The front of the “King of Limbs” vinyl.
“The King of Limbs,” released on February 18th, 2011, is Radiohead’s eighth studio album. The name of the album itself derives from the King of Limbs, an ancient oak in Wiltshire, England, near the studio where the band had previously recorded “In Rainbows.” The album features a much more distinct sound that separates itself from previous Radiohead works, making excessive use of ambient sounds, sampling and looping. It also happens to be Radiohead’s shortest album, with a total of eight tracks and being thirty-seven minutes in length.
“The King of Limbs” features lyrics with references to strange fauna and oceanic creatures, as Radiohead has in previous songs like “Man of War” and “Weird Fishes / Arpeggi.” The first song on the tracklist is “Bloom,” featuring lyrics relating to nature. It has a soft sound to it, utilizing guitar and sampling nature sounds, such as birdsong.
The second track on the album, “Morning Mr. Magpie,” has erratic drumbeats and guitar parts, featuring a much more jarring sound than “Bloom,” but still inciting a kind of peace within the listener. “Little by Little” sounds run down, slow and subdued. “Feral” has several drum sounds and looped sounds, followed occasionally by Thom’s
disproportionate vocals.
The songs on the second half of the album, “Codex,” “Lotus Flower,” “Give Up The Ghost” and “Separator,” are dreamier, featuring piano, acoustic guitar and somewhat more ethereal sounds. It is the slower section of “The King of Limbs.” I think these are wonderful songs, with “Lotus Flower” being my favorite off of the album.
I believe that “The King of Limbs” is one of the best Radiohead albums, with each song worth a listen. It is a wonderful experience to be able to listen to this album in full, with no stops, just each song flowing into the next. Overall, I would rate this album as a solid nine out of ten.