And now, for my review of what's possibly the most anticipated album of the year...
A Moon Shaped Pool
Artist: Radiohead
Style: Art Pop, Art Rock
Release: May 8, 2016
Length: 52 min.
Every great band has a golden age, and an age where their albums just don't reach the same value. *Led Zeppelin's golden age ended with Physical Graffiti, and their new age began with Presence. *They had a golden age lasting for nearly six years. *Black Sabbath's age ended with Mob Rules in '83. *Queen's end came in the 80's with albums like Flash Gordon and Hot Space. *Rolling Stones' end came after Exile. *Ramones' end came after It's Alive
I mention all of these because Radiohead is still producing great albums 20 years after their first hit, The Bends. *Though some may have felt their golden age ended after the release of The King of Limbs, Radiohead has proven themselves to still be creative, invoking, and gripping with this new form of Radiohead, a side of the band members we have never seen before: a soothing, almost ambient, pop-oriented form of their*previous works that is both a hollow form of its normal self and a birth child for the new age.
Let's go over Radiohead's discography. I listened to the last album I needed to listen to before playing A Moon Shaped Pool, Hail to the Thief. Now I can compare all the albums. Their debut was Pablo Honey, another generic alternative album trying to get into the scenes of the early 90's. Their next album, The Bends, was more light-hearted and easy to like. Funny thing is, Radiohead's sound isn't “easy” to like. It often takes maturing. An interest in Radiohead is aged like wine. This is proven by their next three albums, and the evolution of their sound (or sounds). OK Computer is their thirtd album, and its acclaim is so well received that it is one of the highesdt rated albumsd in the world, sometimes more highly rated than Dark Side of the Moon. This is because of their more artistic approach on atmospheric production while maintaining a mutated form of radio-friendliness that is both pleasant to anyone, yet not the kind of thing you'd hear on the radio. It's as if the album itself pretended to be conventional, and hid itself fairly well behind amazing production. Kid A was the mark of Radiohead's reputation as both musicians and magicians. Mugicians, anyone?
Mugician's Lyre - Chaotiki - Wikia
Kid A was combining the atmospheric experimentation of OKC with electronic music, giving Radiohead a reputation in the Electronic industry. This odd combination gave the album a rep of taking many listens and patience to understand why it is so highly rated that it is often considered to be even better than Led Zeppelin IV or Nevermind. And Amnesiac followed in Kid A's footsteps, but it took less time to understand. This is probably due to the fact it is less atmospheric and more experimental. Hail to the Thief was like a look into Radiohead's past, taking a little bit of anything from their first five albums. In Rainbows was similar, but steered more towards the original alternative roots. The Bends up to Rainbow had extremely favorable reviews. The King of Limbs continued into the electronic industry, but did not meet with as favorable reviews. I'm betting many fans specualted whether or not Radiohead had lost its touch, and was steering away from their golden age. Well, A Moon Shaped Pool continues the golden era twenty years after the age started with The Bends. The reviews are outstanding.
The new aura of A Moon Shaped Pool is completely different from their past works in terms of style and genre, but still Radiohead enough to love. The beginning retains some of the electronic-esque production from OKC to Amnesiac, and carries the same thought-provoking, gripping, and cryptic presence within the backing music, production, and lyrics. Thom Yorke is almost as versatiule as his previous performances. Paranoid Android is a prime example of his diversity. However, the album steers away from every genre that Radiohead ever knew, and shows Radiohead's pop-oriented form of art, backed up by an emotional atmosphere and a new side of the coin. It's as if Radiohead did enter a new era: a second golden era. But as aformentioned, the band does retain their original elements that made them unique. It wasn't the genre that made them unique, it was the mentality.
This soothing aura in the album can either be very soft like in “Daydreaming,” or heavy and rough on a noise rock border similar to “Burn the Witch.” In the song “Decks Dark,”: they retain the alternative elements of conventionality without being alternative at all. Genius. Radiohead are experts at aura. From the first three tracks alone, a lot of makings of a near perfect album are their. And I thought to myself, “Personally, this is my favorite form of Radiohead.” “Desert Island Disk” is one of my favorite off it because of its acoustic sound. “Ful Stop” actually manages to retain the electronic sounds of the early 2000's, but is still so very different. It's more conventional and more instrumental, almost to the point where one can call it a filler track. A damn good one, though. It's actually pretty Bowie-esque, combining Bowie's art with Radiohead's art.
That would've made a hell of a show.
“Glass Eyes” is another production heavy tune, messing with piano in the most beautiful way. “Identikit” is far more soft and quiet, low tone and thought-provoking while a choir of Yorke'sd vocals lead the amazing quality of the song. Still... it fits very well. Obviously, every song is different. Identikit is one of the best on the album. “The Numbers takes the vibe of “Glass Eyes” and brings it into the experimental realm of Kid A and Amnesiac, provoking the thoughts of the listener in a very soothing way. And then... acoustic guitar. Wow. It all blends so well. And then Thom Yorke's falsetto voice sings low enough for this song to be one of the best on the album. It's an amazing work. “Present Tense” seems more focused on using the production towards beauty, as a beautiful acoustic guitar drives fantasia through an amalgam of beauty. Guitars, production, vocals, all beautiful. “Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich” is more electronic than any of the songs on the album. Still, now matter how different each song is, the aura is never stopped. In fact, the reverb within the song is what keeps the song going. It's a little similar to Everythnig in It's Right Place, all about soothing with a low, vaguely raspy, electronic sound that's perfect for relaxing at home and taking a nap. But the reverb and piano within the song make it different, somewhat disturbing the flow of the song a little. However, it never disturbed the album's flow. Cool. Really cool. "True Love Waits" carries a similar influence to the last song. But that's more focused on soothing the soul and prefecting a watery flow to create a near perfect end.
Overall, Radiohead's ninth studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool, could easily be my favorite album out of the Radiohead discography, partially because of its atmospheric pop tone and because of its surprise. I think we can all safely say that this album was a big surprise, and that no oner expected Radiohead to try this completely new kind of realm that easily keeps up with the modern times. It's amazing how a band can make so many albums that fit their era and live through time. I think the surprise may be a disappointm,ent to some due to the “new turn.” But is it possible Radiohead feels they have driven their original cars to the end of their roads? Or did they just try something new?
Either way, this is a grand new entry in their discography. 97.