and a rollicking bridge that remind listeners why this band was once on top of the world.
But Julian Casablancas sounds like a man who is phoning in his vocal performance on the grueling You’re So Right, which features a monotonous bass riff and aimless guitar noodling, coupled with a flat chorus that sounds like it belongs in another song altogether. On Gratisfaction the band seems to going for a 1970s AM radio sound — a sound it seems entirely unsuited for.
The Strokes weren’t just loved when they were young, they were loved because they were young. Strip away that youthful vigor and what’s left is boredom.
Smoke Ring for My Halo, Kurt Vile, Matador
Ever since he first began distributing homemade CD-R’s a decade ago, Kurt Vile has been winning fans — and for good reason. He has come a long way since those days, and his latest release, Smoke Ring for My Halo, is a quality selection of highly nuanced, multifaceted rock music.
Melancholic wit and self-reflection form the lyrical backbone of the record. Album opener Baby Arms is an elegant ode to a significant other, someone to depend on when the sky is falling all around you. Atop charming finger-picked guitar figures, soft percussion and subtle chimes, Vile sings: “I get sick of just about everyone/and I hide in my baby’s arms/shrink myself like a Tom Thumb.”
Vile, while certainly no vocal virtuoso, gets the job done nicely, with a voice that invites listeners to come closer and pay attention.
On Tour is a depiction of touring anxiety and paranoia, replete with Lord of the Flies references. Despite its lyrical content, the song begins with a simple, sweet acoustic chord progression. The muted horror finally breaks as Vile sings: “I wanna beat on a drum so hard/till it bleeds blood/pull out the heart/till it don’t start again.” A wash of powerful fuzz guitars follows, bringing the song to a tense climax more befitting its word play.
Although the production quality of Vile’s recordings continues to rise, he still clings to a lo-fi process that adds a sense of depth to everything he does.
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